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

A photographic display of select Trinidad and Tobago athletes bound for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games is drawing rave reviews at the atrium of the Piarco International Airport. The display, which features six bpTT athlete ambassadors, has captured the interest of travelers, both national and foreign, as well as members of the general public. The Olympic athletes are cyclist Njisane Phillip, sprinter Michelle-Lee Ayhe, quarter-miler Renny Quow and female shotputter Cleopatra Borel-Brown. Shot putt athlete Carlos Greene and swimmer Shanntol Ince will compete in the Paralympic Games which will take place shortly after the Olympics. The eye-catching display features life-size action photographs of the athletes, along with detailed biographical sketches of their sporting careers.

Trinidad and Tobago’s achievements at past Olympic games are also recounted in the display, dating back to this country’s first medalist, weightlifter Rodney Wilkes, who won a silver medal in London in 1948. The display, which was made possible by the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, will run until August. Danielle Jones, Manager, Corporate Communications, BP Trinidad and Tobago, said yesterday that the display was meant to generate greater interest and national pride in the herculean efforts of Trinidad and Tobago’s athletes who will be flying the national flag at Olympic and Paralympic Games. “The display at Piarco is one of several initiatives that bpTT is spearheading to fuel the success of our athletes at both games. “Our objective goes beyond sponsorship; it is about supporting and showcasing the best that our nation has to offer. “We are fully supportive of all our Olympic and Paralympic athletes, not only the bpTT athlete ambassadors,” Jones pointed out. Energy company BP Trinidad and Tobago is a sponsor of the T&T Olympic Committee and the T&T Paralympic Committee. Parent company BP is the official Oil and Gas partner of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

-www.guardian.co.tt

OLYMPIAN, written by Dr Basil Ince, was published in 2011. The book examines, in detail, the history of Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic participation. Included in OLYMPIAN are profiles of the country's eight individual Olympic medallists, between 1948 and 2008. Between July 17 and August 9, excerpts from those eight profiles are being featured in the pages of the Trinidad Express. The profiles, in their entirety, are being published on the Express website (http://www.trinidadexpress.com/olympics).

Today, we feature T&T's first Olympic medallist, weightlifter Rodney Wilkes. He earned silver at the 1948 Games in London, England, and bronze at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland.

The plan (at the London Games): Rodney would take three lifts in the press, the snatch, and the clean and jerk. In each lift he would start at the lowest weight and increase the poundage progressively. His lowest weight would be generally much higher than that of other competitors.

Rodney was in top shape, and not long after they arrived at Empress Hall, Earl's Court, his coach, manager, and masseur, Lionel Seemungal sent him to the dressing room to sleep.

Seemungal explained: "He had a phenomenal ability to sleep at any time instantly under the most incredible conditions. He could be talking to you and he would put his head on a pillow on the floor, or a plane which was on the tarmac in the blazing sun, and he would sleep."

Rodney had a good snooze because lesser mortals had started at lower poundages and it took some time before it was his turn.

As his turn approached, Seemungal went in and tapped the sleeping Rodney on the shoulder: "Rodney, get up and warm up."

Rodney warmed up using 100 lbs or a fairly light weight. The time for psychological ploys was over. The moment of truth was at hand.

At the night of the weigh-in, all the competitors in the 132 lb class were stark naked waiting to mount the scale. The US was represented by a Hawaiian-American, named Kotaro Ishikawa. Seemungal approached Ishikawa, tapped him on the shoulder, and stated, "You is Ishikawa. Rodney Wilkes is going to clip your head tonight."

The flustered Ishikawa apparently did not know what the phrase meant, so he went to his coach, Bob Hoffman, to complain.

The next thing Seemungal knew was that Hoffman was accosting him: "Look, what do you mean by threatening my man?" "Me, threaten your man?" Seemungal queried. "Yes," retorted Hoffman, "Ishikawa says that Rodney Wilkes will cut off his head tonight."

Ishikawa's inability to understand the phrase had made Seemungal's psyching ploy even more effective.

Rodney stuck to the plan and made his three attempts in each lift. He was successful in all nine attempts.

All along, however, Hoffman was trying to send Rodney behind Mahmoud Fayad, the Egyptian lifter, eventual winner of the gold. Hoffman's tactic was to entice Rodney to call for heavier poundage in the hope that he would fail, thereby allowing Ishikawa to place in the final.

Seemungal did not take the bait. He knew that Fayad was superior to Rodney in the fast lifts so he saw no reason to deviate from his battle plan.

The Egyptian lifters had quite a reputation and excelled at the fast lifts. In fact, German scientists at the Olympics in Berlin, had timed the light weightlifter Shams, one of the Egyptians, as the fastest of them all.

According to Bland, Shams' "footwork in performing the snatch was a miracle of speed as he hurled his body below the barbell which had to be snatched at arm's length overhead in a single movement."

In the end Rodney came in second to a superb lifter. The final lifts were Rodney, 214 1/2 press, 214 1/2 snatch and 269 1/2 clean and jerk; a total of 698 1/2 lbs. Fayad 203 1/2, 231 and 297, a total of 731 1/2 lbs.

Fayad beat Rodney by 32 lbs, while Rodney was 11 lbs ahead of the Iranian, Jaffar Salamassi.

Rodney had won the nation's first Olympic medal.

Everything worked well for Rodney that day. Prior to competing, Seemungal had massaged him with his favourite liniment, tequila.

According to Seemungal, "He loved tequila. I mean if push came to shove you could use rubbing alcohol. But he loved tequila."

Rodney had become very friendly with the Mexicans in 1948, a friendship which was renewed at the Pan Am Games in Buenos Aires three years later. The Mexicans believed that Rodney was drinking the tequila and handed him as many bottles as he wished. Little did they know that he was using it for massage. The massage had to be applied in a special way.

In Seemungal's words: "He has to be massaged with a feather touch. Don't be rough at all. You got to be like a fairy doing it to him."

Rodney was unsure about going to Helsinki because he never knew if there would be funds to send a team.

Seemungal, who did not attend those Games, remembered that Rodney was not prepared to meet the formidable Russians. Freddy Mendes, who went as manager of the weightlifting team, substantiated this statement.

"If Rodney had two weeks in Helsinki," he asserted, "he would have won."

Alexander Chapman, former president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Association (TTOA), recalled that there were trials for Rodney at the Drill Hall on Tragarete Road just prior to going to Helsinki. Rodney barely mustered something like 665 lbs.

By the time Rodney was in Helsinki a few weeks later, his total had skyrocketed to 710 lbs.

US officials deliberately set out to assist Rodney in the Helsinki Games, all in the spirit of the Cold War. The Cold War was at its height, and international games were an integral part of politics. It was the first time that the Russians were taking part since the Games resumed in 1948. Consequently anyone who could beat the Russians became a friend of the Americans.

