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

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By: Andrew Gioannetti

The title-winning women’s national rugby team and the boys Under-19 team which were runners up at the 2011 North America and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Championship in the Cayman Islands last weekend, were celebrated by the Trinidad and Tobago Rugby football Union (TTRFU) on Thursday evening. The function, which was held at the administrative centre of the T&T Police Headquarters  Port-of-Spain, was led by Colin Peters. Speakers included Leslie Figaro—TTRFU president, Curtis Nero—chairman of selectors and treasurer for the TTRFU and former coach and president of the T&T Schools RFU Justice Gregory Rousseau. Also speaking were women’s coach Simone “Kitty” Andrews, women’s captain Latoya Edwards and U-19 boys vice-captain Tariq Cheekes. They all extended congratulations and praises to the successful team. Nero offered praise and gratitude to three boys from the Youth Training Centre (YTC) who had “earned the right to represent the country” as well as those who sacrificed their personal commitments, such as work and studies for their country.

He also used the opportunity to offer condolences on behalf of the TTRFU to one of the members of the U-19 team who received news on the death of his father while en route to the Cayman Islands. He commended the players for showing professionalism in continuing playing through those circumstances. Nero stressed that the sport was a team game and that some would end up in the glory positions despite the effort of players in each of the positions. He said: “Some individuals will always stand out, but always remember that everybody plays a part. The winner will end up scoring a try but for the person with the eye, they would notice that it was the engagement of the prop at that time who allowed the ball to be won and allowed the ball to get to the winger—so he is just as much a part of that scoring opportunity.” Guest speaker Justice Roussaeu in his address said that as with everything in life, preparation was important. He said that since T&T was on the losing side in similar circumstances in the last two finals against Bermuda in 2010 and the Cayman Islands this year, there was a common denominator. “Both Bermuda and Cayman Islands were able to go on tour before the Caribbean Champions and as a result, had that edge. The fact that in both finals, we lost in the last couple minutes, and let me say that not for one moment making any excuses. One has to join in congratulating the Cayman Islands as champions,” said Roussaeu.

When the U-19 vice-captain, full back Cheekes was given a word, he responded to the TTRFU executive committee with gratitude. He said: “I’d like to say thanks to Mr Nero, Mr Figaro for giving us the opportunity to play for our country. There are some sports down here, although we have it hard, other people have it harder as they don’t get the support of a board.. they have to do it on their own, we actually get the support from them and I’d like to say that we’re very grateful for that.” The Women’s national team were successive winners from 2010 and this year while the boys U-19 team also had a similar runner-up finish as last year. In 2008, the U-19 finished fifth in the Caribbean Championship and improved to third place in 2009. Juliana Straker was the women’s “Most Valuable Player” while Ernest Wright was MVP for the Boys U-19 team. The respective national teams will begin training for the NACRA Men’s and Women’s Sevens Rugby Championships in November and the  rugby sevens competition at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in September.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By: Keith Clement

The long-awaited running track at the Hasely Crawford Stadium has been installed and will get its first test today, when the Hampton International Games get going from 2 pm. Yesterday, members of the media were invited to tour the facility and got testimony from some athletes about the new IAAF Certified Class 1 Synthetic Athletic Track that cost TT $9,229,607.00. With the completion of the track, the stadium, which is T&T’s premier international facility, has been upgraded from a Class 2 track to a Certified Class 1, which—according to Errol Ashby, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Sport Company of T&T—will enable the best athletes in the world compete here for local fans. “This will also help in boosting the sport-tourism market in T&T,” according to Ashwin Creed, the acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport. “This track is value for money. This track has a 15-20-year life span and we have gotten an eight-year guarantee. This track is the best installed in T&T ever.”

He pointed that the track installation project was scheduled to be completed by June 15, but the intense precipitation over the last few weeks severely hampered the progress of the German contractor, Porplastics. Creed pointed that both the Ministry and the SporTT did their research and Proplastics presented the best offer. Ashby, pointed out: “The process of tendering and selection was done above board and the right company was selected, there’s no doubt about that.” Ashby also said that no entertainment events are booked for the stadium for July 30, 31 or August 1, despite radio advertisements which have said otherwise. Creed said: “We’ve done our research in relationship with regards to sports and culture being staged at the same venue and we are prepared to address that. In fact, the Sport Company is in the process of purchasing a new type of covering for both the track and the playing field.”

Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, the 2004 Olympic Games gold medallist in the 400m hurdles, said that the track is excellent. “It’s just like the one at home.”  Sanchez, who is here for hampton games said: “The track is very bouncy and nice, as its harder it will get faster, that’s good.” Meinolf Meier, Specialist Engineer with Porplastics has ensured the integrity and durability of the track’s structured surface and under layer support. Ashby said now that the new track has been installed the SPORTT company, remains committed to ensuring that this significant investment in the Stadium’s infrastructure meets the highest international standards and yields the maximum return on the funds allocated.

