Global sport organisations are barriers to change.

“When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant.” --Colin Powell

All strategies without structure or proper execution will eventually fail but the brave will fall but never yield.

Murder and torture. The brutality of the Middle Passage from West Africa to the Caribbean. Inhumanity and wealth extraction, drowning in blood - the long shadow of British Slavery and Colonialism have been the foundation on which underdevelopment and persistent poverty have taken place in the Caribbean. A consequence of...

Read More: https://guardian.co.tt

Author: Brian Lewis

The journey to overcoming structural racism is one where the deck is stacked. Speak your truth and face reprisal or bite your tongue- stay quiet and get along by getting by.

We continue to tell a lie.

Yesterday we celebrated Emancipation day. Trinidad and Tobago was the first independent country to declare a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

We continue to tell a lie.

Growing up in Belmont in the 60s and 70s, my fondest memories are of a strong community, family and extended family values and spirit.

There are so many different views about almost everything under the sun.

As the citizens of the twin-island Republic celebrate on Thursday, Divali - the Festival of Lights which symbolises light over darkness and good over evil - it serves as a reminder of the multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial reality of Trinidad and Tobago.

FIFA’s new proposal upturns international sports status quo

COVID-19 is proving, or maybe that should be providing, a significant test in so many ways. Certainly, it's a mental and emotional test.

John Geddert's suicide was an "escape from justice" and 'traumatising beyond words," said Sarah Klein, a former gymnast who trained under the US Olympic coach. Geddert died by suicide Thursday after Michigan authorities announced several charges against him, including human trafficking.

Amidst a global reckoning on the realities of systemic racism, experts from the highest ranks of the international sport system are strategizing a better way forward. Sport for Life is thrilled to announce that keynote speaker Brian Lewis, the current president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committee (CANOC), will be sharing insights into his work as chair of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) standing committee that is committed to combat discrimination in sport.

How to be a force for good in a world turned upside down by the unprecedented covid-19 pandemic.

TTOC boss makes case for more women in decision-making roles.

Brian Lewis, president of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) said this country’s athletes will be affected no more than their international counterparts from the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to limit the stay of athletes at the Olympic Village.

The Olympic online website yesterday revealed that athletes will be expected to arrive in the Tokyo 2020 Athletes’ Village five days prior to their competition at Tokyo 2020 and depart a maximum of two days afterwards.

IOC president Thomas Bach said: “The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed it had requested National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to adapt their arrival and departure plans to fit in with these new rules designed to reduce the risk of coronavirus.”

He noted also following an executive meeting, that the decision was taken to minimise the number of people living in the Athletes’ Village.

“We think that this is absolutely necessary because we need to reduce and minimise the number of residents in the Olympic Village to minimise the risk of COVID exposure,” Bach said.

But Lewis explained that T&T’s athletes will not be affected more than any other, saying: “No one country would have an advantage over the other. The COVID-19 has resulted in the shutting down of sports and very strict public health guidelines and lockdowns etc so it’s the reality of COVID-19.

“The T&T Olympic Committee, we have been preparing and looking at different scenarios with our medical team, the Chef de Mission Ms Lovie Santana, and we have been having ongoing meetings so it’s not an unexpected situation, at the end of the day the priority of the Olympic Committee remains the safety of our athletes, coaches administrators, medical team etc, so we are  focused on meeting whatever counter-measures that the Tokyo Olympic organisers put in place, along with the IOC executive.”  

Lewis and his team at the TTOC have been in constant contact with the local athletes and finding ways to ensure they would be fully fit and ready when the Games begin.

“We are looking at making the necessary adjustments to our pre-Games training camp, and we have to make the necessary logistical adjustments, and we are working closely with our travel consultant Denise Dyer on that so no surprises there, we anticipated different scenarios once the IOC confirmed the Games are on.”

Though the IOC wants to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Bach said they still wanted to ensure athletes gained the experience and acclimatise: “At the same time, we wanted to maintain the athletes’ experience. We wanted to be balanced with the considerations about athletic performance and also with attendance at the Opening Ceremony.”

The guidance advises that in cases where travel time to Japan and time difference is minimal, the number of days spent in the Olympic Village prior to the competition should be shorter.

Where possible, athletes are expected to acclimatise to the time differences in pre-Games training camps in Japan rather than in the Olympic Village. 

Source

I am optimistic that Trinidad and Tobago will be a better country and society and that the current post election racial discord is a necessary and uncomfortable conversation that as a society we must have .

BEFORE any amendment is made to Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must firstly acknowledge the fact that this decree was built on the pillars of racial discrimination and inequality.

Last week, Trinidad and Tobago faced its own Black Lives Matter (BLM) day of reckoning. The lives of PC Allen Moseley, Joel Jacob, Noel Diamond, Israel Clinton and Ornella Greaves had all the elements of our nation on edge. Guns and bullets.

FUNDAMENTAL change is needed across the board, if TT, as a nation and people, wishes to eradicate the gender and racial inequality currently plaguing the society.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s announcement that phase three of the reopening of the T&T economy during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions began on Monday was met with welcome relief by many citizens but mostly the business sector.

BRIAN LEWIS, president of the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC), says that sports can play a vital role as TT recovers from the global coronavirus pandemic.

SELF REFLECTION and culture change during the current downtime are the primary elements which can aid society’s swift reintegration, in the post-covid19 period.

The 10th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should be a woman, that is the unwavering view of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) President.

Young national cycling sensations, Nicholas Paul and Teneil Campbell, are encouraging young, up and coming athletes to work hard to achieve their goals and to never give up on their dreams.

Brian Lewis, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee says he is looking forward to the indication that there will finally be closure on the Caribbean Games saga.

The As­so­ci­a­tion of Na­tion­al Olympic Com­mit­tees (ANOC) World Beach Games is aimed at build­ing a new fron­tier for the Olympic move­ment.

Racism, classism, sexism and elitism are taboo issues in global sport. Is Trinidad and Tobago an exception?

I happen to be initially browsing but having caught my attention, I then perused thoroughly, the 2018 Oxford Business Group country report on Trinidad and Tobago.  There were a number of perespectives, snap shots and overviews written. If one wanted to get a well researched and documented overview of the economic and business landscape within the twin Island Republic.

31 July is CANOC day. A message was sent out. That it barely registered or caught the attention of sport stakeholders in the Caribbean is an opportunity not a slight. CANOC must embrace the opportunity to heighten awareness and engage in enhanced outreach to provide information about the organisation.