Freddy Mendes accepted the assistance of US officials in a number of ways, but all the technical assistance of the Americans was to no avail.

Rodney surpassed his total of four years before but had to settle for the bronze medal, behind two Russians, Rafael Chimishkyan and Nikolai Saksonov.

Chimishkyan's lifts were: press 214 1/2, snatch 231 and clean and jerk 297, for a total of 742 1/2 lbs. He defeated his Russian mate Saksonov by 11 pounds, while the latter defeated Rodney by 22 pounds.

Rodney's lifts were: press 220, snatch 220 and clean and jerk 269 1/2, for a grand total of 709 1/2 lbs.

With the powerful new comers on the scene, the 10 lb increase Rodney had made from 1948 was not sufficient. In fact, the fourth placed Rodrigo del Rosario of the Philippines was just 11 pounds behind Rodney's total and he set an Olympic record in the press, beating not only Rodney, whose strongest lift was the press, but also the Russians.

This was Rodney's second Olympic medal, and he returned home with Lennox Kilgour, who had also won a bronze in the newly created middle-heavyweight division.

-Dr. Basil Ince

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

When the cheering stops, and Olympic athletes pack their bags to return home, two athletes from T&T will take centre stage in the Paralympics in London from August 19 to September 9. Shanntol Ince will remove her leg prosthesis and climb up to the starting blocks to swim the 100-metre fly, 100-metre backstroke and 400-metre freestyle, and blind powerlifting champion Carlos Greene will compete in the shot put and discus. Both athletes, sponsored by British Petroleum Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT), will compete in the Paralympics for the first time. Trinidad and Tobago returns to the Paralympics after a 24-year absence. It’s an honour, 43-year-old Greene says, that he never takes for granted. “I feel proud to walk through an airport wearing the red, white and black.” Every morning from 6.30 to 9.30 Greene leaves his home in Waterloo for training at the National Stadium with his coach, Lester Osuna. There, in the outer field of the stadium, he stands inside a circle with three discs or shot puts at the bottom right of the circle. Feeling his way to the disc by sliding his right foot along the gritty cement circle, he bends, picks up a disc and counts off his steps to find his place to wind up for the throw. Greene, who lost his sight to glaucoma in 2000, uses sound and touch to orient himself in track and field events that depend on sight. It’s a new challenge for the power weightlifter, who can easily lift 700 pounds. From Page A33

He has always enjoyed sports. He was involved in school sports when he attended Carapichaima Senior Comprehensive and Chaguanas Junior Secondary. “I played some soccer in school, but after school, I was just trying to survive,” Greene said.
He gave up sports and worked in an electrical company, putting up fancy track lights. He was a part-time tailor and did voluntary social work before he lost his sight. “The doctor said I would be blind in five years. “Three and a half months later, I was totally blind. I was thrown into a world of darkness,” Greene said. “It was a frightening place. I was in darkness. I was scared to move around. I was home. "I couldn’t work as I had before. I gained a lot of weight, but I’m a fighter, and I decided to live again. I went to the gym and began to lift weights,” Greene said. His first powerlifting competition was at the Maraval Country Club in April 2003, when he won a consolation prize as the only blind person to compete. “I felt proud. A door opened,” Greene said. With support from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Greene began to represent T&T abroad. In 2006, he discovered the North American Regional Power Lifting Championships, but he was sidelined with a back injury. In 2007 he competed in the North American Regional Power Lifting Championships in Guatemala City, where the team earned a silver medal in the 125 kg class. “I felt I could live doing this,” he said.

Greene garnered gold medals, breaking 11 world records at the World Blind Powerlifting Championships in 2008. In 2009, he broke seven of his own world records from the year before. But he wanted another challenge—shot put and discus. Mastering these events would challenge his sense of space and balance on a whole new level. But the biggest challenge was to find a trainer. When Greene met Osuna, he relentlessly pursued Osuna to be his coach. “I had coached my whole life,” Osuna said. “I had almost retired—and here comes Carlos. It was a new challenge. I saw his dedication. He deserves this.” Much to their surprise, soon after they began training, Greene earned a silver medal in shot put at the 2011 Sagicor National Championships. “There’s something about medalling that makes you want to do more,” Greene said. His enthusiasm, dedication and determination solidified his relationship with Osuna. “In little T&T there are people with big minds and big dreams. Carlos is one of them. He works hard,” Osuna said. “I dream big,” Carlos said, “but I don’t believe dreams fall from the sky. You have to make them happen.” Regardless of what happens, Greene says he’s going to London as a winner. “Just being chosen makes me feel like a winner. “In the next four years, I’ll be at the top in discus and shot put. It’s not far away: just a few more turns of the circle.” Green is already looking to Brazil for the 2016 Paralympics. “I can make it. I have a few good people around me. That’s what you need—a few good people, not a crowd.” Among them are his wife and three daughters. “It takes time to learn technique,” Osuna said. “But he has the talent and the willpower. It’s all a science of mind, body and spirit.” When it all comes together—mind, body and spirit—you get a remarkable athlete like Carlos Greene.

-Debbie Jacob

www.guardian.co.tt

Nations are built by men and women with vision and resolve. Nation-building is always a work-in-progress; it never stops because all nations are constantly facing up to new challenges. Above all, nation-building is about building a common sense of purpose and a sense of shared destiny. Nation building infers values such as fair play, equity and respect. It is a feature of modern day living in T&T - the ever present sense of injustice whenever decisions are made and implemented. The perception is that it is never about what is fair as many far reaching decisions seem not to be based on genuine consultation but on someone’s opinion and the ability to rally support. What’s the cause of our indifference and inherent propensity to be uncaring for the welfare of the most vulnerable members of our nation or those who are most negatively impacted?

Most of the time those who are at the receiving end of the decision feels disrespected and taken for granted. It’s a travesty that after five decades of independence there is a perception that our society is probably the most intolerant and political that it has ever been? In a discussion recently I was admonished for my negative views about the new traffic changes in the St James and Woodbrook areas. The suggestion was that I needed to be more open minded. Even though I fear that if I were anymore open minded my brain will fall out. The point I tried to make to the individual, who incidentally did not live in the area, was that whoever came up with the idea did not have to bear the brunt of the inconvenience. I was told that I was being simplistic and should allow progress to take place. It’s not that I have an aversion to progress and new ideas or progress, it’s the lack of fair play, respect and equity. Why are the concerns of those who pass through St James and Woodbrook more important than those who reside in the area? If you live in St James, the normal thing is to walk to the Western Main Road or Tragarete Road and take a taxi heading east and depending where you are going either drop out short or go into town. There are pensioners, young children and women who need to do simple things such as go to school, work, the St James market, grocery, pharmacy, the doctor or the drug store.