Information about the track being installed

System Description Class 1 Track
•Total System Thickness 13 -17mm
•Certified in accordance with IAAF
•Water Permeable
•Spike Resistant
•Structured Surface
•Excellent conditions wet or dry

Class One certification makes the track worthy of hosting IAAF international athletics meetings, including those in the World Athletics Series, Olympic Games or Area Permit Meetings.

Tender Process
Five firms were invited to tender for the supply installation of an IAAF certified Class 1 synthetic running track and after a comprehensive evaluation Porplastic of Germany was selected. Porplastic is the world’s leading manufacturer with over 40 years experience in the development, manufacture and installation of IAAF Certified running tracks. Porplastic gave the best assurance of state of the art, cost effective, durable and environmentally friendly, IAAF certified running tracks.

23rd July 2011
The sixth day of the Olympic Youth Camp was  truly fantastic and memorable  with lots of fun.  Campers spent the day at the Green Meadows in Santa Cruz.  The atmosphere was beautiful and appropriate for relaxation and fun.  
Campers played a variety of board games such as dominoes, snakes and ladders, and draughts.  Other campers played football and some played ‘Twister’.  ‘Twister’, the game that ties you up in knots, was very challenging, and almost every group took part. Although the rain fell it did not deter campers from having a wonderful time.  It was a time for building social skills and getting to know each other in a different setting.  
To commemorate the international Year for people of African descent each group of campers made presentations that reflected the history of the African.  Each group came up with original names such as jungle juice, red warriors, untouchables and rising stars and were extremely competitive.  Campers selected a variety of accessories and dressed up in costumes that reflected people of African descent.  Each group had an outstanding presentation that entailed African history, humour and drama. This led the crowd to roar with laughter and applause.  This was the final activity for the day and campers left energised after this entertaining session.  
Next week campers will have the opportunity to improve on this activity and prepare an excellent performance for the closing ceremony on Friday.  

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

By: Jonathan Ramnanansingh

TOP local cyclist, Njisane Phillip defeated two Olympic medallists to win the World Series of Bicycling US Sprint Grand Prix held at the Valley Preferred Cycling Centre, Pennsylvania, on Friday..

The 2008 Olympian lifted the sprint title when he got past four-time Italian Olympian Roberto Chippia, two-time Olympian Giddeon Massie from Pennsylvania and Polish Olympic sprinter Kamil Kuczynski.

Chippia had to settle for the runner-up position, but third place was taken by Canadian sprinter Joseph Veloce.

At the cycling meet, Phillip was also named overall runner-up when he paired his sprint winning ride with a silver medal in the 5k.

In the Overall category, 2008 Olympian Bobby Lea of Pennsylvania was the winner and his teammate Shane Kline took third spot.

The Siparia-born rider also had promising performances in the early rounds of heat-sprints and proved to be an ever-improving cyclist for Trinidad and Tobago.

Phillip is currently undergoing final preparations for the Trexler Town Keirin Cup which will be contested today, at the same venue.

He goes up against similar opposition including 2009 National Keirin champion Massie, current national champion Matt Branoski, 2011 World Cup Keirin gold medallist Simon Val Velthooven and 2010 winner Eddie Dawkins of New Zealand.

The Trinidad and Tobago cyclist was optimistic about this year’s Keirin and eager to medal among the experienced international cyclists.

“The Trexler Town Keirin Cup is a big race for all local and international riders. I’m hoping for a good result,” stated Phillip.

Although Phillip is currently in great form, he is using these cycling meets to further develop his ability for the forthcoming National Cycling Championships and Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

By: Kwame Laurence

Michelle-Lee Ahye will bid for honours in the women's 100 metres dash, at the Pan American Junior (under-20) Track and Field Championships, in Florida, USA, today.

The 19-year-old Trinidad and Tobago sprinter is among the favourites for gold. Bahamian Anthonique Strachan is also a contender for the top spot.

At the Carifta Games, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in April, Strachan triumphed in 11.38 seconds, forcing Ahye to settle for silver in 11.44.

Jenna Prandini and Keilah Tyson are expected to fly the United States flag in the Pan Am Juniors women's century.

T&T will be represented by Jamol James in the men's 100m.

Khristian Joseph was also selected for this event, but had to be withdrawn from the T&T team after being denied a US visa.

Keshorn Walcott has also been forced out of the Championships. Walcott, a potential medallist in the men's javelin, does not have a valid US visa and therefore could not make the trip to Florida.

Deon Lendore and Machel Cedenio will be on show for T&T in today's men's 400m event.

Lendore was part of the T&T quartet that clocked an impressive three minutes, 01.65 seconds in finishing second in the men's 4x400m relay, at last weekend's Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Track and Field Championships, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

And a fortnight ago, Cedenio clocked a personal best 46.89 seconds to cop fourth spot in the men's 400m, at the World Youth (under-18) Championships, in Lille, France.

Moriba Morain and Jereem Richards will be in action tomorrow, in the men's 200m, while Elton Walcott competes in the men's triple jump, and Shaunna Downey in the women's discus.

