The Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board of Control (TTBBC) and the Special Advisor to the TTBBC, Boxu Potts, have extended condolences to the family of Tommy Thomas, who passed away last Saturday.
‘’We are saddened to hear this news which is a great loss to the boxing fraternity. He is not only known nationally but also internationally where he had worked countless fights. He worked with some of our great local boxers, including the late Jizelle Salandy and Ria Ramnarine,’’ a release from the TTBBC stated.
Up to the time of his death, Thomas was the lone international referee/judge in Trinidad and Tobago registered and recognised by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA).
‘’Tommy was always a supporter of the sport. Even when fights were held in the most rural area he would take time off to serve. He was very selfless rather than selfish. He lent himself to the sport in many different ways,’’ added the TTBBC, which also noted that with Thomas’ passing they will have to work to develop young referees and judges.
Lalonde tops Armory 300
Trinidad and Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon topped the men’s invitational 300 metres field at the Armory Track Invitational in New York, USA, on Saturday. The double Olympic bronze medallist stopped the clock at 32.57 seconds. Gordon is second on the 2015 world indoor performance list, behind Czech Republic’s reigning world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak (32.53).
Odou Hazel claimed silver in the Armory Track Invitational college men’s 500m event. The ASA College student returned a time of one minute, 02.45 seconds.
There was a double triumph for Jessica James at the Masked Rider Open, in Texas. The Abilene Christian University junior won the women’s 600 yards in 1:23.53, and the 400m in 55.78 seconds. South Plains College freshman Aaliyah Telesford clocked 57.34 for eighth spot overall in the 400.
Reyare Thomas emerged victorious in the women’s 200m in 23.73 seconds, while sixth spot went to Western Texas College sophomore Marissa Gale (24.87). Jereem Richards finished second in the men’s 400m in 46.49 seconds, while his South Plains teammate, Domonique Williams clocked 2:16.28 for second spot in the women’s 800m.
Telesford got to the line in 7.04 seconds to finish fourth in the women’s 55m final. Thomas was disqualified for a false start. In the semifinal round, Thomas clocked 6.96, and Telesford 7.00.
At the Paradise Valley indoor meet, in Arizona, Arizona State University student Jamol James won the men’s 60m in 6.71 seconds.
In Texas, Michelle-Lee Ahye seized silver in the Howie Ryan Invitational women’s 60m final in 7.16 seconds. Ivory Coast sprinter Murielle Ahoure won in a world-leading 7.08. Ahye is fifth on the 2015 global performance list, thanks to her 7.16 run.
Pennsylvania State University’s Steve Waithe produced a 15.77 metres effort to finish second in the men’s triple jump, at the Penn State National Invitational, in Pennsylvania. Coppin State University junior Deandra Daniel cleared the bar at 1.82m for second spot in the women’s high jump.
At the Razorback Invitational, in Arkansas, Sparkle McKnight secured bronze in the women’s 400m in 52.67 seconds--her fastest clocking this season. The University of Arkansas senior is eighth on the 2015 world indoor performance list. For eight days in January, McKnight was the world-leader at 52.89.
Another T&T athlete, Texas A&M University’s Carlyle Roudette was 12th overall in the Razorback Invitational men’s 400m in 47.64 seconds.
At the Indiana Relays, Western Kentucky University student Peli Alzola finished third in the women’s 60m final in 7.65 seconds, and fourth in the 200m in 25.06.
In Arizona, Mikel Thomas was eighth fastest in the Mountain T’s Invitational men’s 60m finals in 6.87 seconds. He had clocked 6.80 in the qualifying round. And Thomas was disqualified in the 60m hurdles finals for a false start, after qualifying third fastest with a 7.90 seconds run.
TTOC Welcomes New Minister of Sport Brent Sancho
The appointment of former national footballer Brent Sancho as Minister of sport sends a good signal to the athletes of Trinidad and Tobago.
Minister Sancho is to be commended for accepting the position in what can be best described as challenging times for Trinidad and Tobago Sport given the macro economic reality of falling oil and gas revenue , the recent life sport scandal and other systemic issues bedeviling and hampering local sport.
In welcoming the new Minister of Sport there is confidence that his experience as a national team sport athlete , a professional footballer, managing director of Central FC, his advocacy for player rights will give him the context and commitment to make decisions that are in the best interest of sport and the athletes.