It’s about nation building; equity, fair play and respect. Do the arithmetic - more people pass through than reside in the area. Equity, fair play and respect. Even though there may have been over 30 public consultations and the priority is to have a traffic flow that makes those passing through happy.  It is at the expense of the safety, comfort and convenience of those who reside in St James and Woodbrook. Unless you live in St James and Woodbrook and depend on public transport you probably will not understand. Fair play and respect are values that you learn from sport. Without fair play and respect, sport would not be sport. It would be something else. Case in point, on Sunday during the Tour de France race leader Bradley Wiggins temporarily called a halt to competitive racing after defending champion Cadel Evans was among those to suffer a puncture. Wiggins slowed the pace to allow Evans to return to the group. If we hold fair play and respect as core values, T&T would be a far better place and the quality of life and decision making would be fairer and certainly much better.

-Brian Lewis

www.guardian.co.tt

Middle-blocker Marc-Anthony Honore, T&T’s lone professional men’s player, captured the "Best Blocker" award when the Seventh Pan American Cup came to an end at the Ricardo Arias Volleyball Palace, Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Centre, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Saturday night. Honore had eight blocks in his 23 points tally as T&T ended in eighth spot following a loss to world 18th ranked Argentina 27-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13 in just over two hours. Leading the way for Venezuela, which was outblocked by T&T 21-5 who were undone by 41 errors to the winners' 26, was Hector Salerno with 17 points, while Jhoser Contreras got 16, Kervin Penerua 15 and Daniel Escobar, nine. Nolan Tash and Ryan Stewart had 18 points each, while Sean Morrison 11 and Jessel Davis ten, led the way for T&T. Taylor Sander, from the USA’s champion team, was chosen as the "Most Valuable Player".

Accompanying the 20-year-old Sander on the All-Star list were his teammates Antonio Ciarelli as the "Best Attacker" and Dustin Watten, "Best Defender". The honour roll was completed by the Dominican Republic duos Jose Miguel Caceres "Best Scorer",  Elvis Contreras, "Best Server" and "Best Receiver", and Edwin Peguero, highlighted as the "Best Libero" while Pedro Rangel of Mexico was the "Best Setter". In the tournament final on Saturday night, USA added to its previous triumphs of 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 when it defeated Argentina 29-27, 25-20, 25-21 to claim the gold medal. Both teams entered the match with undefeated records but the South Americans had to settle for the silver medals, the same as in 2010 when they also fell to the USA. USA’s Carson Clark was the highest scorer of the match with 19 points and his teammate Sander added ten. For Argentina, Gonzalo Quiroga and Mariano Giustiniano were the best scorer and only collected six points apiece.
On Friday night, USA overcame Dominican Republic  25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-27, 15-12 in its main draw semifinal while in the other semifinal, Argentina also scored a thrilling five-set victory over Brazil 25-20, 25-17, 27-25, 18-25, 15-13.

Dominican Republic claimed the bronze medal for the fourth time after beating last year’s winner Brazil 28-26, 25-23, 21-25, 24-26,15-11. Once again, the Dominican captain Jose Miguel Caceres (27) topped the offense with the effective support of Elvis Contreras (17) and Elnis Palomino (14). For Brazil, the top scorers were Mauricio Borges (19), Gustavo Bonatto (16), Alan Ferreira Souza Earlier on Saturday, Mexico claimed fifth after outdueling Canada in another five setter, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22, 18-25 y 15-13 that lasted almost two hours. Opposite Daniel Vargas spearheaded the Mexican offense with 18 points, followed by Marco Macías (17) and Leonardo Manzo and Ismael Guerrero with 12 apiece. Canadian Dane Pischke with 27 points was the top scorer in the match with 27 points and James Marshall added 15. Yesterday, the T&T team left Santo Domingo for St Croix, US Virgin Islands where it will begin defence of its Senior Caribbean Championship title which starts today and will end on Saturday at the Ronald "Ranchee" Charles Gymnasium, Central High School, Kingshill. The Nolan Tash led squad which will see Kevin Nimrod and Russel Pena  replacing Kevin Francois and Joshua Mohamed, starts its pool campaign against Martinique tonight before facing Jamaica and Barbados on Tuesday and Wednesday. Host USVI, Guadeloupe and Bahamas are in the other group.

-Nigel Simon

www.guardian.co.tt

Gabriela Braga and Andressa Picussa tallied 11 points apiece as defending champions Brazil handed T&T its second straight loss at the 11th Women’s Pan American Volleyball Championship at the University of Ciudad Gymnasiun, Juarez, Mexico on Saturday night. Braga recorded three aces, Picussa registered two, as well as eight blocks in their team’s 25-16, 25-16, 25-20 triumph, its third win from as many matches. For T&T which was also beaten by Argentina on Friday night after upsetting host Mexico on Thursday’s opening day of matches, captain Krystle Esdelle, Jalicia Ross, Kelly-Anne Billingy and Abigail Gloud all ended with five points. Speaking after the match, Esdelle while admitting members of her team were disappointed with the loss, noted it was another part of their learning curve against world class teams. “We tried to go far and go strong against them (Brazil). Everybody did their job and it was good for us to learn form an opponent like Brazil,” said Esdelle.

Brazil captain Natasha Farinea also commented on the improvement of T&T saying, "There are no easy match. This was a very tough one. T&T showed a good service and we worked in our block". Despite the loss, T&T coach, Cuban-born Francisco Cruz felt satisfied about his team. “I had the chance to rotate all the players and the Pan American Cup is important for us because after this we will compete at the Caribbean tournament,” Cruz indicated. With the win, Brazil which also won its two previous matches by 3-0 margins climbed to maximum 15 points, four clear of Argentina while Peru is next with nine, T&T and Costa Rica with four apiece and host Mexico, two points. The Argentines improved their win-loss record to 2-1 in Pool B beating Mexico 25-15, 25-19, 25-21 while Peru overcame Costa Rica 25-11, 25-11, 25-15. In Pool A, the race for the automatic semifinal spot as pool winners is even closer with Dominican Republic leading with 14 points, one more than Cuba while USA is third with 11. Canada is fourth with six points while Puerto Rico (one) and pointless Colombia complete the table. The Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico 25-22, 25-19, 25-22 for its third win from as many matches, Canada claimed its first victory after defeating Colombia 25-12, 25-19, 25-13.