And on Sunday, Akeem Stewart and Hezekiel Romeo throw in the men's shot put, Kernesha Spann faces the starter in the women's 400m hurdles, and T&T will bid for a top-three finish in the men's 4x400m relay.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

By: Kwame Laurence

Trinidad and Tobago sprint star Kelly-Ann Baptiste continued her fine run of form with victory in the women's 100 metres dash, at the Spitzen international meet, in Lucerne, Switzerland, yesterday.

Baptiste bolted to the line in 11.11 seconds, for a comfortable cushion on second-placed Alexandria Anderson (11.22), of the United States. Jamaica's Aleen Bailey (11.31) picked up bronze.

The triumph was the fourth for Baptiste in five 2011 outings. She opened her season on April 23 in Arkansas, USA, the 24-year-old track star winning the women's 100m in 11.56 seconds. Two weeks later, Baptiste clocked 10.94 to finish second to American Carmelita Jeter (10.86) at the Jamaica International Invitational.

On July 5, Baptiste topped the field at the Reims international meet, in France, getting home in 11.11 seconds. And three days later, the Plymouth, Tobago sprinter produced a season's best 10.91 run to grab gold at the Meeting Areva Samsung Diamond League meet, in Paris, France.

Jamaica's 2007 World Championship 100m gold medallist and two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown was forced to settle for silver in Paris.

Baptiste is fifth on the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) 2011 performance list, behind Jeter (10.70), Campbell-Brown (10.76), American Marshevet Myers (10.86) and Jamaican Kerron Stewart (10.87).

Cleopatra Borel finished fourth in the women's shot, in Lucerne. The T&T field athlete threw the iron ball 18.74 metres.

American thrower Jillian Camarena-Williams struck gold with a 19.74m heave. Germany's Nadine Kleinert (19.12m) earned silver, while another American, Michelle Carter (18.79m), bagged bronze.

Borel, who regained her Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championship women's shot put title, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, last Sunday, is seventh on IAAF 2011 performance list, at 19.42m.

On Saturday Defending champions Caribs rugby football club will kick off their Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union(TTRFU) Toyota championship division league title defence against  last season's runner up and fierce arch rivals Stag Trinidad Northern at the President's Ground St Anns.  Also at stake will be the Robert Farfan Trophy.

The local rugby heavyweights are firm favorites to once again battle for the $10,000  first prize and Toyota Cup.In the past two decades both clubs have made  the TTRFU championship league competition  a two horse race this season is expected to be no different.

Toyota's sponsorship of the Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union(TTRFU) championship division league competition began in 2008 . When the announcement was first made TTRFU  president Leslie Figaro commented then that Toyota is a recognized and world class brand name and their association with local rugby is considered by the players and clubs to be a sign that local rugby is progressing as Internationally Toyota is associated with some of the biggest names in world rugby.

Toyota's continued association with the TTRFU premier club rugby competition remains a key pillar in the local rugby union's drive to lift the standard of local rugby.
" We are ambitious ,dedicated and determined. Those are brand values Toyota share with T&T rugby.There is also a commitment to excellence . I remain passionate and positive about the future of T&T Rugby. This is the fourth season of the Toyota Championship and I am very excited by the prospects of a really exciting season. I look forward to working closely with the Toyota family in our collective effort to develop the partnership and take it to an even higher level of  achievement." said Figaro.

In other  a week one Toyota championship action:
Harvard play Rainbow Sport and Cultural Club  at Queens Park Savannah 3 pitch
While newly promoted Royalians be put to the test by Police Sports club  at the St James Barracks.
All  Toyota championship matches kick off at 4.30pm

The TTRFU under 19 competition will get underway on Sunday 24 July.
Caribs v Royalians at Savannah 1 kick off 3pm
Harvard v Rainbow Savannah 3 kick off 3pm.

22nd July 2011    
Campers were taken by surprise on the fifth day of the camp when they were invited to have their blood sugar tested.  They were enlightened on the types of diabetes, causes, diseases that are brought on by it, and the signs and symptoms by two representatives from the Diabetes Association.  Campers were encouraged to change their eating habits and live a healthy lifestyle.  They expressed serious concerns about their diabetic friends and family.  
One of the objectives of the camp is to develop the leadership skills of campers.  A leadership exercise was done to help campers understand the roles of both the leader and follower.  It was an exercise of trust for campers to close their eyes and allow their partner to lead them.  
The next session on Etiquette was led by Ms. Kelly-Ann Wilson.  It was a dramatic and educational session when campers openly expressed their views about dress code for different occasions and were amused at the comments made by their peers.  They were also coached on the forms of etiquette to display when attending a dinner date.  Ms. Wilson gave campers helpful tips on etiquette and forcefully identified the dos and don’ts of good etiquette.    
The final session for the morning was Craft. Campers embraced the opportunity to express their creativity and innovation using pallet sticks, beads and other resources to create their own earrings, jewellery box and napkin holders.  Each group had to choose something different, but the favourite selection was earrings.  This was the first session on Craft, next week campers will complete this exercise.  
In the afternoon campers made a second attempt at actos massivos.  Campers worked assiduously at their routines and each group demonstrated significant signs of improvement.  The exercise was an exciting challenge for each group and each performance was stimulated by music and the desire to compete.  
The day closed with a lesson on Self-Defence.  Campers were enthused at the techniques and actively participated in this session.  Campers look forward to a fun day tomorrow at the Green Meadows in Santa Cruz.  