It is cold in Lima, Peru, host city of the 2019 Pan Am Games. In fact, it is winter here in the South American nation.

I came in for some withering criticism recently for adopting the position, that as painful as it is, the current intolerable crime situation is an opportunity for T&T to recalibrate.

It is an un­com­fort­able re­al­i­ty that the con­cept of fair­ness and equal­i­ty can be trans­ac­tion­al.

It can be tiresome. The question begs to be asked. What are you doing?

The voices of Young People Key to Trinidad and Tobago winning the Bid. It's their Games.

Fidel Castro once said, "a revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past".

Re­cent­ly I had the op­por­tu­ni­ty to meet with There­sa Min­nie - head of Out­reach at the IC­SA - the Gov­er­nance In­si­tute. She was vis­it­ing from the Unit­ed King­dom and here to be one of the main pre­sen­ters at a Gov­er­nance work­shop host­ed by the lo­cal arm of IC­SA. The work­shop was held at the Cham­ber of Com­merce build­ing, West­moor­ing, Port-0f-Spain re­cent­ly.

The Olympic Partners (TOP) programme is the highest level of Olympic sponsorship, granting category exclusive marketing rights to the Sunmer, Winter and Youth Olympic Games to a group of global partners.

Sport is a way to explore life's big issues.

"Marijuana/Cannabis has deep historical, cultural and religious significance to Caribbean peoples"- Rose-Marie Belle Antoine.

We don't want to talk about it because of how it will look and what people will say. Call it what you want- ganja, joint, weed, pot, grass, herbs, marijuana or cannabis. Its on the agenda.

Sports stake­hold­ers need to stop lament­ing about the per­ceived lack of sport spon­sor­ship from cor­po­rate T&T.

The decision-making process is a critical aspect of sport governance. All of us make decisions every day. What to wear, what to eat, may be simple decisions depending on where you are at a particular point in your life cycle.

Bold faced and corrupt villains are perceived to operate with impunity, as the cancer that is corruption takes its toll on almost every aspect of life here in Trinidad and Tobago. This, as billions of dollars went in and out of the treasury.

Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee - John Donne.

Sometimes its difficult to separate fact from fiction. There are those who will smile to your face and as soon as your back is turned they will have the most negative things to say. In a very real way its not unexpected.

"It's not a sac­ri­fice, it's a choice," says his­to­ry-mak­ing Amer­i­can track sprint­er Lau­ryn Williams. Williams was mak­ing the point in an in­ter­view about the chal­lenges ath­letes have to face. A cred­i­ble voice giv­ing re­al and need­ed ad­vice - an ath­lete who has seen life from the per­spec­tive of a con­tract­ed track and field star and as a free agent bob­sleigh com­peti­tor.

During the last three weeks certain things have occurred that caused me to reflect on life and living life mindfully.  How do you find inspiration and motivation when the going gets tough and you feel as if nothing you do at a particular point in time, is making any sense and creating a positive difference?

Risk management is an essential element of good governance. The failure to analyse and access risks can place a sport organisation -the size or stature  does not matter - at risk.

The book "Sports Gov­er­nance" by Rus­sell Hoye and Gra­ham Cuskel­ly gave in-depth fo­cus on the gov­er­nance of non-prof­it sports or­gan­i­sa­tions and the prac­tices em­ployed by the boards/com­mit­tees to car­ry out their gov­er­nance role.

Thought lead­er­ship.

To have peo­ple with whom you can share thoughts an ideas with and re­ceive con­struc­tive crit­i­cism when need­ed that is found­ed on knowl­edge and a proven prac­ti­cal suc­cess track record is in­valu­able.

On March 25, 1807, par­lia­ment in Lon­don, Eng­land, passed a law for­mal­ly abol­ish­ing the slave trade in the British Em­pire. How­ev­er, slav­ery didn't end then free­dom for ex­ist­ing slaves did not come in the British ter­ri­to­ries un­til 1838.

It's huge­ly sig­nif­i­cant in the con­text of Trinidad and To­ba­go's sports his­to­ry. Host­ing a mul­ti-sport event can be a pos­i­tive cat­a­lyst. We were en­trust­ed with the re­spon­si­bil­i­ty to de­vel­op and present the Trinidad and To­ba­go Com­mon­wealth Youth Games bid con­cept and vi­sion and why Trinidad and To­ba­go. To­day we use this col­umn to share our ideas and thoughts.

For The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA) taking a stand for athletes, youth and young people is a daily struggle.  Each and everyday people manifest issues by their behaviors that create difficulties and problems for athletes, youth and young people.

The 37th edition of the Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon (TTIM) on Sunday 27th January started in the pre dawn hour for the walkers including the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA) marathon walk group . The purpose of the marathon walk is to raise awareness and financial support for the TeamTTO (Team Trinidad and Tobago) #10golds24 athlete welfare and preparation fund.

Ever so of­ten it is nec­es­sary to re­mind or in­tro­duce the cit­i­zens of Trinidad and To­ba­go to fac­tu­al in­for­ma­tion about the Olympic Move­ment. The who, what and why. What is the pur­pose of the Olympic Move­ment? The move­ment is of long stand­ing. Its his­to­ry can be traced back to the year 776 BC.

We are taking Trinidad and Tobago for granted!

Christ­mas! Christ­mas! It's Christ­mas time in T&T. For many peo­ple, noth­ing beats a "Trin­ba­go" Christ­mas. It is the best!

On Sat­ur­day last, I had the dis­tinct plea­sure to at­tend the As­so­ci­a­tion of Fe­male Pro­fes­sion­als of T&T (AFETT) and Youth re­cep­tion to launch the or­gan­i­sa­tion's youth arm.

In busi­ness, the chang­ing mar­ket re­al­i­ties and the dis­rup­tion of tra­di­tion­al in­dus­tries are com­pelling busi­ness lead­ers and stake­hold­ers to re­view every as­pect of their op­er­a­tions.

A good friend had cause to re­mind me that "un­easy is the head that wears the crown".

T&T is in a dif­fi­cult place right now and it is im­por­tant to re­main pos­i­tive.

Be­ing thrown un­der the bus is not some­thing that gives me sleep­less nights or un­due wor­ry.

TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis will continue to also hold the post of president of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) for four more years, following his re-election to the post on Sunday.

A vote was held place at the 16th CANOC Annual General Assembly in Haiti.