Last night, T&T, making its sixth straight appearance at the tournament and having finished tenth three times (2009-2011) and 12th, both in 2007 and 2008, came up against at UACJ while USA played Colombia and Dominican Republic came up against Cuba. At the Colegio de Bachilleres Gymnasium, Puerto Rico faced Canada, Brazil met Argentina and Mexico tangled with Peru. Today, round-robin group play ends with Peru versus T&T from 8 pm in what can be a clash to determine a quarterfinal spot, Argentina faces Costa Rica and Brazil meets Mexico in Pool B. In Pool A, Puerto Rico plays Colombia, Cuba comes up against Canada and USA battles Dominican Republic. At the end of round-robin play in each group, the top team will qualify for the semifinals while teams placed second and third in their respective pools will meet in cross-over quarterfinals on Wednesday while the 11th and 12th matches match are also carded. The fifth to eighth, and first to fourth semifinals take place on Thursday while the final playoffs are set for Friday. The teams are competing for six spots available to next year’s FIVB World Grand Prix. The top four teams from Norceca and the top South America’s side, other than Brazil who are automatically qualified, get tickets to the 2013 FIVB competition. (NS)

-Nigel Simon

www.guardian.co.tt

Shanntol Ince swims for T&T at the Paralympics despite physical challenges

They seem as different as night and day. The 17-year-old swimmer from Gasparillo Secondary who loves the butterfly stroke and the 43-year-old power-lifter who turned down a recent event where he was sure to medal again don’t appear to have much in common. Together, this dynamic duo, Shanntol Ince and Carlos Greene, share unshakeable determination and a common goal: to bring home Olympic medals for T&T. As the world focuses on the upcoming Olympics, they’ll be winding up their training for the Paralympics, which follow the Olympics in London from August 19 to September 9.  Ince and Greene, sponsored by British Petroleum Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT) will represent T&T in those games. Ince will swim the 100-metre fly, 100-metre backstroke and 400-metre freestyle, and Greene will enter track and field competition for the discus and shot put. It’s the first time in 24 years that this country has sent athletes to the Summer Paralympics, but the local Paralympic organisation is back on track again. Ince and Greene feel proud to represent our country as athletes. “It’s an honour,” says Ince. “I consider myself to be a patriotic person,” says Greene. “I’m honoured.” Representing T&T as an athlete means hard-core training. For Ince and Greene, there are additional challenges. Ince was born with a significantly shorter right leg. Her flexed right foot barely passes her knee. Greene is blind. Those are challenges—not obstacles—for these two athletes. But they both have to step up their game for the Paralympics.
“They have to train just as hard as any other athletes,” says Colin Sebright, Ince’s strength-training coach at the Fitness Centre Gym in Starlite Plaza, Diego Martin. There, clients stop to marvel at Ince’s physical feats. She removes her leg prosthesis for training and swimming. She skips rope with a variety of intricate moves that most people can’t do with two legs. She practises explosive starts, kneeling on the floor and pushing off with a barbell threaded through a TRX, a Navy SEAL’s device used in suspension training. She flies through the air and lands on one foot. “She never misses her training,” says Sebright. “Her determination is admirable.” Her gruelling schedule includes two hours of training in the gym and two hours of swimming with coach Franz Huggins at Marlins. On Saturdays, there’s music practice and dance practice and Girls’ Brigade at her church. She devotes Sundays to church. Ince began swimming in Jay’s Private School at the age of four and was swimming competitively by the age of eight.  “Growing up, I took part in everything—I swam, danced, played netball—anything physical, I was in that, ” said the quiet, pensive teenager with an uncanny ability to focus. “There is no difference between her or any other swimmer I coach,” said Huggins. “What sets her apart from others is her determination. She is willing to work hard, and she never complains.” It was two years ago that Ince saw a DVD about the Paralympics called Spirit in Motion. It changed her life. “I was inspired. I wanted to represent Trinidad and Tobago,” Ince said.

She has represented T&T and won gold medals in swimming events before, but not on the international scale of the Paralympics. Still, the race she remembers the most is the 2008 Open Water race here in T&T, a swimming marathon at Maracas Beach. “It was my first time swimming at Maracas. It was scary and I was praying to finish the race. You’re in the water, not seeing land, you feel there might be sharks. “When I finished, I was in the top eight for women. I’ll never forget that race,” she said, with a sense of control that seems to define her every move.
Ince describes herself as “ordinary, intelligent and hard-working…I am willing to work twice as hard to be on an ordinary level with other people.”  Her determination has always helped her to thrive rather than survive. “It was challenging growing up. People used to stare at me and laugh. My parents always told me, ‘Don’t let anyone or anything discourage or dishearten you.’”
Her parents, St Paul Ince and Tracy James-Ince, always told her, “You’re special,” and instilled an unshakeable sense of confidence and spirituality in her. “They told me no matter what, the Lord is always there for me.” She dreams big and works toward lofty goals, from sports to school. Next year she’ll be studying sociology, biology and chemistry at CAPE level. She wants to be an occupational therapist some day. Ince is proof that there are no hurdles that can’t be conquered in life. Her advice: “Put God first in everything. Make sure you have the right support—the right company that will build you up and support you. Don’t worry about the past and what happened in the past. Believe in yourself and know you can do it.” Shanntol Ince believes nothing can keep her back in life, and she knows she’s a winner.

-Debbie Jacob

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Trinidad and Tobago will bid for precious metal in the men's 4x400 metres relay on the final day of the World Junior Track and Field Championships, in Barcelona, Spain, today.

In the qualifying round, yesterday, Asa Guevara, Jereem Richards, Brandon Benjamin and 400m finalist Machel Cedenio returned a time of three minutes, 08.16 seconds, the clocking earning T&T joint top spot in heat three with Japan. Both teams qualified automatically for today's championship race.

United States clocked 3:06.26 to emerge victorious in heat two, leading all qualifiers into the final, while the opening heat was won by Jamaica in 3:08.83.

Today's 4x400m final is scheduled for 2.10 p.m. (T&T time).

On Friday, Keshorn Walcott put T&T on the medal table. The 19-year-old athlete struck gold in the men's javelin with a 78.64 metres throw, the winning effort coming in the sixth and final round.

On Thursday, 17-year-old Cedenio finished fifth in the men's 400m final in 46.17 seconds. Drawn way out in lane nine, Cedenio, the youngest athlete in the nine-man field, produced a courageous run to establish himself as the early favourite for gold at the 2014 World Juniors meet.

The 46.17 run is the second fastest time produced by Cedenio. He clocked his personal best at last month's National Open Championships, the teenager finishing fifth in the men's 400m final in 46.02 seconds–a new national youth (under-18) record.

-Kwame Laurence

www.trinidadexpress.com

Reigning Olympic men’s sprint silver medalists Trinidad and Tobago notched a win ahead of the London Olympics Games in running away with the 4x100m event at the Aviva London Grand Prix in Crystal Palace, yesterday. The team of Rondel Sorillo, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender and  Richard Thompson combined to clock 38.23 to finish ahead of Netherlands (38.70) and Poland (38.78). Great Britain A (38.80), MVP-Jamaica (38.82, Great Britain B (38.94), France (38.95) and St Kitts/Nevis (39.19) all finished behind. T&T last won the event in 2008 in a then national record of 38.00 before taking the historic silver medal in Beijing, China, one month later.  The national quartet is now second on the 2012 IAAF Performance listing behind  Jamaica’s Racers (37.82) and MVP, also Jamaica, (38.27).