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By: Nigel Simon

This country’s senior men’s team suffered a second loss to host Canada 4-2 when the Four-Nation Classic hosted by Field Hockey Canada in celebration of its 20th anniversary continued at Wright Field, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, on Tuesday night. Playing without captain Darren Cowie and Aidan De Gannes, who returned home due to personal commitments, T&T, 4-3 winners over Chile a day earlier, was put under early pressure by the hosts. After coming close to opening the scoring in the sixth minute, Canada finally made its early dominance count when Scott Tupper scored from a penalty corner in the 11th minute to make amends for his earlier miss.

Eight minutes before the interval, Canada’s Dave Jameson, playing his 150th international, doubled his team’s advantage from field goal play which it took into the break. On the resumption, Canada continued to take the game to T&T and within five minutes it extended its lead to 3-0 when a powerful shot from Gabbar Singh provided a rebound for Philip Wright to score from close range and three minutes later, Iain Smythe netted his second goal of the tournament to give Canada a comfortable lead. 

The ‘Calypso Stickmen’ who are using the matches as part of their preparations for the Pan American Games scheduled for Mexico in October, struck back within seconds from a scramble in front of Canadian keeper Antoni Kindler. It was the first goal that Canada conceded during the tournament after previously registering similar 2-0 wins over T&T and Chile. An invigorated T&T team continued to take the the game to Canada and were awarded a penalty stroke in the 57th minute which Atiba Whittington converted past Kindler to bring the visitors within two goals.

However, Canada tightened up its defence and didn’t allow any further opportunities for T&T to secure a 4-2 triumph. Last night, T&T men came up against Chile while today, the national women’s team will seek its first win in four matches when it faces Canada. Yesterday, the local women faced Chile for the second time, having suffered an 11-0 bashing in their first meeting. Canada also swamped the T&T women 6-0 while the latter was edged out 1-0 by Canada ‘A’ in its other match played to date.  

Remaining fixtures

Today:

Canada vs Chile (men) - 5 pm

Japan vs Chile (women) - 7 pm

Canada vs T&T (women) - 9 pm

Tomorrow:

Canada vs T&T (men) - 9 pm

Saturday:

Japan vs T&T (women) - 2 pm

Canada vs Chile (women) - 4 pm

Chile vs T&T (men) - 6.30pm

Sunday:

Third place playoff (women): 2 pm

Canada vs Chile (men) - 4.30 pm

Gold medal match (women) - 7 pm.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By: Nigel Simon

T&T’s Under-23 (Olympic) footballers will hope to take another step towards qualifying for next year’s London Olympics when they meet Netherlands Antilles in their second match of Group B of the Caribbean Football Union Olympic qualifiers today. The clash between the Angus Eve-coached young Soca Warriors and Netherlands Antilles takes place at Windsor Park Stadium, Roseau, Dominica, from 5 pm today. In the night’s second match two hours later, Grenada faces Dominica. However, all eyes will be on the opener as both T&T and Netherlands Antilles go into the clash level on three points each after Tuesday’s opening round victories, and a win today will surely make either team favourites to seal the lone qualifying spot to the second round tournament. On Tuesday, T&T got a 23rd minute item from Jayson Joseph to edge past Grenada 1-0 while Netherlands Antilles needed a late brace from substitute Mirco Colina to blank hosts Dominica. Colina, who replaced Daymon Lodovica in the 55th minute, netted in the 86th and 90th minute.

In Tuesday’s encounter, T&T was without Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino who missed his flight and a decision was taken by team management to leave him out of this round of competition, according to team manger Norris Ferguson. On Saturday, Molino featured for his US club in a 3-1 friendly loss to Barclays Premiership club, Bolton Wanderers. Under-23 midfielder Chike Sullivan was also injured and was replaced by Uriah Bentick. Speaking on the win over Grenada, which dumped T&T out of qualification for the Beijing, China Olympics four years ago, Ferguson said it was a good win to start off the tournament.

“We know this was going to be an important match for us and now it’s onto taking care of the next two matches in this round,” added Ferguson. Coach Eve was also satisfied with the team’s display despite a few players making their national team debut. “They did well. They put the ball down and passed it around well from the early parts and I honestly think the end result is not a true reflection of how the game went because we should have scored at least six,” Eve said. Eve was also high in praise for team captain, Sheldon Bateau saying he was the right man for the job.

“Sheldon has been with this group for a long time and he has been given the armband before. Daneil Cyrus had to go off to Kansas and we wish him well there, so in light of that, Sheldon was the other one with that level of maturity and he has a good head on his shoulders. He has showed that he’s a leader out there on the field,” Eve added. T&T Under-23s: 1. Andre Marchan (GK), 2. Aubrey David, 3. Mekeil Williams, 4. Sheldon Bateau (capt), 5. Aquil Selby, 6. Leslie Russell, 11. Sean De Silva (15. Kareem Moses 88th), 14. Marcus Joseph, 12.Jayson Joseph, 13.Jeromie Williams (17. Kaydion Gabriel 63rd), 9. Trevin Caesar (16. Cameron Roget 86th).