In addressing some of the major problems zero tolerance for corruption and poor governance will be essential success factors.
On behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) I welcome the new Minister of Sport and extend best wises to him for a successful , progressive and forward thinking tenure.
Sancho appointed new Minister of Sport
Former Trinidad and Tobago footballer and member of the 2006 Soca Warriors squad Brent Sancho has been appointed the new Minister of Sport, replacing Rupert Griffith, who had been acting in that post following the resignation of Anil Robetrs last year.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in her address to the nation late yesterday.
Sancho, who represented T&T at the 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany, was a surprise appointment. Sancho has been at the forefront of a ongoing legal battle for monies owed to the Soca Warriors by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
In September last year, Sancho, along with 12 others Soca Warriors, received cheques from the prime minister which represented the balance of the money the court said was owed to them.
Despite the pay off, Sancho vowed the players would continue with their legal action.
Sancho said then, “While the procedure has gone before the court we have unearthed a lot of wrongdoing and we intend to find the person responsible for the missing funds. We will continue with our legal battle and bring those missing funds back to the TTFF.”
Sancho, currently managing director of Central FC, also had given the assurance that once those funds were recovered, the players would reimburse the Government.
President Lewis walking the talk
Brian Lewis, President of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) deserves commendation for his visibly proactive effort to lay a solid foundation for T&T elite athletes to win at least 10 gold medals by the 2024 Summer Olympics through the Athlete Welfare and Preparation initiative.
Any unbiased observer will quickly acknowledge that Lewis is discharging his responsibilities with passion, optimism and practicality.
He is clear about what he would like to achieve, is passionately optimistic and is making every effort to ensure that these goals are attainable.
The success of modern day sports is dependent upon a number of primary and secondary stakeholders. The primary stakeholders are the athletes who through their respective skills and talent perform outstanding feats to the satisfaction of supporters, sponsors and everyone else who appreciate the value of outstanding performances.
However, it is important to appreciate that the success of athletes is connected to the organizational and managerial skills of sporting administrators. This may be more so in developing countries where economic resources and other infrastructural requirements may be lacking.
Behind the public scenes administrators work assiduously to ensure that all the relevant resources and opportunities are available so that elite athletes can train without undue non-training issues.
Administrators are responsible for the development and implementation strategic plans that will ensure continuous improvement of programmes to achieve clearly identifiable goals.
These plans are not only about the athletes but also the requisite human resource support.
This is required to ensure that athletes are provided with the current scientific training that is available so that they can compete internationally on an equal footing.
The TTOC Athlete Welfare and Preparation initiative is a manifestation of the importance of a dynamic and proactive sports administrator. Achieving 10 gold medals or more will be a costly activity as potential Olympians have to be exposed to the best training and other resources available.
Therefore, instead of sitting back and awaiting for the state to dole out funds, Lewis and the TTOC have embarked upon creatively proactive strategies to raise funds.
Lewis’ appeal has been to both corporate T&T and the general public for sponsorship.
To raise awareness and to personally market the goal of the TTOC he put his body through the grueling demands of walking the 26.2 miles T&T marathon last Sunday from Freeport junction to the Queen’s Park Savannah.
It was a clear demonstration of leading from the front. The goal of this venture was to raise $500 000.
His feat was well supported by family, friends and members of the sporting fraternity.
At the end of the walk he reflected on the wide ranging support he received by stating “I am glad it (the walk) resonated so deeply with the public and it just goes to show there are still wonderful and tremendous people in this country who want to see the country progress.”
Lewis’s effort has immediately had an impact as the country’s first Olympic gold medalist, Hasely Crawford.
Crawford has pledged his support by offering for lease his gold medal and full outfit he wore when he defeated Donald Quarrie (Jamaica) silver medal and Valeriy Borzov (Russia) bronze medal to win 100 metres in 10.06 seconds at the Montreal Games. Crawford reiterated that winning an Olympic gold medal is no easy feat and hence the importance of providing support to young athletes in order for them to realise their goals.
Corporate T&T have also responded positively. The Guardian Group have donated $250,000 and other sponsors have been Columbus Communications, Deloitte & Touche and Southern Sales, Toyota. These gestures may be the cue for other corporate entities to follow.
The TTOC is also appealing to corporate T&T to provide internship, mentorship and work opportunities for elite athletes. This strategy will help provide the athletes with an important living comfort which will allow them to train freely without the burden of having to search for financial support.
Lewis has also used his weekly Guardian column to articulate his ideas about the administration of sports and also the importance of sports as a means of building the social and economic capital of the country. There are important lessons for administrators of other sporting administrators to follow.
There is an indeterminacy about sports so success is not guaranteed. There will be constructive critics and there will be the outright naysayers. The latter is an unfortunate feature of our culture- crab in barrel syndrome- some bask in failures or shortcomings of others. However, one cannot fault Lewis and the TTOC for making a concerted effort to achieve their goals of #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Donations to #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund can be made at any Scotia Bank Branch the TTOC Account number is 171188 or by cheque made payable to TTOC which can be dropped off or posted to TTOC Olympic House 121 Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
All aboard
...as #10golds24 bandwagon gets rolling
It’s only natural to be suspicious of Brian Lewis’ motives. This is a country where walking the talk isn’t a priority, especially among public figures. So when the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) fulfilled his stated commitment to walking the marathon distance last week Sunday in launching a fund-raising effort targeting the next three Summer Olympic Games, it was time to take notice.
First of all, what planet is this fella on? I mean, in our history of Olympic participation going back 66-plus years, there are only two gold medals to show for it. Granted, the second came at the last edition in London in 2012, but to suggest that Keshorn Walcott’s out-of-the-blue triumph in the javelin could be the trigger for an avalanche (for us) of golden success in 2016, 2020 and 2024 is like the Prime Minister believing this latest matter surrounding the Attorney General will merely blow over after nine days or so.
Anyway, as utterly ludicrous as it sounds, the TTOC boss has already managed to snare some big-name corporate support, with the Guardian Group igniting the flame of private sector interest to the tune of $250,000. I actually thought it was a misprint when the information appeared in the media a week ago. Surely it was $25,000 and not a quarter-of-a-million dollars. Four others have since come on board, although their contributions are yet to be publicly disclosed.
Maybe Lewis should try selling snake oil in his spare time, or bags of party ice cubes to the Inuit of northern Canada. But his biggest coup, so far, was to get Hasely Crawford to sprint onto the bandwagon in pursuit of this ambitious, audacious project.
Anyone with even a passing interest in the life and times of the nation’s first Olympic gold medallist would be aware of his increasing bitterness and deepening sense of hurt over the manner in which he has been treated by successive governments and the general public since beating Jamaica’s Don Quarrie to the 100-metre finish line in Montreal, in 1976.
We can debate long into the night whether or not Crawford’s angst is justified. But right or wrong, it doesn’t change the fact that the man has been vex like hell for all sorts of different reasons for almost 40 years. So for him to announce that his Olympic gold medal and the gear he wore for that historic occasion is to be leased to the TTOC in support of the #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund – that’s the official name of the project – is almost as unexpected as Anand Ramlogan being contrite and apologetic about anything.
So what’s really at play here? Granted that as an insurance salesman he would know a thing or two about making an effective pitch, but how does he attract so much significant backing so soon when most administrators in other sports have struggled for years to garner even a fraction of that support?
As we know only too well, credibility is at the very heart of the problem when it comes to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, custodians of our most popular sport, to the extent that potential benefactors prefer to pay third parties to manage the money rather than let it go to the TTFA directly.
There are three things we claim to crave but really only demand it of others, not ourselves: integrity, transparency and accountability. Could it be that Lewis has convinced enough important people that he is prepared to abide by those three musketeers of effective, progressive governance in pursuit of a dream? If so, he has established for himself a dizzyingly high standard, one that very, very few are prepared to be held up against for at least the next nine years.
Will we even remember this ideal of ten golds by 2024 after the flame of the Games of that year is extinguished? What measurable difference will it make anyway to basic issues like quality of life or higher ideals like a sense of nationhood should the goal be attained or surpassed?
Whether or not you choose to remain sceptical or prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt, Brian Lewis has put himself out there in a manner few of us are willing to do. As encouraging as the early signs are, he must know that it only takes one false move for the whole thing to come crashing down around him. Rest assured, there are some willing the venture of fail for nothing more than narrow, selfish motives.
So stay on the fence if you will, but unless he is exposed as a crook, a thief and a charlatan, I am prepared to get on board for an exercise that could only be for the good of the country.