Lewis, who also holds the portfolio as and TT Commonwealth Games Association (TTGCA) president, was unanimously elected as interim chairman in 2016, taking over from Barbados’ Steve Stoute.

Stoute resigned after 17 years at the helm of the organisation and was subsequently named Honorary Life President.

Lewis was then voted in as chairman at an Extraordinary General Assembly in Colombia last year as the only candidate after the withdrawal of the Dominican Republic’s José Joaquín Puello, who claimed to have submitted an application for the role by mistake.

Lewis expressed gratitude at his election but was unimpressed by the lack of female leadership on the board. “...As much as I am happy to be re-elected Canoc president for the 2018/2022 term the fact that CANOC elected only one female on its board is nothing to be proud about. The next CANOC president is a woman with a gender equal board,” he posted to his Twitter page yesterday.

Lewis was elected TTOC president in 2013 and was re-elected to serve another four-year term last year.

Source

Buenos Aires 2018 is done and dust­ed T&T Youth Olympic Games team re­turned home to weath­er tur­moil and flood-re­lat­ed is­sues.

Last Sat­ur­day, I en­gaged in one of my favourite ac­tiv­i­ties - I have many and it's hard to choose one - but no mat­ter how you spin it, the Fa­ti­ma Col­lege Alum­ni Oc­to­ber Food Fest is a must do once var­i­ous oblig­a­tions in­clud­ing the de­mands of the T&T Olympic Com­mit­tee (TTOC) and T&T Com­mon­wealth Games As­so­ci­a­tion al­low me the time and space.

The In­ter­na­tion­al Olympic Com­mit­tee (IOC) Pres­i­dent Thomas Bach is de­ter­mined to trans­form the IOC and the Olympic move­ment in­to a much more trans­par­ent and ac­count­able, mod­ern and pro­gres­sive or­gan­i­sa­tion.

Re­pub­lic Day - Yes­ter­day saw sport hit­ting the head­lines for all the right rea­sons as a num­ber of sportsper­sons re­ceived na­tion­al awards. Car­ry­ing the flag was Olympian and Olympic medal­list Wen­dell Mot­t­ley. The Queens Roy­al Col­lege past pupil is a won­der­ful ex­am­ple of some­one who achieved ex­cel­lence in the class­room, sports field and as a fi­nance pro­fes­sion­al.

Yes­ter­day, the words, con­cepts and ideas were com­ing fast and fu­ri­ous as the pre­sen­ters on day one of the In­ter­na­tion­al Olympic Com­mit­tee (IOC) and As­so­ci­a­tion of Na­tion­al Olympic Com­mit­tees (ANOC) Olympic Mar­ket­ing Sem­i­nar got un­der­way at the head­quar­ters of the Na­tion­al Olympic Com­mit­tee (NOC) of Spain.

The tra­di­tion­al gov­er­nance struc­ture un­der which most na­tion­al gov­ern­ing bod­ies and Olympic Com­mit­tees op­er­ate aren't stand­ing up to the de­mands of the con­tem­po­rary sport.

The T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) and Commonwealth Games Association of T&T (CGATT) on the occasion of International Youth Day (IYD) called on the T&T Olympic and Commonwealth sport movement to take urgent measures and actions to ensure that sport with in the twin-island Republic is a safe space for children, youth and young people at all levels.

Invaders Bay has awesome potential to rival similar sized projects around the world. Most of which are visionary, breathtaking and jaw-dropping.

Today makes it 24 months to the day to the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Approximately 11,000 athletes will participate in 339 events in 33 sports (50 disciplines). The motto of the games is Discover Tomorrow.|

THE CALL by president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee Brian Lewis for greater attention to be paid protecting children from abuse during sporting activity is one which all must heed.

The headline in one of the daily newspapers read “Hit for Six”, another headline in another daily read “TT rugby dreams dashed by RAN (Rugby Americas North)”. Then there are various disputes and accusations and counter-accusations.

For those who want to achieve sustainable success at the highest level of Olympic sports, T&T is no bed of roses.

The road ahead is beckoning. High-speed change in the sports industry is creating the environment for those brave enough to plunge in head first and grab the opportunities to adapt the trends into a lucrative and viable sports business.

Trying to process a lot of things that are happening in T&T can be detrimental to your spirit and soul. It’s simple and convenient to pivot to feeling bewildered.

The tagline for last week’s Leaders’ Sports Business Summit held at Times Centre in New York was “experience the future of sports”.

T&T at times can act and appear as if we're an angry land populated by angry people with only dark and deep thoughts.

Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee President Brian Lewis has challenged sporting authorities to take child abuse in sport seriously.

Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is over. It is now history.

If you are passionate about sport, children and youth then you must attend two upcoming events, one tomorrow and the other scheduled for April 12, the Lex Sportiva—Beyond the Game—a sport law workshop to be hosted by the University of the West Indies, Faculty of Law, St Augustine Campus. The main facilitator for the sport law workshop will be Ian Blackshaw, an International Sports Lawyer, Contributing Editor of the International Sports Law Journal.

One thing for sure that we can all attest to is the high level of scrutiny and public scrutiny that public office holders have to face when they are elevated. Everyone will have a perspective and a point of view about why both are important. Social media has heightened such scrutiny with the average citizen who now has an avenue to express their opinion. It can be a mind bender.

Who laugh last laugh best. Who want to scoff and laugh go ahead. From where I sit the race is on. Those who allow fear to keep them rooted behind the starting line will not reap the benefits that come with rising above adversity.

At times you have to take a step back and take a breather because somewhere inside of the intensity of the battle there are moments of clarity. Times when you move from a position of where nothing seems to make sense - to understanding that it makes sense after all.

Last week at the Siga Sport Integrity Forum in Rome - there was a lot of candid discussion about sport governance and the importance of governance on the integrity of sport.

At times I don’t think people appreciate how tough T&T can be. This is a place where people tear you down simply because you may not be like them.

Hard questions need to be asked of everyone in the T&T sport system.

In these days of hard economic times, where money is hard to come by—value for money—is the key metric and with bureaucracy sucking up a large percentage of the funding that is available, there is a cause for unease.

There are individuals who are manipulative, dishonest and disingenuous and who appear to believe in concepts such as good governance, accountability and equity, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth.

Connecting the dots, given constraints and conflicts, financial constraints count as limited resources. Decision making and goal setting are providing a searching examination of almost everyone holding leadership, policy making, administrative and managerial responsibility. Some find it easier than others.