The sprint relay victory was the lone win for local athletes in London as Keston Bledman was ninth in the men’s 100m heats. The national champion clocked 10.27 in heat one to finished fourth but his time relegated the 2005 World Youth bronze medallist to ninth after the second heat was run with only the top eight advancing to the finals.  American Ryan Bailey topped Bledman’s heat in 10.06 ahead of Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 10.15 and another American Mike Rodgers (USA) 10.18.  Former World Champion Tyson Gay  (USA)raced to the gold in the finals in 10.03 ahead of Bailey (10.09), Carter (10.13) and Michael Frater(Jamaica) 10.15. Jamaal James was second in the men’s 800m at the Toronto International Track and Field Games earlier this week. James clocked 1:47.47 but was beaten to the line by Geoff Harris of Canada (1:46.86. American Michael Preble was third 1:47.54.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s women’s volleyball team dug deep to overcome the host 3-1 in their opening match of the Eleventh Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup, at the Colegio de Bachilleres in Mexico on Thursday night.

In a match dominated by error points, 32 from each team, the twin island women were able to hold off the challenge the home team despite a match-high from Alejandra Isiordia.

In the first set the teams matched each other point for point, until T&T went up 22-20. Mexico, however, won back to back points to level the score 22-22. The Calypso Spikers eventually took the set 27-25.

The second set started the same way, but with the score 20-20, T&T won five straight points to take the set 25-20. It was looking like a three set match; however, the home team came out and stopped their opponent’s momentum, with a 5-0 run.

It soon became 10-3 and eventually the home fans got something to shout about as Mexico took the set 17-25.

The momentum was now with the host, but the twin island women caught themselves and matched their opponents point for point. With the score 8-8, T&T went on a 5-0 run, and never looked back thereafter finishing the set 25-19 to take the match. The four-time Caribbean Queens had a solid all round performance, out blocking their opponents 15-7 while serving five aces to three by Mexico. T&T was led by Kelly-Ann Billingy and Captain Krystele Esdelle who had 17 and 16 points respectively, while Channon Thompson and Sinead Jack each had 10.

Esdelle speaking to the media after the match said they got the win as a result of sticking to their game plan. “My team came together tonight ready to battle. Mexico are a team that always come to play hard but today we executed as planned”, said the T&T captain.”

The twin island women, who have placed 10th in the last three years of the tournament, are aiming to better their position this time. They faced Argentina last evening; however, the match was still in progress up to press time.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

TRINIDAD AND Tobago will be the host nation of the 30th Commonwealth Sports Awards, which is carded to take place on October 20.

And the prestigious ceremony, which will honour the sporting achievements of men and women across the Commonwealth region, will be staged at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain.

The event was launched yesterday at the President’s Box, Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of- Spain with Anthony Harford, marketing director of the organising firm All Sport Promotions, commenting, “in terms of the four people, that we’re allowed in Trinidad and Tobago to honour, a committee will be set up to select these four people.

He continued, “it will not be done by (All Sport) at all, rather a group of maybe four or five people, carefully selected, chaired and presided over by the TTOC (Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee).

Harford went on to state, “Don Quarrie has accepted an invitation to attend. We’re trying to locate Valery Borzov who was the other person to finish in the top three at the 1976 (Olympic Games) 100 metres. If we could locate him, through the Russian Olympic Committee, then we’ll certainly invite him to be here.

“We even plan to have Hasely Crawford as a special guest of honour with us. We have not spoken to Mr Crawford as yet (but) this is one of the things that we plan to have, the three people from the ’76 100-metre final to be present with us, if they accept our invitation.”

The eight main categories at the function are Outstanding Male and Female Athletes, Outstanding Male and Female Athletes with Disability, Outstanding Young Achiever, Sports Administrator of the Year, Most Outstanding Team and Lifetime Achievement Award.

“In terms of the Lifetime Achievement segment of the Awards, Merlene Ottey has accepted to be here,” Harford said. “She’s one of the people to be honoured for Lifetime Achievement. And we have a short list of several persons who are being considered now. That would be narrowed down to three.

“Another person who has been added to the list recently is Oscar Pistorious for his amazing achievement of having now qualified for the Olympics in 2012.” There is added significance of the event as “(it) is part of the 50th anniversary of Independence and more than 50 percent is being covered by the 50th Anniversary Committee.

“Through sponsorships and sale of tables, we’re hoping to make the other 50 percent. We expect that this event will cost us $1.8 million,” added Harford.

Other dignitaries in attendance were Dr Iva Gloudon, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commissioner to Jamaica; Larry Romany, president of the TTOC and Al Hamilton, Founder of the Commonwealth Sports Awards Foundation.

By Joel Bailey

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

Javelin thrower is World Juniors champ

Keshorn Walcott wrote a new chapter of history in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday, becoming the first Trinidad and Tobago athlete to earn a global throwing title.

The 19-year-old Toco field athlete struck gold in the World Junior Track and Field Championship men's javelin. He hurled the spear 78.64 metres in the final round to snatch the title from Argentine Braian Toledo's grasp.

Toledo took the lead with his first throw of the competition, and stayed in pole position right up until round five. But Walcott saved his best for last, landing the javelin 78.64m in the sixth round to become T&T's sixth world junior champion.

In 1992, Ato Boldon captured the men's sprint double in Seoul, South Korea. Ten years later, in Kingston, Jamaica, Darrel Brown became the country's second world junior champion, grabbing gold in the men's 100m dash.

In 2006, in Beijing, China, Renny Quow won the men's 400m title. At the same meet, Rhonda Watkins emerged victorious in the women's long jump, becoming the country's first ever female world champion, as well as the first global gold medallist from T&T in a field event. And two years ago, in Moncton, Canada, Jehue Gordon was crowned world junior champion in the men's 400m hurdles.

Yesterday, Walcott joined Watkins in an elite club, becoming only the second T&T field athlete to rule the world. Walcott also opened a club of his own, the javelin gold making him the first thrower from this country to win a global title. Toledo earned silver in Barcelona, thanks to his 77.09m second round effort, while bronze went to South Africa's Morne Moolman (76.29m).

Walcott's next assignment is the Olympic Games, in London, England. He achieved the "A" standard for the Olympics at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships, in El Salvador, retaining his title with a personal best 82.83m throw--a new Pan American junior record, as well as an open T&T record. Walcott is first on the 2012 world junior list, and fifth on the all-time list for under-20 javelin throwers.