Unused Subs: 7. Phillip Borde, 8. Uriah Bentick, 18. Zane Coker.

Coach: Angus Eve.

Grenada Under-23s: Shemel Louison, Raymond Alleyne, David Cyrus, Nicko Williams (Yellow 88), Rohan George, Rimmel Daniel, Moron Phillip (Kevin Edwards 70th), Rickel Augustine, Davier Walcott (Denron Daniel 24th - Alec Jones 84th), Clive Murray, Elliott Charles.

Unused Subs: Jason Belfon, Irvine Smith, Aswald Phillips, Carl Raeburn.

Coach: Alister De Bellotte.

Remaining Fixture:

Today (July 21):

T&T vs Netherlands Antilles, 5 pm

Dominica vs Grenada, 7 pm

Saturday (July 23):

Netherlands Antilles vs Grenada, 5 pm

T&T vs Dominica, 7 pm.

Current CFU Group B standings

P    W    D    L    F    A    Pts

Curaçao    1    1    0    0    2    0    3

T&T    1    1    0    0    1    0    3

Grenada    1    0    0    1    0    1    0

Dominica    1    0    0    1    0    2     0

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

By: Jonathan Ramnanansingh

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association (TTBA), Reno Singh revealed that the national team is currently under-going final preparations for the forthcoming Junior Pan American Championships, Jamaica, which serves off from July 24-31.

“The squad leaves on Thursday (today) and I can safely say that they’ve been training thoroughly over the past few weeks.

“Since last Friday, after the close of the National Badminton camp, the six-member team has been at the Chaguanas Regional Indoor Sporting Arena everyday conducting training sessions,” stated Singh.

He added that the players were in a positive mind-set and were looking forward to participating in this year’s Championships.

They intend to give a good performance and further raise the awareness of badminton in this country. “So far the players are very upbeat and excited about the Pan Am. They are eager to represent Trinidad and Tobago on the international stage,” mentioned Singh.

The TTBA president explained that the team has been putting a lot of focus on playing as a unit.

He wanted them to have a better understanding of each other so they would play smoothly, especially in the mixed doubles division.

“The team has been building on their tactical and strategical on-court play.

“We want to get them bonding as a team so moves can be predicted by team partners to gain an advantage,” he continued. The TT team at the Junior Pan Am will be represented by current Girls Under-19 Singles and Doubles champion, Kristi Reno-Singh; current Boys Under-19 Singles and Doubles champion Matthaus Wilford; Jason Ramjass, Zuwena James, Reba Fleary and T’Chad Baptiste. They will compete for precious metal in both team and individual events. Kristi and Ramjass will contest the Under-17 categories while Wilford, James, Fleary and Baptiste go after Under-19 honours.

This same team would also be representing TT in the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) at St Michael, Barbados, from August 31 - September 3.

Singh revealed that he would have preferred the CAREBACO tournament before the Junior Pan Am. He explained that the Pan Am is the higher ranked tournament and he would have liked for the players to gain some competitive experience at the CAREBACO before the Pan Am.

“We have our bigger tournament first. We would have preferred to compete in CAREBACO first as a trial but it wasn’t so this year.

“We still are going in confident and we always play to win, so we’re not too bothered,” added the TTBA president.

Joining the team in Jamaica would be coach Anil Seepaul and manager, Reno Singh.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

The T&T Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) will host an achievement function for the national women’s team which won the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Championship in Cayman islands over the weekend. The function will be held at the Solomon Mc Leod Centre, fifth floor police administrative building from 6.30 pm this evening. The local women defeated the Caribbean select team in the finals.

The function will celebrate the achievements of the women’s team as well as the Under 19 men’s team which finished second after competing at the NACRA Championship. The U-19 men played creditably by beating Jamaica and Mexico. The men’s team took on Cayman islands in the final to hold them at a 8-8 draw at full time. However, victory was snatched from their hands as they lost the penalty kick shoot out.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

T&T’s George Vire has become the first local player to enter the top 100 rankings in world archery. According to a release by the World Federation, Vire is now ranked 94th, an improvement of 38 places from his previous mark at 132nd. Vire’s achievement comes as a result of the numerous sucesses he earned at previous tournaments, including the 2010 CAC and Commonwealth Games.