The Beetham Gardens community took centre stage last week as residents blocked the roadway, threw missiles at motorists causing panic along the Beetham Highway.

Connecting the dots, given constraints and conflicts, financial constraints count as limited resources. Decision making and goal setting are providing a searching examination of almost everyone holding leadership, policy making, administrative and managerial responsibility. Some find it easier than others.

I have tried in the last week to find appropriate words to describe Mrs Dianne Marshall Holdip, the former assistant Registrar at High Wooding Law School, cultural advocate of the calypso, steelband and mas fraternity, devoted mother, wife and best friend, a nation builder and role model.

It’s absolutely amazing. On 2nd November 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic in front of a capacity crowd of Olympic movement whos who. The Trinidad and Tobago mens 4x400m Iaaf World relay team were called on stage to receive the Association of National Olympic Committees Award for best male athlete from the Americas region.

A fresh approach and new opportunities can help sport rediscover its mojo and edge.

Self serving; misplaced selfishness; an orgy of self interest, that’s how many people now define and see the world of sport.

For many people the glass is half empty.. not half filled.

Every day it's story after story of troubled times and overwhelming loss of hope.

Sporting organisations at the top of the sport hierarchy pyramid are fading towards irrelevance.

Know thyself! How can we move forward if we don’t know and understand ourselves? What do we believe? What do we stand for? How do we see ourselves?L

If Sport stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago continue living in denial oblivious to the harsh fact of austerity. Sport will grind to a standstill as the consequence of the culture of entitlement and dependency .

Sport is in for a tough ride as the country’s economic horizon look very, very, challenging. Where do we go from here?

Sport is a “Man’s World”. How then do we accelerate gender parity, unmask unconscious biases and cultural stereotypes?

THE CALL by president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee Brian Lewis for greater attention to be paid protecting children from abuse during sporting activity is one which all must heed.

Sociology of sports is the study of the relationship between sports and society. It examines how culture and values influence sports, how sports influences culture and values, and the relationship between sports and media, politics, economics, religion, race, gender, youth, etc. It also looks at the relationship between sports and social inequality and social mobility.

CHILD ABUSE in sport continues to rear its ugly head across the world. No sport seems immune from the scourge with tennis, soccer, athletics and cricket rocked with scandals in the recent past. Victims have become bolder in speaking out even decades after abuse occurred at the hands of coaches and administrators in whose care they were left in. The Penn State football programme in the United States has been found to be complicit in covering up the many reports of sexual abuse by its renowned coach Jerry Sandusky who was later convicted on 45 counts of sex offences. Three Penn State officials were also convicted for failing to alert the authorities about the allegations.

Freedom morning come! It’s Emancipation Day. T&T has the acknowledged distinction of leading the way in declaring Emancipation Day a public holiday.

Last Saturday, I gave support to my daughter Sanian at the Tribe 2018 Carnival band launch - festival of the bands. Sanian, a former national youth tennis player, has an entrepreneurial bent and has launched an ambitious fashion and design business concept called “Sanianitos”.

The screams and tears, the reality of brutal, barbaric and heartless crimes against law abiding and peaceful citizens confront our country. Anger! Anger! Rage! The Gift of Anger!

Many of us seem to take tremendous pride and joy in making others feel like losers when their river of disappointment burst its bank.

The T&T Olympic Committee (T&TOC) is focusing a lot of its attention on being digitally networked and prepared. I was reading recently that over 70 per cent of consumers rely on social media when deciding what to buy and in some case where to go. In fact, it’s no secret people made a lot of decisions based on information from various communication platforms.

Last Saturday, Presentation College, San Fernando, opened its refurbished squash court. There for the cutting of the ribbon and official opening was President Anthony Carmona, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Darryl White, RBC Royal Bank T&T managing director, all past students.

We have to learn to think. Our two feet deeply rooted in our history, our traditions, our sports, our culture, our food, our art, our music, our challenges and our triumphs with our head facing and geared towards the future. The past recast in the future with a commitment to quality.

I couldn’t help during the long Easter weekend but to reflect about the price of progress and sort via the modern reality of google to seek out King Austin’s “Price of Progress” calypso and Richard “Nappy” Myers “Old Time Days” to frame the context of my deliberations and reflection.

Easter time is perceived as the resurrectional period for renewal , reflection and new beginnings.
On behalf of the T&T Olympic and Commonwealth Sport Movement and Team TTO we extend best wishes and Happy Easter Greetings to the national community .

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) says “positive” discussions have been held with International Federations (IFs) on the inaugural ANOC World Beach Games and it was decided that the event will be pushed back two years, from 2017 to 2019.

It is my belief that organisations and leaders have an obligation to be future and forward looking, ambitious and far reaching in their strategic view.

What is an entrepreneur? What is entrepreneurship? What is an entrepreneurial process?

“We the people”. It begins and ends with us, the people.

“If we really love ourselves, everything in our life works” — Louise Hay

Many Trinbagonians who travel abroad have used Uber and in general have given positive feedback about the experience since Uber was launched, it has garnered headlines around the world.

You have to want it so badly that nothing else matters. To represent your country you have to want it even more. You have to have a strong mind. Olympic and elite level sport is about constant improvement otherwise you will be left behind.

Take personal responsibility , focus on solutions rather than on the problems and having a plan, a strategy and priority for your training and performance.

Sport at this point in time in its history is in a deep and intense battle to rise up from the fog of tradition and its status quo into the modern world.

Events on the sports field have shaped us as a country. In tough times, sport has united us as a country; sport is how we express ourselves as a nation—especially at the Olympic Games, IAAF, and Fifa World Cup nand the World Netball championships which proves that sport matters.

“Forever!” That was my reply when I was asked how long I have known Valentino Singh.

“You not serious.” That was my reaction when told that we are into his last days on the job.

The general assembly of the 21st Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) is underway in Doha, Qatar, beginning today. Over 1,200 delegates including representatives from 206 Olympic Committees, International Sport Federations and Olympic bid cities will be in attendance.

In his keynote address at the IMF High Level Caribbean Forum at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, recently, Massy Holdings CEO Gervase Warner expressed the view that the current economic and social circumstances are a blessing in disguise and the wake up call the Caribbean needs at this time.

It’s the time of year when taking a look back as a way of determining the next step or what changes are required is the order of the day. For the Olympic Committee (TTOC), the Olympic year is a pivotal one. What worked and what didn’t work?

