Buenos Aires 2018 is done and dusted T&T Youth Olympic Games team returned home to weather turmoil and flood-related issues.
The opportunity to compete with and interact with their peers from around the globe will prove priceless.
Team TTO's 13 athlete delegation competed in three sports- cycling, track and field and futsal in Argentina. The girls' futsal team of ten players ensured that females made up the majority of the team.
It's always instructive the scrutiny which Team TTO athletes are given. This is both understandable and welcomed. But context is important. The T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) believes that investing in this country's participation at the Youth Olympic Games and Youth Commonwealth Games are needed investments in the future.
The performance at the Youth Games is development focused.
Speaking about youth development the attendance of a youthful contingent of Cougars track and field club led by the talented teenager Shaniqua Bascombe was a refreshing feature of the TTOC second annual "Advancing Women in Leadership" forum held at National Racquet Sports Centre in Tacarigua.
The adverse weather and flooding caused a number of participants to be unavoidably absent. Stranded and unable to get past flood waters many used Whatsapp to convey their frustration.
Some 105 participants were registered and with over 70 turning up, the forum was a success by any measure.
Among the participants listening attentively to Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe were Caribbean participants from Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis and Suriname.
The panellists and the programme agenda allowed for ventilation of a myriad of issues and concerns in respect of women and girls in sport. One panellist, Kwanieze John, told the audience that leadership training should start at the primary school level to alleviate the leadership deficit currently facing T&T.
That track athlete Shaniqua Bascombe and her youthful colleagues invested the time and attention to learn about advancing women in leadership will no doubt augur well for their future on and off the sports field.
Is the future female? Time will tell. But certainly having the conversations and raising the awareness about women and girls in sports issues is relevant and important if one is to judge by the number of participants who braved the inclement weather on Saturday.
That they would have heard Minister Cudjoe commit to advancing women in leadership would have encouraged and motivated not only the females but also the males in attendance.
Editor's Note:
Brian Lewis is the president of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the organisation.