AN EXHAUSTED but elated group of Trinidad and Tobago athletes returned home from the 14th Special Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, United States, yesterday, to a cheering group of supporters, including relatives as well as members of the Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago (SOTT).

In total, Trinidad and Tobago amassed 48 medals — 15 gold, nine silver and 24 bronze, at the 2015 edition.

Yesterday afternoon, at the Piarco International Airport, the first of two groups arrived — participants in aquatics, basketball, powerlifting and track and field. One of the athletes who returned home was 18- year-old powerlifter Nicholas McKnight, a resident of San Juan.

McKnight collected four medals at the Games — a silver (male bench press) and three bronze (male dead lift, male combination and male squat lift).

“I gave it my all,” said McKnight yesterday. “I just wanted to come back with something and make my mother proud. And I just went out there and made myself proud, just to do something for mummy.” Admitting it was his first Special Olympic Games, McKnight noted, “I just said to myself I’ll hold my head up, pray to God and go out there and do my best”.

However, he was hard on himself when asked about his overall display.

“The performance was a little low but I made myself do the best that I could,” he said.

Candilla Berment-Harper, head of delegation for the team and the chairperson of the Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago (SOTT), was also pleased with the returns from the TT squad.

“The experience was very good,” she commented. “It was more for the athletes and not for me. This (was) my tenth year taking a team to the World Games. They performed extremely well.” She emphasised,“the experience for them is really something that they will cherish. It helps them to socialise a lot more, it helps them to deal with their peers. They make friends (and) they enjoy themselves.” Asked what memories stood out for her at the Games, Berment-Harper replied, “many moments I would say. You can’t pinpoint one particular (moment). Just the fact that the athletes performed so well, that is our moment.” The TT basketball team finished third at the Games, defeating Japan in the third-place playoff.

Coach Ronald De Silva pointed out, “we came out very successful, (with) the bronze. We could have done better but we had some shooting problems in one of the games, which we lost.

That put us in the bronze medal (match).” But he was satisfied with the efforts shown by his players.

“What I put them through in the last six months, they really delivered and we came out with a medal in the end,” said De Silva. “And they enjoyed it.

“We had a great time. Many of these kids, it’s the first time they have been on a plane, in a different country.” De Silva made a plea for some of his players to be used in either the national men’s league teams or in school teams.

“Many of these athletes we have, they are not included in the ‘normal’ games that we have,” he stated. “I think there are couple of guys on my team that could be put on a second division or a third division, or a school team. Many of them do not get that opportunity, and the ‘normal’ kids really do not understand them.”

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Nathan Farinha anchored Trinidad and Tobago to bronze in the Pan American Junior Track and Field Championship men's 4x100 metres relay, in Edmonton, Canada, on Sunday night.

Francis Louis, Joash Huggins, Corey Stewart and Farinha combined for a 40.50 seconds clocking. Jamaica produced a 40.15 run to grab gold, while silver was seized by Bahamas in 40.32.

The sprint relay bronze, on the third and final day of the hemispheric Under-20 meet, carried the country's medal tally to three--one gold, one silver, one bronze. Khalifa St Fort earned gold in the women's 100m, while Portious Warren picked up silver in the women's shot put.

On Sunday, Jael Fergusson, Jeminise Parris, Jendayi Noel and St Fort on anchor teamed up for fourth spot in the women's 4x100m relay. The T&T quartet got home in 47.11 seconds. United States won in 43.79, from Jamaica (44.31) and Bahamas (45.96).

T&T's Omari Benoit cleared the bar at 1.90 metres for 10th spot in the men's high jump. Both the gold medallist, American Randall Cunningham, and silver medallist, Cuban Luis Zayas went over at 2.16m. Jamaican Clayton Brown bagged bronze with a 2.13m clearance.

Another T&T athlete, Kenejah Williams finished 10th in the men's shot put. He threw the iron ball 16.45m. United States swept the top two spots, John Maurins getting gold with a 19.49m effort and Ayomidotun Ogundeji claiming silver at 19.20m. Bronze went to Jamaican Demar Gayle (18.56m).

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Minister of Sport Brent Sancho said he would continue to help the national men's senior football team to qualify for the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia, with or without Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (T&TFA) president Raymond Tim Kee.

Sancho was yesterday responding to statements made by Tim Kee in a four-page letter to the media on the weekend, in which the Port of Spain mayor said Sancho had shown “a lack of respect” in dealing with the TTFA.

Tim Kee had also disputed Sancho's public statements about the TTFA on matters of transparency and accountability, the promised Government funding and communication between the TTFA and the Ministry of Sport.

But contacted yesterday, Sancho said: “I have absolutely no interest in Mr Tim Kee's political utterances. I want to make it very clear he (Tim Kee) has a political agenda and he can try to pretend otherwise. My main focus is with or without his inclusion, to chart a course to the national men's senior football team reaching the World Cup and putting things in place necessary for them to attain this goal.

“I will do whatever in my power to make sure. It is my clear goal and focus — the players and coaching staff and football team — as it has always been my focus since my inception (as Minister of Sport),” Sancho told the Express.

The former Soca Warrior said his Ministry continues to pay the coaching staff and players since he claimed the TTFA had reneged on its promise to both parties.

Sancho said the Ministry has contributed 95 per cent of the TTFA's source of funds and has continued to support national football.

“So much so that in the last year, this fiscal year has been a landmark year as it relates to funding to the TTFA. It has been unprecedented funding and a record-breaking year as it relates to funding from the Ministry of Sport towards the TTFA,” he said

Sancho said the Ministry is in the final stages of purchasing the parcel of land for the TTFA GOAL project, a grassroots programme that aims to target all areas in the country.

“While Tim Kee continues or tries to continue to use the players and football as a political pawn, we at the Ministry and this Government has continued to work extremely hard to ensure that football continues to strive, continues to reach all of the goals set,” Sancho said.

On the issue of the ongoing court matter between some of the 2006 Soca Warriors team and the TTFA, Sancho insisted he is no longer part of the litigating team and Tim Kee should have known this since he has had extensive discussions with current Soca Warrior Kenwyne Jones, one oft the litigants in that case.

“ We have made it simple at the Ministry, in what we ask for and continue to ask for...the TTFA to be accountable and transparent. That is crux of the matter,” he said.

Asked if the TTFA had not furnished the Ministry with audited accounts for 2008-2012, Sancho replied: “ We have asked and received information about CONCACAF monies for their (T&T's) participation in the Gold Cup but up to this minute we still have not gotten any official documentation other than what we were told CONCACAF gave them (TTFA). They (TTFA) have said to us they have paid certain bills with this money but lo and behold the Ministry is left with the bill in our hand and we have had to cover again all they have said they had paid. So clearly they have not been transparent and honest in what they have said they have distributed,” Sancho concluded.

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Durban's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games will start being inspected by voters today when delegations from Africa and Asia arrive in the South African city.

They will be followed by a group from Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA) in Europe and Oceania on July 22 and then from the Americas and Caribbean countries on August 5, less than a month before the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) votes on whether Durban should become the first African nation to host the event.

They have been the only bidder since February when Edmonton withdrew, blaming the impact of the woldwide oil crisis.

But the CGF still has to formally to approve that they should stage the event.

The aim of the inbound visits is for these Commonwealth Games Associations, representing the 71 countries of the Commonwealth, to conduct personal assessments of Durban’s bid proposal.

In April the CGF’s Evaluation Commission, chaired by Scotland's Louise Martin, visited Durban to meet the Government and city partners who will be essential to the successful delivery of the Games, as well as visiting numerous competition and non-competition venues and facilities.

The Evaluation Commission is due to publish its report on July 31 and present its finding to the full CGF membership at the General Assembly in Auckland on September 2.

“These visits by the CGA are absolutely critical for the bid process as they would determine whether Durban is awarded the right to host the Games in 2022 or not," Tubby Reddy, the chief executive of Durban 2022, said.

"These member countries would make their own appraisal of our bid and then cast their vote in September.

"It is therefore imperative that what we lodged at the CGF in London in March meets the expectations of the CGA when they inspect the infrastructure and facilities in Durban.”

Mark Alexander, chairman of Durban 2022, is confident, though, that they will impress their important visitors.

“We believe that we have lodged a world-class bid that meets all the stringent criteria set by the CGF and that when the CGA votes in September, the Games will be coming to Africa in 2022," he said.

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