His most recent success was at the world ranked Copa Merengue which took place in March in the Dominican Republic where he placed 6th. Also shooting up the ranks is fellow national Hasmath Ali, who moved a whopping 173 ranks from 357th to 184th. Ali also participated in the same tournaments as Vire just trailing two places behind in the Copa Merengue, finishing in 8th place. Also stepping up are recurve archers Nazimine Roopnarine and Robert Gilson who moved from 342 to 326 and 460 to 409 respectively. T&T’s  compound team also brought home the bronze medal from the Copa Merengue.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Joe Public’s Jayson Joseph scored a 23rd-minute goal to lead Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic team to a 1-0 victory over Grenada in their opening CFU Group  B 2012 Olympic qualifier at Windsor Park Stadium, Dominica, yesterday. Joseph was on spot to score from close range following a lapse from the Grenadian goalie. T&T controlled the match for long periods but could not convert several goalscoring chances in both halves. Midfielder Marcus Joseph had at least three opportunities to extend T&T’s lead. T&T will meet Curacao in their second outing on Thursday. The group winner will advance to the Caribbean second round prior to the CONCACAF final round next January in the United States.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By:Nigel Simon

Atiba Whittington scored on either side of the half as T&T senior men’s team edged Chile 4–3 to get their first win in two matches at the Four-Nation Classic hosted by Field Hockey Canada in celebration of its 20th anniversary at Wright Field, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, on Monday night. After going under to host Canada on Friday 2–0 in its opener, the local squad led by Darren Cowie of Queen’s Park were eager to bounce back against the South Americans and got the perfect start when Whittington of Petrotrin opened the scoring from field goal play as early as the fourth minute while Paragon’s Akim Toussaint assured T&T of a 2–0 lead at the interval when he scored from a penalty-corner in the 32nd minute.

On the resumption, Chile, which was also blanked 2–0 by Canada in its first match on Saturday, reduced the deficit in the 47th minute with a field goal from Jan Richter. However, ten minutes later, Notre Dame’s Aidan De Gannes restored T&T’s two-goal cushion at 3–1 with a penalty-corner conversion of his own before Whittington made it 4–1 in the 64th minute with his second field goal of the match. With the minutes ticking away, Chile mounted a late charge and got two goals in the space of a minute, 67th and 68th, from captain Esteban Krainz to set up a nervous final two minutes for T&T, which managed to hold on for the win.

The clash between the T&T, coached by Holland’s Bas Bruin, and Chile was a physical one as the quartet of Andrew Vieira (21st), Kwandwane Browne (44th), Mickel Pierre (52nd) and Dwain Quan Chan (68th) all picked up green cards along with Fernando Binder of Chile, who also received a yellow card. Last night the T&T men came up against Canada for the second time while they meet Chile tonight from 9.30 pm followed by Canada again on July 22 and Chile, a day later. For T&T, Cowie and De Gannes will play no further part in the tour as the duo are expected to return home today due to personal commitments.

While the local men secured a first win, the national women’s team losing streak was extended to three matches after a narrow 1–0 loss to Canada ‘A’ with Marian Dickinson scoring the lone goal, a minute before half-time. Once again, main forward Blair Wynne did not feature for T&T. The ‘Calypso Stickwomen’ were beaten in their two previous matches against Canada (6–0) and Chile 11–0. Today, national women’s team coach Anthony Marcano and his charges will hope to end their dreaded run against Chile from 5 pm while tomorrow they face Canada at 9 pm and Japan on July 23. In Monday’s other women’s match, Canada and Chile battled to a 0–0 draw.

fixtures

Today:

Chile vs T&T (women) - 5 pm

Canada vs Japan (women) - 7 pm

Chile vs T&T (men) - 9.30 pm

Tomorrow:

Canada vs Chile (men) – 5 pm

Japan vs Chile (women) - 7 pm

Canada vs T&T (women) - 9 pm

Friday,:

Canada vs T&T (men) - 9 pm

Saturday:

Japan vs T&T (women) – 5 pm

Canada vs Chile (women) - 4 pm

Chile vs T&T (men) - 6.30 pm

Sunday:

Third place playoff (women) - 11 am

Canada vs Chile (men) 1.30 pm

Women’s Final - 4 pm

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

By: Kwame Laurence

Richard Thompson stopped the clock at 10.06 seconds to finish first in his section and second overall in the men's 100 metres event, at the Sport Solidarity international meet, in Lignano, Italy, yesterday.

The Trinidad and Tobago track star was the class of the section three field, getting to the line well ahead of Americans Jeffery Demps (10.14) and Trell Kimmons (10.16).

Another T&T sprinter, Marc Burns, clocked 10.33 seconds to claim top spot in section two. He was 12th overall.

Steve Mullings was the fastest man on show in Lignano, the Jamaican getting to the line in 9.98 seconds to triumph in section four.

Americans Darvis Patton (10.07) and Mike Rodgers (10.09) finished second and third, respectively.

Thompson also competed in the men's 4x100m relay. The double Olympic silver medallist anchored an All Stars quartet to silver in 38.20 seconds. Thompson's teammates were Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure and Americans Maurice Mitchell and Jeremy Dodson.

The USA Red combination of Kimmons, Rodgers, Justin Gatlin and Walter Dix struck gold in 37.90.

A Caribbean quartet--Jamaicans Ainsley Waugh, Winston Barnes and Jacques Harvey, and Barbadian Andrew Hinds--finished third in 38.66.

Thompson's 10.06 run was his third fastest legal clocking this season. On June 4, the 26-year-old athlete got to the line in 10.01 at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, USA. And two Sundays ago, he clocked 10.05 seconds at the Aviva Grand Prix, in Birmingham, England.