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

As I stood at Sogren Trace Recreation Grounds and looked at the hundreds of children from East Port of Spain and environs interacting in peace, while the hard core onlookers on the surrounding perimeter kept a visible presence, many thoughts and ideas came to my mind on Saturday.

‘Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.’

This quote by George Bernard Shaw remained top of my mind during various events this past week.

A changing environment with numerous challenges and opportunities is not the time to sit on the fence nor indulge in hypocrisy and lip service.

The Games of the 31st Olympiad opened at the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janiero on Friday and a packed stadium and billions around the world tuned in to the big show. The moment that captivated Trinidad and Tobago would have been TeamTTO entering into the famed Maracana.

It takes two hands to clap. As we strive to achieve the vision of ten or more gold medals by the year 2024, the major hurdle that we have to overcome is attitudinal. Those who say it can’t be achieved, you are very right. You will never achieve it. It’s as simple as that. If your attitude is we can’t or I can’t, then that’s your reality.

Believe it or not, it’s just about two weeks to go to the Rio Olympic Games. The excitement is reaching fever pitch. Team TTO Tee shirts, Believe Tee Shirts and wristbands are now available at all branches of The Fan Club, MovieTowne, Trincity Mall and Gulf City Mall.

Get ready for the Rio Olympic Games... It’s almost here. The wait will soon be over with

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s (TTOC) effort to transform how it markets and brands itself has seen the National Olympic Committee embrace a different approach in areas such as the alignment with Trinidad and Tobago music and culture.

Last Friday, mayor Keron Valentine kicked off the city of Port of Spain’s 102nd anniversary celebrations. Thousands turned out for the Fashion and Mas Rock the City event, the brainchild of designer Anya Ayoung Chee.

The Olympic Games in Rio is the first to be held in South America. Brazil and Rio de Janiero are home to a diverse population. It is claimed that Rio 2016 will be a catalyst for change in Rio leaving a positive legacy not only in sport, but also for society, the economy, urban infrastructure and the environment.

According to a recent report in one of the daily newspapers obesity is crushing this country’s health sector, social services sector, people’s wallet and in general it is a problem that ought to be viewed as a national issue.

Its important that the turmoil within sport locally and internationally be seen in a positive light. There are opportunities within the crisis but capitalising on those opportunities will not materialise without the vision to see the possibilities.

Athletes sacrifice years of their lives striving to compete at the very highest level. They dream of taking part in the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Due to a hectic schedule and a well documented issue that has generated significant and heated debate, I had little private head space in recent days, so much so it would have been easy to feel a sense of despair.

Thirty-one delegates comprising National Sport Organisation (NSOs) members and executive together with council members of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) agreed to a good governance commitment when the TTOC held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Olympic House last Saturday.

The President, said historian Paul Johnson, is a lonely person in times of crisis. The weight of leadership at times cannot be shared or passed off on anyone else.

What are the barriers to new thinking and innovation and how do they impact on sports’ growth? I believe there has been an absence of self-belief and clear thinking that has left local sport in no-man’s land in respect of policy makers and those who influence policy.

If Brand T&T is to become a world class global sport brand the challenge is to move from talk to action and to do so, not someday but now.

If Brand T&T is to become a world class global sport brand the challenge is to move from talk to action and to do so, not someday but now.

Putting the party islands of Trinidad and Tobago on the global sport map and getting a bigger piece of the global sport industry pie will require a comprehensive sports ecosystem and giving T&T sport - industry status.

T&T has an abundance of world class talent and potential. If only we believed in ourselves and not spend too much time focusing on what’s wrong. When life happens and things don’t go the way you expect it, it is easy to question yourself.Self doubt sets in and you question yourself and allow others to get into your head with their negativity.

Breaking point. Trinidad and Tobago is at a crucial place. People make decisions on the basis of agendas. It is about what is convenient and expedient. It matters not what the truth may be. Once it serves their own agenda, that’s it! Fairness and equity is dependent on interests of those who believe that money and more money makes the world go round and round.

There are those who take issue with Carnival for various reasons. Carnival mentality is seen in some quarters as a negative. Many years ago leader of Singapore, at the time, Lee Quan Yew suggested that Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival mentality is more curse than blessing.

Why is the concept of a sport industry in T&T still receiving lipservice only?

Schoolmates of murdered Success Laventille Secondary students Deneilson Smith and Mark Richards, described as “real madness,” the shooting of both teens shortly after they were pulled out of a PH taxi along Picton Road, Laventille, last Thursday.

Approaching the home stretch of the 34th edition of the T&T International Marathon with the finish line in sight, a group of spectators, who may have been early finishers, started singing calypsonian Lord Funny's ditty: ‘Sweet, Sweet Trinidad, How I love mih country bad.” It was welcoming, patriotic music for the ears of some weary travellers.

In the high pressured world of Olympic and elite sport where going for gold matters, ‘almost’ do not count. It’s the ability to remain focused in the midst of the chaos. The line between victory and defeat is razor thin.

Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis says the ten golds 24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund, from which he will raise awareness by participating in the 2015 Trinidad International Marathon on January 25, will also provide for athletes falling outside the conventional subventions and those who have fallen on hard times.

System Excellence

Its an Olympic year. Ensuring T&T athletes are the best prepared they have ever been is the focus of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC).

Academics, economists and public policy technocrats and theorists need to be more open-minded and less dismissive regarding sport in T&T and the social and economic benefits and opportunities that can be derived. Ignorance, either deliberate or unintentional, can no longer be an excuse as it is suffocating the possibilities that abound within sport.

Belt tightening, budget cuts, and a call by Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley for national sacrifice as the twin Island Republic's oil and gas based economy deals with dismal fiscal projections as a result of falling oil and gas revenue.

The year 2015 is about to say bye bye. What a tumultuous 12 months it has been. For most sport fans, their memorable moments would surround the FIFA scandal and the IAAF revelations regarding Russia. Both stories stole the thunder from the many outstanding achievements on the field.

How serious do we take the achievements of our Olympic athletes? Do the people of Trinidad and Tobago appreciate the effort that is required of our Olympians and those who aspire to be a champion?

The harsh reality is not all sport organisations are positioned to survive the difficult times.

Getting ready for the Rio Olympic Games from August 5-21 next year, is more complicated than it was during the build up to previous Games. The general loss of confidence, in where T&T may be economical, are playing on the minds of most people actively involved in the Olympic preparation.

Structural adjustment or recession, whatever the experts choose to call it, the reality is there is not enough money flowing in the system here in T&T. How do we create more cash flow? What can we do?

The announcement by Central Bank Governor Jwala Ramarran that the country is in recession and the effects will be felt next year (An Olympic Year) has not surprised the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC ).

Most people believe that sport administrators live a life sipping champagne, munching on caviar and operating in and out of five-star hotels.

The environment in which national sport organisations and governing bodies operate have evolved far beyond the traditional methods and thinking.

Unelected and unaccountable. When the unelected flex their muscles sport is less democratic. Free and fair elections, it is argued, is the bulwark of democracy in any sphere. Any effort to promote and strengthen democracy in sport governance must be embraced no matter how bothersome.

The medal bonus for Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil will be US$10,000 for an individual gold medal, US$8,000 for silver and US$5,000 for bronze.

Ambition by Jehue.  It was with a great measure of pride that I accepted an invitation to be present last Saturday when Jehue Gordon launched his signature cologne at Brian Lara’s house.

Its worth all the trouble. Time is valuable.  We have to spend it wisely and focus on the things that really matter.

Maximising  commercial potential is often easier said than done. 

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has appealed to the society at all levels to get rid of the “gimme gimme” mentality and return to the spirit of volunteerism. It’s a most timely message given the economic truth facing T&T. Self sufficiency and ambitious visions to achieve and maintain financial independence must be the goal of our major sport organisations.

The uniqueness of sport and that human beings view sport as a special experience and having a special place in their lives underpin what some say is a love-hate relationship. In the best and worst  of times, sport is intangible, experiential and subjective. Bernard Mullin, Stephen Hardy and William Sutton probably said it best— sports are expressions of our humanity that can’t be bottled like water.

It’s not who wins or loses an election but how those in power govern. National Sport Organisations (NSOs) are responsible for the governance, development, administration of their sport and all else that goes with those mandates. This includes advocating for sport as a key pillar for the economic and social development of T&T.

Politicians and decision makers seem conflicted about giving sport a seat at the table. I believe that the public supports the idea of a key role for sport in the national, economic and social development of T&T. Economic factors underpin the problems facing sport, however, it is important to change the conversation in T&T about sport and move away from the superficial attitude and approach.

The Ministry of Sport and the Sport Company, guided by Government’s policy on sport will facilitate and provide tax payer’s funds subject to the availability of funds from Ministry of Finance. NSOs that allow their autonomy and authority for their sport to be compromised on the basis that they get Ministry of Sport or the Sport Company funding as a convenient excuse must not be allowed to get away with this deception.

The buck stops with the NSOs, not the Ministry of Sport or the Sport Company. The ongoing reality of elite level athletes both individual and team sports having to participate in international competition and Olympic Qualifiers woefully underprepared and under resourced is manifestly unfair on our individual athletes and national teams.

It is the standard to roll out aggregate financial figures to justify that financial support has been given. But that is just half the story. The grassroot reality of sport for those who have no political or other agenda is that sport in T&T has always been a battle; and don’t imagine the struggle will ever get any easier.

Unless political parties are prepared to commit from a policy perspective to make sport a key pillar in their forward vision for the country, the sustainable development of sport and aspirations to achieve ten or more gold medals by the year 2024 will continue to be a struggle.

International headlines for the wrong reasons and the negative impact on the country’s image. Problems and trouble never go away by denial. The uncomfortable truth is a stark fact of life. It takes real courage to search for the truth and to face the consequences.

We continue to send our national athletes and national teams to important international and Continental events including Olympic qualifiers, underprepared. Those who hide behind their desks, papers and pens and ineffective and shortsighted policies and processes, can continue to do so but it’s the athletes and national teams that face the embarrassment and humiliation.

Appreciate and understand the damage to brand T&T and the importance of protecting our country’s brand. We can’t let others with vested interest define our brand. We have to define it ourselves. Sport helps T&T market itself internationally. Transformation of the sport system is a strategic priority. Sport leaders are elected by sport stakeholders. The ultimate responsibility for their sport is the mandate of the NSOs.

NSOs including the T&T Olympic Committee must do what they were elected to do, which is lead not hide behind the Ministry of Sport and the Sport Company.

Support #10 Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund. Make your donations to any branch of Scotiabank account number 171188. Share the Olympic Dream.

Brian Lewis is the president of the T&T Olympic Committee. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Olympic Committee.

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Ten or more Olympic gold medals by the year 2024. Establishing T&T as a sport tourism haven. How do we achieve those two objectives for T&T sport? Ask. How to get what you want: Ask. It doesn’t mean whine or beg or complain or plead or grovel. It doesn’t mean expecting a handout or a free lunch or charity. It doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility or doing the hard work.

Don’t just ask and expect someone to give you something. It’s about creating value—value isn’t always tangible. But tangible or intangible it’s about creating value. If you aren’t convinced about what you are asking for, how can anyone else be? Ask with absolute conviction. Be able to show that you are sure of what you want, you are sure you will succeed.

And you are sure you will create value. You have to keep asking. Keep trying and keep changing. What would happen if we ask effectively? We will achieve our objectives. Sport in T&T, no matter all the perceived negativity, continues to deliver at various levels. In the Caribbean, T&T has claimed titles in various sports.

While the argument is that all the success is happening in spite of rather than because of the sport system, those who know the truth will argue that to state that it’s happening in spite of, is a lazy over simplification. The questions continue to come fast and furious. How can we move local sport to the higher level? What specifically do we mean when we say we want to take sport to the higher level?

Is it more gold medals? Is it growth in participation? Is it an increase in the number of women and girls participating in sport? What do we mean? To arrive at answers what we need to do is ask. It may seem obvious but it’s not. Most of the conversations taking place are driven by assumptions.  There is a lot of talking at sport taking place and not much listening.

As simple as it may seem we need more asking to take place. One of the dangers we all face is that we become so engrossed in what’s happening that we run the risk of missing subtle changes that are occurring daily. Effective leaders make it a habit to look at their businesses or organisations with a clean sheet of paper-seeking advice and other perspectives from people who are less emotionally invested in their business or organisation.

Pressure is part of leadership. Change creates urgent situations and problems. Most things seem to happen at an inopportune time. We all make mistakes. Leaders are watched closely. Every move. Every word. Every action by a leader is under the microscope. When the pressure is on, the microscope is intensified.

People learn more about their leaders when the pressure is on. When the pressure is on, the question is do you stand up for what you believe? Pressure reveals the true mettle of a leader. Asking questions and seeking answers will provide leaders with the opportunity to anticipate the issues and problems.

No matter what the objective may be—increasing revenue, athlete and coach development, fundraising, problem solving, planning. Whatever it is, asking questions is a fool proof strategy. Sport organisations need its leaders to ask questions and to be unafraid of the answers no matter how unflattering those answers may be.

Transformation is the objective. We must all work and collaborate to drive the transformation of local sport. Transformation and innovation.

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) focus on capacity support for member national sport organisations (NSOs) is bearing fruit and the turning point is underway. Those who believe that sport administration is facing serious problems need not be alarmed. Based on the participants signing up for the TTOC sport administration courses there is  significant interest in learning about what it takes to be a forward thinking modern sport administrator.

The participants attending the course are determined to make a positive difference as they share experiences and discussions about the betterment of sport. No matter the problems they have an enthusiasm and passion that augurs well for the future. This is not to say that frustration may not set in. But there is a positivity and willingness to confront the issues and wrestle with the solutions that is admirable. They are fearless, inspired and motivated.

The intention of the TTOC in hosting annually a number of courses and workshops is a singular one—to help build capacity, knowledge and skill. Enhancing the ability of those who have a keen interest in sport administration is an important priority. Encouraging participants to take the initiative. To unlock their sport leadership potential so as to transform T&T sport is well worth the effort.

Recent participants include a number of past and current national level athletes who have signed up for the courses and workshops and have stuck it out to the end. Unearthing a new breed of sport administrators who are imaginative and bright these disruptors aren’t contented to complain and do nothing. They are willing to get up and get, hardworking, committed and willing.

They are honest in facing up to the major issues facing T&T sport—the economy and other matters of public concern. That there are structural and systemic social and economic problems facing sport isn’t overwhelming and intimidating the new breed of course participants. They are prepared to challenge the status quo and those who are ineffective in representing the position of sport and the athletes.

The modernisation of T&T sport is an ongoing process. It is important that the TTOC through Olympic Solidarity programmes and funding continue to strengthen national sport organisations management and governance structures. Through the tools provided by Olympic Solidarity the TTOC has been able to continue to develop sport administration training courses.

Moving past the sport administrators’ course is the advanced sports management course which is based on student participation, practical implementation of the material studied through case studies, sharing of experiences and the development of a learning community. The aim of the advanced course is to give a new perspective on sports organisations.

The case study approach is aimed at placing the participants in reality based situations while thinking about future solutions. The sports administrators course provides basic training over a short period. The advanced sports management course is comprised of several modules and an emphasis on acquisition of the skills necessary for sports management.

Sport in T&T will repeat the benefit. The real challenge is for the older heads and thought leaders to not feel threatened by the new ideas and fresh thinking. The TTOC courses and workshops are an incubator of creativity and innovation. The dawn of a new era of T&T sport managers and administrators is here and not a moment too soon. Let’s do it. Embrace and empower change.

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For many of the athletes on national teams not considered major sports the struggle is real. That is not to say that those in major sports don’t struggle or face at times seemingly insurmountable odds.

On Saturday at the St Mary’s College Grounds the T&T national senior men’s 15 a side rugby team defeated Mexico to lift the North America and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 2015 rugby championship. Previous winners in 2001 and 2008, the Calypso Warriors T&T rugby team has broken into the top 50 ranking in world rugby as a result of their recent exploits.

Rugby is considered a minor sport here in T&T. It’s not a status that should alarm anyone as it reflects the reality of rugby’s participation level as compared to football, cricket and track and field to name a few. Among the few hundred supporters — a decent crowd by local rugby standards — was present to see T&T Captain Adam Frederick lift the NACRA Championship  trophy was His Excellency Anthony Aquinas  Carmona, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

The T&T team dedicated their win to former national rugby player Jason Clark who suffered a significant spinal cord injury a few years ago. Clark still remains a well-loved member of the T&T rugby fraternity and no doubt his comrades still consider him very much a part of the T&T team set up. Cleopatra Borel and Shanntol Ince were also present in a show of patriotism and support for their fellow national colleagues.

As pointed out earlier, the support of His Excellency, Cleopatra and Shanntol would have sent a powerful message of comradeship. At times our athletes struggle to comprehend the “whys” and “wherefores” of the challenges and struggles they face. For our athletes they find it hard to accept that the pride they share in wearing the red, white and black at times is not noticed or considered.

In trying to solve some of the momentous problems facing this small society of 1.3 million people the at times enormity of the problems can seem a mountain too high. But yet in the face of so many talented sons and daughters of the soil.  The inspiration to soldier on can be found.

That’s why supporting our national athletes and teams are always an important exercise in patriotism and nation building. Every day those involved in sport strive to make this country a better place using the values of sport. While the support can’t always be financial the mere fact of wearing red and showing up gives our athletes uplift.

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One of the positives of the Olympic Committee’s (TTOC) education and affiliate member capacity building strategy is the increasing awareness within the local movement that much more can be done in respect of improving the management, governance and administration of sport. Within recent years the demand to attend the sport administration courses has increased exponentially.

Last year, the TTOC held its first advance sport management course. This year the course has been oversubscribed. The TTOC also offers mediation and arbitration support if and when requested. A consequence of the increased demand for the TTOC courses is growing requests for the TTOC to conduct sport specific sport management, governance and advisory services.

The TTOC over the years has always been seen as a major stakeholder in the local sport system. It is therefore not farfetched for the TTOC to be seen as an invaluable resource that can be called on to address problems and issues. Given its access to both local and foreign expertise in a number of functional areas it may very well be time for the TTOC to prioritise the use of its global network to support the increased demands for TTOC assistance.

The need for information, insight and analysis for the local sport sector is an urgent priority. The real world isn’t waiting. Change is occurring daily. For national sport organisations and governing bodies to keep up, a quantum leap forward is required—not forward into the future—but forward into today’s world.

We have an absolutely wonderful story to tell the world through sport. But because so many of us are being held back by outdated methods and thinking the true reality of the enormous potential and opportunities can’t be realised. It’s not and never was a guessing game. In the past we may have been able to get away but now given the ready access to information its hard if not near impossible to fool some of the people some of the time far less all the people all of the time.