T&T's Kernesha Spann returned a time of one minute, 00.63 seconds to finish sixth in heat two and 21st overall in yesterday's women's 400m hurdles semis. The top eight advanced to the final.

Mark London bowed out in the opening round of the men's 800m, the T&T halfmiler copping eighth spot in heat two in 1:53.23.

Another T&T athlete, Steve Waithe produced a 15.12m effort to finish 23rd in the men's triple jump qualifying competition. The final will feature the top 12 finishers.

Jesse Berkley, Jonathan Holder, Ashron Sobers and Jonathan Farinha combined for third spot in the second of three men's 4x100m qualifying heats. However, the 40.01 seconds clocking produced by the T&T quartet was not good enough for a "fastest loser" berth in the final.

A T&T combination will be in action today in the qualifying round of the men's 4x400m relay.

-Kwame Laurence

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

Keshorn Walcott captured gold at the World Junior Track and Field Championships, in Barcelona, Spain, today.

The Trinidad and Tobago athlete produced a 78.64 metres effort in the men's javelin final.

1 Keshorn WALCOTT TRI 78.64
2 Braian TOLEDO ARG  77.09
3 Morné MOOLMAN RSA  76.29

Tommie Smith was the first athlete to run the 200 metres inside 20 seconds, but he'll always be remembered instead for his clenched-fist black power salute on the medal podium at the 1968 Olympics.

Smith and fellow black American runner John Carlos wore black gloves and raised their fists during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Games in a protest that electrified the world and became an iconic image for the civil rights movement.

Over 40 years later, Smith is in London ahead of this year's Olympics where he attended the first British showing Wednesday of a film that documents the protest.

"Salute" shows how gold medal winner Smith, Carlos and the third man on the podium that day, Australian Peter Norman, were shunned by their countries for the defiant statement. Silver medallist Norman wore a human rights badge on the podium in support of the American pair and also was ostracised by the sporting establishment in his home country. He died in 2006.

Smith and Carlos were expelled from the Games under pressure from Olympic officials and despite Smith breaking the world record that day by running 19.83 seconds, his career in track slid away and he went on to play in the NFL. Both men suffered abuse at home and had threats against their lives.

The film that tells their story was written, directed and produced by the late Norman's nephew, Matt Norman, and originally released in 2008—the 40th anniversary of one of the Olympics' most memorable moments.

At the London premier of "Salute" Wednesday and just over two weeks ahead of the start of the 2012 Games, Smith said he thought current 200 world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica could break the 19-second barrier in the event. Bolt set his world record of 19.19 seconds in Berlin in 2009.

www.trinidadexpress.com

Keshorn Walcott in javelin final at World Juniors

Keshorn Walcott will hunt for gold at the World Junior Track and Field Championships, in Barcelona, Spain, today.

The Trinidad and Tobago athlete produced a 74.17 metres effort in the men's javelin qualifying competition, yesterday, to finish first in Group A and second overall. Australia's Luke Cann threw 74.54m to top Group B.

Walcott's throw was well past the 72.00m automatic qualifying mark. It was produced in the very first round, allowing the Toco thrower to maximise on his rest, ahead of today's final.

Walcott is at the top of the 2012 world junior list at 82.83m.

Machel Cedenio finished fifth in yesterday's men's 400m final, the T&T quartermiler completing his lap of the track in 46.17 seconds.

Dominican Republic's Luguelin Santos won in an impressive 44.85 seconds, forcing Arman Hall (45.39), of the United States, to settle for silver. Another American, Aldrich Bailey and Australian Steven Solomon shared bronze. They could not be separated by the photo finish camera, both athletes clocking 45.52.

Of the nine finalists, 17-year-old Cedenio is the only one eligible to compete at the next edition of the World Junior Championships. All things being equal, he will be among the favourites for gold in 2014.

T&T's Kernesha Spann finished third in heat two in 59.84 seconds to advance automatically to the women's 400m hurdles semis. She will compete in the second of three semifinal heats, today.

Brandon Benjamin got home in 51.93 seconds to secure fifth spot in heat two in the men's 400m hurdles semis. The T&T athlete was 19th overall, and did not advance to the final.

Jereem Richards and Jonathan Farinha bowed out in the men's 200m semis. Richards finished fourth in heat one in 21.14 seconds, while Farinha clocked 21.72 for seventh spot in heat two.

In the opening round, Richards was second in heat five in 21.12 seconds. Farinha, meanwhile, booked his semifinal berth as a "fastest loser", the 16-year-old getting to the line in 21.19 to finish fourth in heat four.

T&T's Mark London will be in action today in the opening round of the men's 800m. Steve Waithe competes in the men's triple jump qualifying competition. And T&T will be on show in the men's 4x100m heats.

-Kwame Laurence

www.trinidadexpress.com

FIFA President Sepp Blatter today mounted a staunch defence of his alleged role in the ISL bribery affair as his position as leader of world football's governing body came under fresh scrutiny.

João Havelange, Blatter's (pictured above) predecessor, and his former son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, were finally identified yesterday as having received millions of dollars in kickbacks from ISL, FIFA's former marketing partner.

The pair, who had fought for years to preserve their anonymity, were named after FIFA published a Swiss court dossier that had previously been kept secret.

The report revealed that Teixeira received at least $13 million (£8.4 million/€10.6 million) between 1992 and 1997 from ISL and that Havelange received around $1 million (£645,000/€818,000).

Payments "attributed" to accounts connected to the two Brazilians totalled almost $22 million (£14.2 million/€18 million) from 1992 to 2000.

Although Blatter is not named in the report, someone identified only as "P1", according to the Court, both knew about certain payments and also co-signed with Havelange (pictured below, left with Blatter) the original contract with ISL in 1997.

Previous court records show the agreement was signed by Havelange, who was President, and Blatter, who was then general secretary.

Blatter admitted today that he was P1.

"Yes, that is me," he was quoted as saying by fifa.com.

But he denied there had been any cover-up or that he had any say in the Swiss Federal Court deciding not to identify him personally.

"It was the Swiss Federal Court that decided to make the publication of the ISL non-prosecution order anonymous," said Blatter.

"As far as I am concerned, the whole document could have been published 'clean', to put an end to the speculation once and for all.

"However, the Federal Court stated that the 'names of all non-accused third parties' should be made anonymous.

"I am not accused, so I have been made anonymous as P1, which quite honestly is not difficult to find out."

Attempting to justify how he knew of the illicit payments yet seemingly did nothing, Blatter said the law at the time was different to nowadays.

"Known what?" he asked.

"That commission was paid?

"Back then, such payments could even be deducted from tax as a business expense.

"Today, that would be punishable under law.

"You can't judge the past on the basis of today's standards.

"Otherwise it would end up with moral justice.

"I can't have known about an offence that wasn't even one."

Yet he made assurances that no such situation would be allowed to occur in the future as a result of FIFA tightening up its controls.

"The Ethics Committee, which was created in 2006 on my initiative, is a direct result of the ISL case," Blatter said.

"The reform process is moving exactly in this direction.

"To strengthen FIFA's judicial system, some important steps have already been taken with the introduction of a two-chamber system – an adjudicatory body and an investigatory body.

"The Executive Committee will appoint the chairmen of these two chambers next week."

Although Teixeira (pictured above) has resigned from all his major footballing roles, Havelange is still Honorary President of FIFA but Blatter said he would not be sanctioning his predecessor.

"I don't have the power to call him to account," he explained.

"The Congress named him as Honorary President.

"Only the Congress can decide his future."

The fact that Blatter's comments were made during an interview with FIFA's own website will only serve to fuel suspicion that he might have something to hide.

He seems likely to undergo a far more direct grilling, this time from independent reporters, at a press conference following next Tuesday's (July 17) Executive Committee meeting in Zurich.

-Andrew Warshaw

www.insidethegames.biz

July 12 - FIFA President Sepp Blatter today mounted a staunch defence of his alleged role in the ISL bribery affair as his position as leader of world football's governing body came under fresh scrutiny.

João Havelange, Blatter's (pictured above) predecessor, and his former son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, were finally identified yesterday as having received millions of dollars in kickbacks from ISL, FIFA's former marketing partner.

The pair, who had fought for years to preserve their anonymity, were named after FIFA published a Swiss court dossier that had previously been kept secret.

The report revealed that Teixeira received at least $13 million (£8.4 million/€10.6 million) between 1992 and 1997 from ISL and that Havelange received around $1 million (£645,000/€818,000).

Payments "attributed" to accounts connected to the two Brazilians totalled almost $22 million (£14.2 million/€18 million) from 1992 to 2000.

Although Blatter is not named in the report, someone identified only as "P1", according to the Court, both knew about certain payments and also co-signed with Havelange (pictured below, left with Blatter) the original contract with ISL in 1997.

Previous court records show the agreement was signed by Havelange, who was President, and Blatter, who was then general secretary.

Blatter admitted today that he was P1.

"Yes, that is me," he was quoted as saying by fifa.com.

But he denied there had been any cover-up or that he had any say in the Swiss Federal Court deciding not to identify him personally.

"It was the Swiss Federal Court that decided to make the publication of the ISL non-prosecution order anonymous," said Blatter.

"As far as I am concerned, the whole document could have been published 'clean', to put an end to the speculation once and for all.

"However, the Federal Court stated that the 'names of all non-accused third parties' should be made anonymous.

"I am not accused, so I have been made anonymous as P1, which quite honestly is not difficult to find out."


Attempting to justify how he knew of the illicit payments yet seemingly did nothing, Blatter said the law at the time was different to nowadays.

"Known what?" he asked.

"That commission was paid?

"Back then, such payments could even be deducted from tax as a business expense.

"Today, that would be punishable under law.

"You can't judge the past on the basis of today's standards.

"Otherwise it would end up with moral justice.

"I can't have known about an offence that wasn't even one."

Yet he made assurances that no such situation would be allowed to occur in the future as a result of FIFA tightening up its controls.

"The Ethics Committee, which was created in 2006 on my initiative, is a direct result of the ISL case," Blatter said.

"The reform process is moving exactly in this direction.

"To strengthen FIFA's judicial system, some important steps have already been taken with the introduction of a two-chamber system – an adjudicatory body and an investigatory body.

"The Executive Committee will appoint the chairmen of these two chambers next week."


Although Teixeira (pictured above) has resigned from all his major footballing roles, Havelange is still Honorary President of FIFA but Blatter said he would not be sanctioning his predecessor.

"I don't have the power to call him to account," he explained.

"The Congress named him as Honorary President.

"Only the Congress can decide his future."

The fact that Blatter's comments were made during an interview with FIFA's own website will only serve to fuel suspicion that he might have something to hide.

He seems likely to undergo a far more direct grilling, this time from independent reporters, at a press conference following next Tuesday's (July 17) Executive Committee meeting in Zurich

Four more members of T&T’s Olympic team left yesterday for Cardiff, Wales, for a pre-Olympic camp. Women’s 400m hurdles champion Janiel Bellille and Sparkle McKnight (women’s 400m), along with 2010 World Junior 400m hurdle champion Jehue Gordon and Beijing Olympic men’s 110m hurdles quarterfinalist Mikel Thomas, left Piarco at 8 pm on Caribbean Airlines, bound for London, England en route to Cardiff.

The quartet will join sprinter Reyare Thomas, Michelle Lee Ahye and Emmanuel Callender who left earlier this week. Quarter-miler Deon Lendore left earlier in the day from Texas, USA where he is attending University at Texas. The athletes were accompanied by head coach of the Track and Field contingent Dr Ian Hypolite, Assistant Chef-de Mission Wendell De Labastide, team doctor Dr Terry Ali, massage therapist Oba Gulston and manager of the Sailing contingent, Karion Serrette. The 2012 Olympic Games opens in London, England on July 27 and run until August 12. Trinidad and Tobago will be represented by 31 athletes and 21 officials in five sports (Athletics, Boxing, Cycling, Sailing, Shooting and Swimming).

