Team TTO | Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee | teamtto.org

Natalie Hindmarsh talks about her London 2012 volunteering experience...

How did you get to volunteer with the Games?
I was looking to do some volunteering associated with sports and I came across the Sport Cardiff website, home of Cardiff Council's Sports Development team. They were looking for ambassadors in Cardiff, so I applied immediately.
I was accepted to become a volunteer after completing a questionnaire and an informal interview.

What did you do?
I was offered a volunteering opportunity as a Cardiff Host Council Ambassador. My main responsibility was uniform distribution for the Trinidad and Tobago athletics team as they prepared for the Games. Firstly, I had two training days to learn about health and safety, possible terrorist threats, and disability inclusion.

On 15 July, I put on my ambassador polo shirt and went to the Vale hotel in Hensol, where the Trinidad and Tobago team were staying for their pre-Games training before heading to the Olympic village in London.

Part of my role was to help the athletes and officials pack their training, presentation and leisure kit bags. Along with the other volunteers I got stuck in immediately. There was a lot of kit to organise, but it was a great atmosphere as we were in the same room as the athletes and trainers where they were relaxing and getting treatments and massages. There was a lot of interaction with the athletes, for example they came to me with kit issues and I was responsible for helping them.

I also helped put together a bulletin board of newspaper articles from Trinidad and Tobago, so the athletes who wouldn't normally get a chance to read them could stay updated.

How did it feel to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world?
When I first applied, I thought I’d be marshalling around the centre of Cardiff whilst the football was on and hadn't even considered I’d be lucky enough to be so close to an actual team of athletes at their training camp in Wales.

At first I felt very star struck and bashful around the athletes, but the 'team manager' made us feel really welcomed and appreciated. By the end, I had the courage to chat with some and get pictures to show off to my friends! Some of the athletes were in the 'zone' and kept themselves to themselves but on the whole, they were very relaxed and laid back and were happy to chat with us.

The team also very generously fed us with delicious food that was prepared specifically for them, a lot of which was native to the Islands.

I came away from each day feeling really happy and so privileged to have been involved in what is the biggest show on earth. I absolutely loved the whole experience.

Will you be able to use these skills in the workplace?
Yes. It's taught me that I should continue to be proactive in and out of work and seize every opportunity that comes my way. I'm naturally a quiet and reflective person in new situations and sometimes find it uncomfortable. But I made myself speak up and be an active member of the volunteers. I drew on the knowledge that everyone can feel like this at some point and have the same insecurities that I do.

Thanks to Sport Cardiff and the Welsh Government’s volunteering policy, I can say I helped out at our home Olympics.
And as a thank you from the Trinidad and Tobago team, I was allowed to pick a piece of kit to take home with me, so I am now going to wear with pride my jacket with their team name on it!

www.WalesIn2012.com

74-year-old dies in hospital after being hit in the throat during youth athletics event in Düsseldorf

Legacy has been the watchword of the summer for the London 2012 organisers, but Australia's Gold Coast is looking to deliver what it calls a "pregacy" – bringing the benefits of hosting the Commonwealth Games to the city years in advance.

Gold Coast 2018 is keen to ensure that sports participation is maximised in the years leading up to the $1.1 billion (£737 million/€884 million) event.

The Organising Committee's general manager of marketing and communications, Andrew Woodward, said: "Our show isn't for [another] five-and-a-half years, but we do not just want to put on a great event in 2018.

"We're looking upon this as 11 days of sport and a decade of opportunity.

"And that decade of opportunity starts before the Games.

"Legacy generally means something of benefit afterwards.

"What we're looking at is 'pregacy' – that's where you have a benefit to the community prior to the Games.

"And we're looking at this across the board.

"We can see benefits for trade and investment, for tourism, for the education community and for sport."

Part of the plans includes a new swimming venue to which it is hoped can be used in the years prior to the Commonwealth Games.

But much of the pregacy will depend on an increase in participation in sport, given that 80 per cent of the venues and much of the infrastructure needed are already in place.

"Here on the Gold Coast we have a fantastic outdoor lifestyle," said Woodward.

"So what we're thinking about is how we can use the Commonwealth Games to help push the health agenda and get health benefits across the community.

"For example, we're looking at a swimming venue to be used in 2018, but we can bring that forward a few years to bring some additional [participation] benefits before the Games."

Of significant advantage to the Gold Coast is the experience from hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2000 in Sydney.

The expertise gained at those Games has been used across the world, including during this summer's Olympics in London.

Australian companies have also been busy playing a part in preparations for other major sports events, including the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympics and the football World Cup being held in Brazil in the same year.

They are also involved in every future World Cup and Olympic and Paralympics already awarded as well as with the bidding committees for future Games.

"There would be no point in taking the whole Sydney model and replicating it here on the Gold Coast," Woodward said.

"[But] there is a tremendous body of knowledge that you don't just use once.

"There's a whole lot of Australians out there with a whole lot of skills being used in London, Brazil, Russia, the Middle East and South Korea.

"We're able to tap a lot of those skills and utilise them here."

By David Gold

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

C K Wu, President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), has promised to push to get more weight categories for women at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after the female edition of the sport made a hugely successful debut at London 2012.

Wu, who is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board member, spearheaded the movement to get women's boxing onto the programme at the Olympics and at London 2012, the three categories of flyweight, lightweight and middleweight featured alongside the ten male weight categories.

A phenomenal tournament at ExCeL saw Britain's Nicola Adams (pictured above, left), Ireland's Katie Taylor and America's Claressa Shields claim historic gold medals in the three weight categories respectively and Wu said the success of the event has boosted the chances of more women's categories in Brazil in four years' time.

"I said before the start of the event that the female boxers needed to impress at London 2012 and they certainly did that," Wu told insidethegames.

"It was a very proud moment for me because they surprised everyone with their talent and the spectators were fully behind them.

"By performing so well, I now have the best possible platform to fight to get more categories included at the next Olympics.

"It is not easy because the IOC is looking to keep the number of events down but it is something I will push for and discuss at length with Christophe Dubi [the IOC sports director].

"I have heard from many of my colleagues in the IOC that they enjoyed watching women's boxing so we have a great chance to have more weight categories in the future."

Wu also heaped praise on the London 2012 boxing competition at ExCeL which he claimed was one of the best in the history of the Olympics.

"There is no doubt that London 2012 did a fantastic job with the boxing event and I must congratulate my friend Seb Coe [London 2012 chairman] and his team for all the work they have done in putting on a tournament of this quality," he said.

"London is a city with a proud boxing history and I think we saw that with the huge support for all the boxers.

"All the seats were full every single day of the event and that is something we are delighted to see at AIBA.

"So I can say that following the conclusion of London 2012, we are very happy and looking forward to a bright future at the Olympics."

By Tom Degun

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

Trinidad and Tobago men and women national rugby sevens teams will battle for a place in the 2013 Rugby World Cup sevens  this weekend (25--26 August) at  Twin Elm Rugby Park, Ottawa, Canada.

The T&T men's team will depart tomorrow morning for Canada. The women's team left on Sunday.

Chairman of the TTRFU selection committee Curtis Nero said both teams have players making their international debuts.

" It is a big tournament with rugby world cup qualification at stake. But the reality is that we have to select  our 7s teams with Rio 2016 and beyond in mind. I am excited to see how the new players perform at the international level."

President of the TTRFU Leslie Figaro  asserted that the local rugby union remains confident that its investment in the young players will pay dividends in the next year or two.

"Its a new era with Rio 2016 and the return of Rugby to the Olympic programme. Jonathon O'Connor(captain) is unavailable due to recent dental surgery. Jason Clark a key player suffered a broken finger at training yesterday. The younger players have worked hard and have the opportunity ." added Figaro.

Caribs rugby club back row forward Kurt Quashie will lead the T&T men's team .

'' Kurt has worked hard , is showing positive leadership on and off the field. The coach (Larry Mendez) is confident  he(Quashie) will do a an excellent job." said Nero

Three players making their senior national 7s debut are Anthony Lopez( Caribs), Phillip Rogers(UWI)) and Stefan Cooksammy(Stourbridge RFC) an English born player qualified to play for T&T by grandparent.

Rugby Canada will host the 2012 North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens championship , which will also act as a qualifier for the 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup.
In the Men’s competition teams from Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and St Vincent and The Grenadines and on the Women’s side teams from Canada, Guyana, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Barbados, St Vincent and The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago, will do battle with the top two Men’s teams and the top Women’s team moving on to next year's Rugby World Cup final in Moscow, Russia.

National Women

Joy Rodney-Wilkes Physio

Jenilee Limada Royalians

Kanisha Vincent New Player Royalians

Alesha Bruce Royalians

Juliana Straker Romans

Ayana Skeete Royalians

Abigail Roberts Royalians

Taliah Wilson Royalians

Nicolette Pantor Exiles

Kwanieze John Royalians

Merlin Blackford Romans

Onica George New Player Police

Arrona Parris Romans

Ebony Young Player/Manager

Simone Andrews-Nero Coach

National Men

Anthony Lopez Caribs

Kelson Figaro Royalians

Joseph Quashie Harvard

James Phillip Royalians

Andrew Taylor Caribs

Phillip Rogers UWI

Agboola Silverton Rainbow

Kurt Quashie Caribs

Daryl Scott Rainbow

Stefan Cooksammy Sturbridge R.F.C.

Tariq Cheekes Harvard

Keishon Walker Tobago RFC

Larry Mendez Coach

Derek Ashby-Williams Physio

Curtis Nero Manager

So the London 2012 Olympics have come and gone in a blink of an eye and the whole of the UK still seems in a state of mourning following the euphoria and huge patriotism create by the event.

I was one of the lucky ones as I got to attend, amongst other events, both Ceremonies, the 100 metre final, the majority of Michael Phelps' victories at the Aquatics Centre and of course that legendary super-Saturday where heptathlete Jess Ennis, long-jumper Greg Rutherford and distance-runner Mo Farah all claimed golds in the space of 46 minutes.

That hour, the finest in the history of British athletics, is one I will never forget because rarely have I been in a stadium where you feel like you can touch the electricity such was the deafening atmosphere in the place.

But I have to admit, my favourite part of the Olympics was not the sport, it was actually walking around the Olympic Park and seeing thousands of spectators, adults and children alike, trotting around with a smile on their face and saying how great the Olympics was.

It was the same on London's famously rude tube where; instead of avoiding eye contact as per usual; people were talking about the Games and discussing their favourite moments. It was truly a special feeling and undoubtedly sad when that Olympic Flame extinguished in the Stadium to draw things to a formal halt.

What next?

That was the main question that seemed to be emanating from the thousands of deflated spectators that shuffled off the Olympic Park following the Olympic Closing Ceremony.

Bizarrely forgotten was the fact that London 2012 is not over because there is a whole Paralympics to come.

I must declare an interest in the Paralympics because as the Paralympics Correspondent of insidethegames, I have covered almost every single element of the Games and the key players involved since we launched our dedicated Paralympic website - insideworldparasport.biz - on December 3, 2009 - exactly 1,000 days before the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony.

But I am happy to admit that at the start, I did not have an in-depth knowledge of Paralympic sport.

I knew the basics: That there was a South African guy called Oscar Pistorius who controversially competes against able-bodied athletes, that Britain was pretty good at the Paralympics having finished second on the medal at the last three Summer Paralympics and that London 2012 was aiming to change perceptions of disabled people.

It was around this point that I first encountered the legendary Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, Britain's 11-time Paralympic wheelchair racing champion, and I remember well when she told me that she "didn't care if people came to the Paralympics just because they couldn't get Olympic tickets."

"I just want them to come and then they will see what it is all about," she said.

At that point, she knew something I didn't.

Several months later, in May 2010, I headed to the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester and on the eve of the event, I met Pistorius himself.

In a long one-on-one interview with the South African, I remember grilling him about why he still wanted to compete at the Paralympics if he could make the Olympics, which he ultimately did.

His message was remarkable similar to the one Tanni gave me.

"It's not a second grade version of any able-bodied sport," he told me.

"It's got triumph; it's got disaster and it's got everything else you need for great sport."

I didn't fully understand what he was talking about either until a day or so later when I settled down to watch my first wheelchair basketball match – Britain v Australia.

Within seconds of the first brutal collision of wheelchairs, I realised what I had been missing. It was a game with as much skill, precision, ability and power as any sport I had seen before. I was completely hypnotised by the fact that these athletes that we would could "disabled" appeared be more able than most.

Several years on, we reach the London 2012 Paralympics, and like Tanni and Oscar, who I am now lucky enough to call friends, I know what is coming. I will be one of the few at the venues that will not be surprised at how phenomenal the athletes are.

I was reminded of it just this week when I went to see the Japanese Paralympic swimming team train at Basildon Sporting Village, not far from where I live.

The pool has a glass window so that the public can see in and a mother and her two young children were walking past as one of the Japanese swimmers with no arms performed a superb dive into the pool.

As he dived, I saw the mother and her children stop suddenly in their tracks, with their mouths open, at the remarkable achievement.

They then pressed their faces to the glass for a closer look and stood there for several minutes.

As I turned back to the pool, all I saw was the swimmer wearing a frown because the dive had not been performed absolutely perfectly.

I imagine I will see a lot of shocked and surprised faces in the crowd at the Paralympics.

I myself had one when I first saw Paralympic sport and realised what these athletes can do.

But once that surprise wears off, and it will do quickly, I know that Britain will sit back and enjoy world class sport just as they did at the Olympics.

Why?

Because they will quickly realise the Paralympics is not a second grade version of any able-bodied sport.

Source: www.insidethegames.biz