Thompson declined selection on the T&T team for last weekend's Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Track and Field Championships, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Burns, on the other hand, has been struggling this season and was not chosen to represent the country in Mayaguez. Burns' best legal 2011 clocking is 10.30 seconds.

20th July 2011
Today marked the third day of the Olympic Youth camp.  For the past two days campers have been having a lot of fun in an active learning environment.  They have all made new friends and are gradually getting more comfortable in expressing their views among their peers.  
‘Sport and Ethics’ is crucial to the development of each athlete and this topic was discussed in detail by Mr. Arjoon.  It was a highly educational exercise and campers got the opportunity to openly discuss their views on ethics in sport.  The aim of this session was for campers to foster values in friendship, respect, fairness and equality and to empower them to not only learn the values but to live them.   Two major ethical issues in sport are fair play and bribery in sport. This was stressed and helpful tips were given to counteract these two major ethical issues.        
The next session was entitled ‘Sport and Different Abilities.’  Power lifter, Carlos Greene impressed the campers when he showcased his large number of medals.  Campers were inspired by the story of how he became blind and pursued his dream in spite of the odds.    He questioned campers about their dreams and urged them to go after their dreams in spite of the many obstacles they may face.  At the end of the session campers rushed to view the many medals from his outstanding achievements.  This was followed by a presentation from the Trinidad and Tobago Paralympic Committee.  Former wheelchair basketball player and student at Roytec encouraged campers not to limit themselves.  Campers were also urged to participate in blind cricket and wheelchair basketball.    
Ms. Lesey Lewis led a vibrant session on ‘Voice Training.’  Campers were taught proper breathing techniques and practiced breathing exercises.   They warmed up their voices using the musical scale.  Campers were elated when one of their peers volunteered to sing a song that he composed.  They looked on in admiration as he sang beautifully.    
Campers were bubbling with energy as they prepared to learn a sport in the afternoon session.  They had a lot of fun learning tagby and were delighted to show their skills and talent.  They learnt the laws of the game, passing techniques and generally got a basic understanding of the game.  In addition to rugby, campers also attended spinning class.  This was a highly energetic activity that demanded a lot of stamina.  
Tomorrow campers look forward to aqua aerobics and ballroom dancing.    

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By: Brian Lewis

We simply cannot bury our heads in the sand any longer. The public is losing or some may well say they have already lost all faith in those who hold office. Sport is receiving its share of scrutiny, some of it fair some of it blatantly unfair and cynical. The temptation to beg off is very potent. It is easy to pass off responsibility. Local sport is struggling and there is little short or medium term prospect of things getting much better. A bleak scenario indeed especially in the face of a sluggish local and global economy that is wreaking havoc with public finances. But some may wonder what is the connection between losing faith in office holders and decision makers and the economy. The answer is nothing and everything.
Accepting that there is a connection or not depends on any number of things. But this argument has been made many times before but it just is not resonating with people.

The macro impacts on the micro. No matter how you spin it National Sport Organisations (NSOs) are in the eye of the storm and prospects of emerging intact are slim very slim. It is indeed a sad situation. There are complex sociological issues that will never get addressed because of our tendency to respond and make far reaching decisions in a knee jerk, emotional and vested basis. It often leads one to wonder if any decision is made here in T&T with a national agenda or vision in mind. I may not always like it or feel comfortable with the public scrutiny because many times I am asked questions or made accountable for situations in local sport for which neither I nor any member of the TTOC executive can reasonably be answerable and accountable.

However, I do understand and appreciate the concerns and do feel that, genuinely so, the TTOC should not be held to a narrow remit. At the least, there is an expectation that the TTOC should represent the best interests of Olympic sport in its entirety. But the truth of the matter is that the TTOC has to balance any number of objectives in the face of resource limitations. Certainly the public does not entertain the view that the TTOC can wash its hands and turn away from problems either real or perceived with the excuse that there are issues that are beyond the realm of the TTOC. A tough predicament and a dilemma as perception is a double edged sword. Expectations come with the territory balancing those expectations are an important part of achieving objectives and goals. But even more so balancing expectations requires sober decision making. In the absence of sober decision making all hell will break loose.

If it is one thing that all NSOs should focus on as an immediate priority is sober and clearly thought out decision-making. For now forget all the fancy management terms and buzz words. Let’s all just think things through even if our decisions will be severely criticised and condemned. By doing that one thing we may at the very least be able to give an explanation with some modicum of respectability and integrity and offer a sense of hope to those who believe that it is only wicked madness taking place. It becomes harder and harder the longer people perceive that decision-making within NSOs are based on foolish thoughts and assumptions. Remember truthful words stand the test of time but lies are soon exposed.
Oh by the way just for the records I have never been an architect or served as a director of UDECOTT. It’s not me!