www.guardian.co.tt

Sepp Blatter faces calls for him to step down as president of Fifa following his admission that he knew his predecessor, João Havelange, pocketed "commissions" for awarding Fifa's 2002 and 2006 World Cup TV contracts to the marketing company ISL. In official statements on Fifa's website, Blatter acknowledged that he was "P1," the unnamed Fifa official revealed in a Swiss court document to have known a 1m Swiss francs (£660,000) payment from ISL was for Havelange.
Under Blatter's presidency, Fifa did nothing to sanction Havelange, or his son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira, the long-serving executive committee member, who between them were alleged to have received 41m Swiss francs (£27m) from ISL, straightforwardly described as "bribery payments" by a Swiss prosecutor. The document revealed that Fifa made strenuous efforts to have the prosecutions stopped, then did not make public what had happened. That was described as "a cover-up" by Damian Collins, the Conservative MP who has been a consistent critic of Blatter's Fifa during its recent years of scandal.
Sylvia Schenk, senior adviser on sport for the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International, who initially worked with Blatter on proposals for Fifa reform, argued that his position is now untenable. "If the president of Fifa for years did not act on the knowledge that these payments had been made for senior executives' personal gain, and tried to hide it for as long as possible, then it is difficult to trust him as the person to reform Fifa in the future," Schenk said.
Schenk has argued since becoming involved with Fifa that there needs to be a full investigation into allegations of corruption in Fifa's recent past, if the organisation is to have credibility.
That call for a full investigation appeared to be supported by Mark Pieth, the criminology professor at the Basel Institute who has been employed by Blatter to recommend reforms. On Wednesday in Zurich the two committees Pieth has recommended be formed, one to carry out investigations, the other to sit in judgment of alleged misconduct, will appoint chairmen. Pieth sees those as crucial appointments for the chances of there being genuine reforms at Fifa. He explicitly pointed out that the investigative committee has the power to examine allegations from Fifa's past. "It is crucial to this institution, if it is to have a future at all, to be able to deal with the problems of the past," said Pieth. He would not be drawn on whether there should be such an investigation, limiting himself to saying it was a decision for the committee and whoever they appointed as chairman.
Blatter made it clear not only that he has no intention of resigning over his inaction despite knowing Havelange and Teixeira had pocketed commissions, but that he does not consider he has done anything wrong. Confirming that "P1" is him, Blatter said the commissions were not criminal at the time they were paid – between 1992 and 2001. "You can't judge the past on the basis of today's standards," he said. "Otherwise it would end up with moral justice." That, however, contradicted the document itself, in which the prosecutor in the Swiss canton of Zug was pursuing criminal charges of embezzlement against Havelange and Teixeira, alleging they committed criminal breaches of their duties as executives to Fifa, and a charge of disloyal management against Fifa itself.
The prosecutor had formed the view that the commissions from ISL were bribery payments. The prosecutor alleged that Havelange, president of Fifa from 1974 until Blatter, his former general-secretary, succeeded him, and Teixeira, Havelange's former son-in-law and longstanding president of Brazil's football federation, were paid a massive 41m Swiss francs for awarding contracts to ISL.
The prosecution was stopped in May 2010 after protracted efforts by Fifa, under Blatter's presidency, to reach a confidential settlement. Havelange paid CHF500,000 and Texeira CHF2.5m to the liquidators of ISL, which had gone bust.

-David Conn

www.guardian.co.uk

As London Olympic organisers faced up to an ‘Olympishambles’ on Thursday, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge offered the capital some words of reassurance, insisting that preparations were not “falling at the final hurdle”.

With just two weeks until the opening ceremony, the London organising committee (Locog) faced arguably its toughest day in seven years, with a series of infrastructure challenges threatening to derail their final preparations.

The deepening security crisis that has meant the emergency deployment of 3,500 troops, the continued closure of the M4, fresh concerns about hold-ups at Heathrow immigration, and the collapse of the O2 network, used by organising committee staff and volunteers, have highlighted the vulnerability of London’s infrastructure.

While Locog and the Government insist that security will not be compromised by the failure of G4S to supply sufficient staff, the M4 closure has the potential to genuinely impact on the smooth running of the Olympics in the coming days.

Athletes, team staff and officials are due to begin arriving through Heathrow in large numbers on Monday, and will expect to use the dedicated Games lane on the M4 to be transported to the Olympic village.

Were it to remain closed – and last night there was no definitive end date for emergency repairs to the elevated section – the opening days of ‘Games time’ could be marked by travel delays and disruption.

The Olympic Route Network that runs from Heathrow along the M4 is due to open on Monday. If the M4 remains closed an alternative ORN, using the A30 and A4, will be deployed.

Around 20 teams are due to arrive on Sunday and Monday, including a contingent from the US and the Swedish team. They will be the first of a flood of 10,500 athletes expected in the next two weeks.

O2 insisted on Thursday that its network problems, which were not confined to London, had been fixed.

Rogge attempted to play down the severity of the issues facing London, but acknowledged that athletes and officials should be braced for delays in the days leading up to the opening ceremony.

Asked if London’s planning was falling at the final hurdle, Rogge said: “No, definitely not. This is not peculiar to London, we have always had difficulties in the time leading up to the Games, this is something that does not worry us, it will be fine by the time of the opening ceremony.”

“We have been informed that the security will not be affected by this. It will have to be solved by Locog and the Government but we are very optimistic that all the provisions will be taken.

“On the M4 we have assurances from the authorities that the highway will be repaired in due time. They will be ready by Games time.”

As concerns focused on the immediate future of the Olympic project, the long-term legacy of the main stadium inched towards a conclusion.

The London Legacy Development Corporation said it had four bidders in its third attempt to settle the stadium’s fate, with West Ham understood to remain the leading candidate.

-Paul Kelso

www.telegraph.co.uk

A welcoming committee of volunteers greeted athletes from Trinidad and Tobago as they arrived in Cardiff this week for their pre-Olympic training camp.

The team, who applied to be Cardiff Host Council Ambassadors through Sport Cardiff, have been helping to distribute the official Olympic uniforms at the Vale Resort near Cardiff.

People of all ages from across Wales have got involved in the Cardiff Host Council Ambassador programme.

Twenty-eight year old Tulshi  a volunteer from Cardiff said: “When I heard that there was an opportunity to help with the Olympics I jumped at the chance. It’s been a fantastic experience to meet world-class athletes from Trinidad and Tobago and see what goes on behind the scenes. I can’t wait to see them compete. With over 400 boxes of uniform to organise it has been a pretty big task but an exciting one.”

The team of volunteers from Sport Cardiff were assisted on Tuesday by two student volunteers from Bangor University: Alexis and Dern, from Trinidad, heard the team would be training in Cardiff and got in touch to find out if they could help. They travelled for over five hours to help unpack the uniform ready for distribution.

Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, who arrived in Cardiff on 9 July, have been busy preparing for the arrival of their athletes: meeting Welsh government officials, arranging transportation, liaising with hotel staff and organising the uniforms.

Annette Knott, Chef de Mission and Vice President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee said: “This is the first time the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee have held a holding camp. As the team has grown bigger it made sense to travel to the UK ahead of the Games to ensure that our athletes have time to adapt to the climate. The UK has a tendency to be a bit wet and cold, so the longer our team are here the more opportunity they have to adapt.”

When asked why the team chose to come to Wales, Mrs Knott said: “We [The TTOC] needed to find a quiet location without too many distractions. Hence Wales, rather than London.  This is the perfect setting; it is quiet for the team and enables them to stay focused. The people are wonderful. Everyone has been so helpful; bending over backwards for us.”

On 25 July the Trinidad and Tobago team will decamp to the Olympic Village in London. Until then the athletes will still be training hard. There is no rest for those competing in the athletics. Once they have received their kit they will be preparing for a pre-Games athletics meet in Cardiff on 18 July. Competitors from over 30 countries will be taking part in the event which helps keep individuals focused to keep their athletic edge.

By Jenna Hopkinson
Twitter: @JennaHoppy