TTOC president Brian Lewis has called into question the willingness and commitment of the Ministry of Sports and the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT) to validate legitimate efforts by the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) and its corporate partners to promote the growth and sustainability of track and field in T&T.
Speaking at Wednesday’s launch of the NAAAs Championship Month held at the Radisson Hotel on Wrightson Road in Port-of-Spain, Lewis underscored the power of track and field to continue making positive differences in T&T and wondered why the ministry and SporTT officials were usually absent when listed on the programme to speak. “Given the importance of track and field to sport in T&T, I always find it a bit disquieting that on a number of occasions when I come to speak at this all important launch, I always end up speaking last when on the programme, I see SporTT and the Ministry of Sports is supposed to speak after the president of the TTOC. But that invariably doesn’t happen. And I think it would be remiss of me not to make the observation, in a very constructive way. Given the importance of track and field and the national senior championships and the events that track and field and the NAAA and their sponsors and partners would put on during the month of June, I think that it would have been most apt to have a representative here from SporTT and the Ministry of Sport,” Lewis said.
He added, “I know that we are all exceedingly busy, but if we are involved in sport, we must give the respect and the acknowledgement that is due, not only to NAAA, not only to the athletes of track and field, but also and most importantly to the sponsors and partners who have given a commitment to support sport through track and field. I think it is important that we all work together in sport, to develop sport and to put a positive image on sport and we need to encourage the sponsors. This is a very important event and it needs the support of key stakeholders such as the TTOC, the Ministry and SporTT.” State owned National Gas Company (NGC), its subsidiary Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited, insurer Sagicor and Blue Waters have partnered with the NAAA for the NGC/NAAA Junior Championships (June 6-7); NGC/NAAA Juvenile Championships (13-14); NGC/NAAA Combined Events Championships (20-21) NGC/ Sagicor Open Championships (26-28). The Hasely Crawford Stadium in Woodbrook is the venue for all the events listed.