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

T&T’s gold medallists at the CAC Championships, which ended on Sunday, have automatically qualified for the World Athletic Championships in Daegu, South Korea, from August 27 to September 4. Cleopatra Borel Brown (shot put), Renny Quow (400m), Semoy Hackett (100m) and Ayanna Alexander (triple jump) all confirmed their spots at the 23rd edition of the meet at the Jose A Figueroa Freire Central American Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as well as Keston Bledman who won the 100 metres and the women’s 4x 100m relay team of Magnolia Howell, Michelle Lee Ahye, Ayanna Hutchinson and Hackett.
Borel-Brown attained the qualifying mark previously and did so again on Sunday.

Hackett dipped under the required 11.29 barrier in the women’s 100m twice with her best mark of 11.17, set on May 14. The 22-year-old was again within the standard when she raced to the CAC gold in 11.27 seconds on Friday. Quow won in Puerto Rico in 45.44 with the standard required being 45.25 while Alexander is the biggest benefactor of the new qualifying procedure. The B standard for the women’s triple jump is 14.10m, which is beyond the national record of 13.96 set by Alexander in 2009. The A mark is 14.30m and Alexander’s 2011 best is 13.60m. This country’s men’s 4x 400m team also ensured selection for the World Championships. The squad of Lalonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon, Deon Lendore and Renny Quow teamed up to clock 3:01.65 seconds in taking silver and was under the 3:04.00 standard.

The victorious women’s 4x100m team was again under the 44:00 required in winning in 43.47.
The Men’s sprint relay squad, which clocked 38.89 to finish second, was also inside the World Champs standard.  Keston Bledman, timing 10.05 in capturing the men’s 100m dash, was well under the 10.28 barrier.

T&T at the CAC Games

Women’s 100m
1. Semoy Hackett - 11.27
( Prelims 11.48)
5. Ayanna Huthinson - 11.56 (Prelims 11.72)

Men’s 100m
1. Keston Bledman -10.05 (prelims 10.32)

Men’s 200m
2. Rondel Sorillo - 20.64
( Prelims 21.05)
5. Emmanuel Callender - 21.12 (Prelims 20.91)

Men’s 400m
1. Renny Quow - 45.44 (prelims 46.11)

Women’s 1500m
3. Pilar McShine - 4:24:93

Women’s 400m Hurdles
5. Josanne Lucas - 58.27 (Prelims 56.94)

Men’s 400m Hurdles
3. Jehue Gordon - 50.11 (Prelims 50.22)

Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
8. Scarla Nero - 11:33:66

Women’s Shot Put
1. Cleopatra Borel - 19.00m
3. Annie Alexander - 17.05m

Men’s Shot Put
4. Robert Collingwood - 16.77m

Women’s Discus
4. Annie Alexander - 52.28m
Men’s Discus
4. Quincy Wilson - 56.85

Womens Long Jump
7. Ayanna Alexander - 6.06

Men’s Long Jump
DNF. Kyron Blaise

Women’s Triple Jump
1. Ayanna Alexander - 13.50m

Men’s Triple Jump
8. Kyron Blaise - 15.10m

Men’s Javelin
4. Kershorn Walcott - 70.98

Women’s 4x100m
1. T&T (Magnolia Howell, Michelle Lee Ahye, Ayanna Hutchinson, Semoy Hackett) - 43.47

Men’s 4x100m
2. T&T
(Aaron Armstrong, Darryl Brown, Emmanuel Callender, Keston Bledman) -38.89
(Prelims 39.26)

Men’s 4x400m
2. T&T
(Lalonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon, Deon Lendore, Renny Quow) - 3:01:65

Women’s 4x400m
3. T&T
(Alena Harriman, Magnolia Howell, Josanne Lucas, Afiya Walker) - 3:34:84

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By: Nigel Simon

T&T Under-23 footballers will kick off their quest to qualify for next year’s London Olympics when they face Grenada in the first match of a Group B Caribbean Football Union’s Olympic qualifying double-header from 5pm at Windsor Park, Dominica today. The T&T squad is an experienced one and includes eight players who have played at a FIFA Under-17 or Under-20 World Cup headed by US-based midfielder Kevin Molino of Orlando City Lions, who joined the squad on arrival in Dominica, yesterday.
The others are former Under-20 captain Sheldon Bateau, Sean De Silva, Marcus Joseph, Mikheil Williams, Aubrey David, Andre Marchan and Chike Sullivan while the  USA-born pair of Cameron Roget and Phillip Borde are also in the squad.

In today’s other  Group B match, two hours,  host Dominica will entertain Netherlands Antilles with double-headers also set for Thursday and Saturday at the same venue. At the end of the four-team tournament, only the winner will advance to the second round group of qualifiers. Already Cuba has qualified for the second round four-team CFU Olympic qualifiers after topping its three-team Group C series with wins over Aruba (6-0) and Guyana (1-0) last month. The two other first round groups will see Suriname hosting Group A with Jamaica, St Vincent & The Grenadines and Cayman Islands from August 3 to 7, while St Kitts & Nevis entertains Group D with Haiti, Antigua & Barbuda and St Lucia, from July 21-25. From the second round tournament two will qualify for the eight-team Concacaf finals next year in the USA towards qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics.