Trinidad and Tobago’s first ever cross-country skiing representative, Mark Rajack, made his brave World Ski Championships debut in Falun, Sweden, last week.

His competitive showing at this esteemed international event broke new ground for sport development in the twin-island republic, since Rajack became TT’s first ever representative in professional skiing (snow). At the Championships on February 19, Rajack finished 121st overall in the discipline of SP C qualification round, which was eventually his final result. One day prior, Rajack also earned a fair 59th place in the International Skiing Federation 10km F category. Altogether, the 33-year-old dual citizen of Canada amassed 482.04 points from his first result and bagged 8-7.76 more in the latter.

The promising athlete was introduced to cross-country skiing a few years ago while working for Fresh Air Experience Ottawa – a store that specialises in cross-country skis and bicycles. He is the lone member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Cross-Country Ski Team.

In a recent interview on Ski Trax.com prior to the start of Worlds last week, Mark, who migrated when he was six years old confessed that, “most people of Caribbean descent have a negative outlook on winter and there’s no way I would have imagined this happening.

“Part of being a new Canadian means you have to adapt or find ways to cope with the climate. For me, it was cross country skiing. And it’s come to the point now where I can’t live anywhere that doesn’t have snow,” he added

Rajack’s interest and dedication to the sport of cross-country skiing was recognised by XC Ottawa – the city’s premier racing team and home to some of Canada’s top skiers — which he eventually joined to develop his racing abilities. A Carleton University alum, Rajack also received a tremendous amount of coaching and training from members of Carleton’s Nordic ski team, where the head coach, Nic Clifford, said: “Even in the bitter cold, he’s often the most enthusiastic to be out skiing, and it really lifts everyone’s spirits on those tough days.”

His next goal is to represent TT in the 2018 Winter Olympics – a plan he never thought would be possible. Rajack returned to his home-base in Canada over the weekend and was back to work yesterday after his hectic World Championships campaign.

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) has revealed its Good Sport Governance Code is edging closer to being launched in a bid to help the nation's sports organisations further improve standards.

The National Olympic Committee is in discussions with international and local experts as part of its commitment to introduce the code and guidelines, the plans for which were first unveiled last year.

TTOC President Brian Lewis highlighted the importance of "efficient, accountable, transparent and democratic" governance within national sporting bodies.

"Good governance of national sports organisations and national governing bodies is essential to ensuring the development of sport is in accordance with the ethics and values of sport," he said.

"Given the role of sport within society to inspire and influence, the transparency, democracy and integrity of national sport organisations and governing bodies, clubs and sport based organisations needs to be assured."

Lewis, who has been involved in sport administration for three decades, insisted that further improvements are vital in order to eliminate corruption and protect athletes' best interests.

"Be it by choice, inability or inadvertence poor governance leads to corruption and the misuse of resources with the consequent negative impact on the athletes in particular," he added.

Lewis stressed that the approach needs to be tailored for each organisation, as there is no "one size fits all panacea", but said his organisation is working hard to address this matter.

It also requires cooperation across the Trinidad and Tobago sport sector to ensure it is successfully implemented.

"It's a complex situation that requires consideration of the specificity of sport," Lewis said.

"Hence the intention of the TTOC/TTCGA (Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association) to work with a cross section of experts to ensure that the TTOC proposed Good Sport Governance code is credible and realistic."

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Ahye skips Malmo Games

Wayne Davis II found form at the Malmo Games indoor meet, in Sweden, yesterday. The Trinidad and Tobago athlete faced the starter in the men’s 60 metres hurdles final, and got to the line in a seasonal best 7.67 seconds—the same time clocked by American David Oliver, the reigning 110m hurdles world champion. Davis, though, had to settle for fourth spot, Oliver earning bronze by the narrowest of margins.
The race for the top spot was also a close contest, with Cuba’s Orlando Ortega and American Aries Merritt—the 2012 Olympic 110m hurdles champion and world record holder in the 110 hurdles at 12.80 seconds—being awarded the same time of 7.52. Ortega had the edge in the photo finish, and was awarded the gold.
In the qualifying round, Davis finished fourth in heat one and sixth overall in 7.75 seconds to secure a lane in the final. Another T&T hurdler, Mikel Thomas was sixth in heat two and 11th overall in 7.84, and did not advance to the championship race.
Yesterday’s 7.67 seconds clocking was the fifth fastest time of Davis’ career. He is the national record holder at 7.59. Going into the Malmo Games, the 23-year-old athlete was not at his best, clocking 7.92 and 8.01 in his previous 2015 outings.
Michelle-Lee Ahye was among the sprinters listed to compete in the Malmo Games women’s 60m dash. However, the T&T track star opted out of the meet, and returned to her training base in Texas, USA.
Ahye enjoyed a successful indoor campaign, and is now looking forward to the outdoor season. Her best indoor run came on February 14, at the Millrose Games in New York, USA, where she clocked 7.11 seconds in finishing second in the 60m event to Ivory Coast sprinter Murielle Ahoure, who got to the line in a world-leading 7.05. Ahye is currently third on the 2015 world indoor performance list with her 7.11 run.
Last Thursday, Ahye won the 200m at the XL-Galan IAAF Indoor Permit meet in Stockholm, Sweden in an indoor best 23.37 seconds. And in her final indoor outing for 2015, the Carenage-born athlete got home in 7.17 seconds for third spot in the 60m dash at the Sainsbury’s Indoor Grand Prix IAAF Indoor Permit meet, in Birmingham, England, last Saturday. Ahoure (7.10) and American Tianna Bartoletta (7.15) were first and second, respectively.
Ahoure was back in action at yesterday’s Malmo Games, dominating her rivals with a 7.14 seconds golden run.
Like Ahoure, Kim Collins is unbeaten in finals during the 2015 indoor season. The 38-year-old sprinter won the Malmo Games men’s 60m dash in 6.52 seconds to maintain his 100 per cent record. Collins is the world-leader at 6.47—a St Kitts and Nevis national record.

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PRESIDENT OF the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) Brian Lewis has called for greater accountability for sporting administrators, in light of last Friday’s controversial Twitter incident involving West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron and veteran opening batsman Christopher Gayle.

Cameron retweeted a post by a fan calling for Gayle to retire in light of his struggles in One Day Internationals (ODI), but Gayle responded emphatically tuesday with a record innings of 215 against Zimbabwe in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

In a telephone interview on tuesday, Lewis admitted, “I was a little surprised that he would have re-tweeted something that could have been inferred as a derogatory or a negative statement about Christopher Gayle. Everybody makes their own choices, but that is not something I would have considered prudent to do, given the fact that he’s the president of the West Indies Cricket Board. I felt that he had a greater duty and responsibility to adopt a different approach.”

Cameron’s action received condemnation on social media, and a number of leading cricketing names, including commentator Tony Cozier, former fast bowling great Michael Holding and former boss of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) Dinanath Ramnarine.

“It is a well-established principle that you praise in public but you chastise in private,” said Lewis. “I don’t think this was something that would have been helpful. And I think the end result proved that. It was perceived negatively by former players, commentators and the public, and it highlights the challenges and dangers of social media.

“What is happening with the West Indies Cricket Board, especially with the looming elections on the 7th of March, has raised the scrutiny on the Board,” he added. “When such scrutiny is intensified, as sports leaders, we are held to a higher standard.”

On the issue of accountability by sporting administrators, Lewis made it clear that, “in everything in leadership, the ultimate accountability is the stakeholders. Mr Cameron was held accountable on social media by the anger and the disgust which his re-tweet was received.”

And Lewis slammed the WICB for their role in the entire Twitter scenario. “The bigger issue, I think, is the heightened scrutiny, justifiably so, in terms of the governance and the governance structure of the West Indies Cricket Board,” he said. “As one of the major and leading sports organisations in the region, the West Indies Cricket Board has been found wanting.”

Lewis stressed, “the stakeholders, in the context of West Indies cricket, must be the players. People don’t play to see the administrators, they play to see the players. In terms of the commercial opportunities that will build the brand of West Indies cricket, is the players. Therefore the West Indies Cricket Board must see themselves as being accountable to the stakeholders, including the players. It makes no sense trying to sweep the matter under the carpet.

He continued, “while I’m very sympathetic for the challenges that sports administrators in the region face in their respective territories, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we are held to a higher standard.”

Lewis noted that Cameron must take the blame for the perceived souring of relations between the WICB and the players, in light of the retweet issue.

“Given some of the challenges that the West Indies Cricket Board have found (themselves) in, the buck stops with the president. We cannot, as leaders, hold ourselves as exemplars if we don’t have the sense of responsibility, obligation and duty to be accountable for things that aren’t going right. The Board are more than happy to hold the players accountable and, therefore, whether unintentional or not, is being practised is double standard.”

On Gayle’s record-breaking World Cup innings yesterday, Lewis said, “credit must be given to Gayle in particular because he had to deal with an obvious slap of the face from his president. He also had to deal with a letter pertaining to a disciplinary matter.

“Not withstanding all of that, he proved the well-standing sporting adage that form is temporary and class is permanent, and the best revenge (amounts to) success. What he did was responded, like the true champion that he is.”

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Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis is promising a  Good Sport Governance code will soon become reality for this country.

The TTOC,  the body holding exclusive  authority for the Olympic Games and sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee(IOC),  is also responsible for the Commonwealth Games and sports recognized by the Commonwealth Games Federation( CGF) under the Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association(TTCGA). And in the TTOC's ongoing efforts  to  raise governance standards in the national sport  organisations across the country, the TTOC is in discussions with international and local good governance experts  as part of the national Olympic committee's commitment to establish a Good Sport Governance code and guidelines .

"Good governance of national sports organizations and national governing bodies is essential to ensuring the development of sport is in accordance with the ethics and values of sport," Lewis said, "Given the role of sport within society to inspire and influence, the transparency, democracy and integrity of national sport organizations and  governing bodies, clubs and sport based organizations needs to be assured."

Lewis also explained that national sporting bodies needed to govern their affairs in an "efficient, accountable, transparent and democratic manner".

Transparency International (TI) defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

It is a situation Lewis and his TTOC executive want to rid the NSOs of.

"Be it by choice, inability or inadvertence poor governance leads to corruption and the misuse of resources with the consequent negative impact on the athletes in particular, " Lewis said.

Lewis who has been involved in sport administration for three decades said  there is no one size fits all panacea and good corporate and organizational governance norms can't be adopted blindly in sport. "Its a complex situation that requires consideration of the specificity of sport. Hence the intention of the TTOC/TTCGA to work with a cross section of experts to ensure that the TTOC proposed Good Sport Governance code is credible and realistic," Lewis indicated.

Lewis concluded by saying the implementation and compliance action plan must be responsive to the need for cooperation across the Trinidad and Tobago sport sector.