There are significant opportunities waiting to be explored. This is not the time for hesitancy. We have to go for it. We have to seek out the information, knowledge and the intelligence, make informed choices, ask the right questions and create the right answers. It’s in this context that the TTOC must leverage its access to international resources and institutions to bring a positive contribution to the management, marketing and governance in T&T.

The issues and topics that are high on the global sports agenda must be addressed not after the fact but in advance. We shouldn’t wait until situations become far advanced to address them. In setting new standards we must champion and be in the vanguard of change. The goal should be to transform local sport through innovation and excellence in every area, be it sports marketing, digital media, brand development, event management and sponsorship.

It’s high time we stop playing at sport and get serious about the opportunities within sport. Implementing strategic shifts will require identifying those who will lose the most from the strategic shift as those individuals or groupings will make every effort to derail openly or silently any effort at making a strategic shift and progress.

It is never easy to execute a strategic shift, and doing it with limited resources is even more difficult. A critical strategic success factor is addressing the obstacles and hurdles.

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Sport, carnival and our Carnival mentality combined together, is a powerful force for good and may well be the key to T&T becoming a great Olympic Sport nation and the basis for a sustainable sport industry.

Nobody does carnival like we do. It can’t be explained, you have to experience the outer body bliss that is T&T carnival.

Instead of celebrating our carnival mentality, we celebrate corruption, skulduggery, mediocrity, impropriety, slipshod performance, a poor work ethic, ineptitude and incompetence.

The inherent creativity, inventiveness, work ethic, integrity, sincerity, determination and innovativeness in our carnival DNA is our strength and comparative advantage.

What allows the rank and file of our society to express and vent their frustrations, anger, and despair better than our carnival? We laugh at ourselves and get loose.

Carnival, sport, art, culture, and our music are who we are as a people and as a nation.

Yet we allow self serving tribal instincts to stand in the way of our affirmation and embrace of our Trinbagonianness.

The other point I want to touch on today is good governance.

The T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) as the authority, voice and representative body of Olympic and Commonwealth sport has a duty, obligation and responsibility to stand up and champion the cause of sport and good sport governance without fear or favour regardless of which political party is in government.

Last week I met with Minister of Sport, Senator the Honourable Brent Sancho and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Richard Oliver. What struck me more than their words spoken in the hour long meeting was the sincerity of their patriotic vibes and energy.

In the meeting, the TTOC made no out-of-the-ordinary financial demands. The talks focused on sport related structural, systemic and policy issues. Most importantly good governance.

There were no false airs. It was a respectful but frank exchange of views and ideas.

The kind of exchange true patriots can have when the only agenda and motive is what’s in the best interest of sport and the young people and youth involved in sport.

I expressed the view that no public funds should be handed out to any national sport organisation, governing body or club failing to meet basic principles of good governance. Sport organisations and individuals in receipt of public funds need to remember there is a freedom of information act.

There must be proper accounting for funds received and no further funding given for failure to properly account for funds received. I also shared with the new Minister the TTOC’s intention to establish a good governance code for TTOC affiliated sport organisations.

I left the Ministry of Sport encouraged that there is:

(1) a shared vision, commitment and dedication to ensure that sport in T&T is held to the highest standard of good governance possible

(2) that the best interest of the athletes is the priority

(3) that the Ministry of Sport will be a good governance role model for the sport fraternity in T&T.

(4) Minister Sancho supports 10 or more Olympic Gold medal by the year 2024 (#10golds24) and the concept of the TTOC #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund.

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The decision to walk the 26.2 distance in the T&T International Marathon had a twofold motive—to raise awareness and funding for the 10 Olympic medals or more by the year 2024 #10golds24 athlete welfare and preparation fund.

Many have asked what I was thinking about when I decided to do the marathon. My main thought was the athletes and what could I do to raise awareness and support for the concept of a fund dedicated to athletes.

In the lead up to the marathon and since successfully completing the marathon the expressions of support have far exceeded the negatives.

Now the hard work will be to get the funding to match the expressions of support.

Raising awareness is not sufficient or good enough. This is not a one-and-done journey.

There will be many trials and tribulations, but what will prove essential is the spirit of resilience and perseverance.

I believe in the very core of my being that the talent we have here is enormous and that the reality is that many of our young athletes have greatness and the potential to be great inside of them.

What they need is the support and people around them who can nurture their self-belief.

I believe that our athletes are capable. I believe that this country can produce more Olympic champions.

Not everyone has to believe that it is possible. We just need a small band of determined and dedicated enablers who have the conviction that our young people deserve a chance.

During my walk, at one of the lowest points when I was hurting mentally, physically and emotionally, a little girl about eight or nine years old standing on the pavement near a water stop gave me a donation of $85 dollars. I recall looking at the little girl and at her donation and saying to Sgt Roger Daniel: “I have to finish.” That little girl represented why I was doing the walk. She reminded me that the children, youth and young people as represented by the nation’s athletes wanted to aspire for something greater.

It is a moment and an interaction I will never forget because it served to shake me out of a moment of self-doubt.

#10GOLDS24 is an affirmation that we can aspire and achieve big goals. It’s a dare and a challenge. Do we have what it takes? Do we believe that we can achieve Olympic greatness?

That so many people have expressed their support is a clear indication that many of us have the self-belief that we deserve better than we are currently getting.

All that has happened over the years is that we were brainwashed into thinking that we didn’t have what was required and therefore must be grateful for small mercies.

I enjoyed the walk. It was tough, but I enjoyed it.

The teamwork, the support, the camaraderie.

On two occasions I had to receive treatment for severe cramp but at no time did those walking with me suggest that I would have to quit.

Quitting just wasn’t on the cards.

So where do we go from here? How do we build on the momentum of the successful completion of the marathon walk?

Time will tell. But rest assured there is no turning back.

#10GOLDS24 Athlete welfare and preparation is underway.

Donations are required on an ongoing basis and can be made at any Scotia Bank. The TTOC’s account number is 171188 or by cheque made payable to TTOC and mailed to or dropped off at Olympic House 121 Abrecromby Street, Port-of-Spain.

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It’s important in life to not have regrets. Whatever you are doing or choose to do must have a compelling sense of purpose and commitment. Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without a high risk propensity. The fear of failure has been an insurmountable mountain for many people. No one wants to look like an utter fool or idiot.

There are no guarantees. No one can say with absolute certainty that they will achieve their stated or declared goals or objectives.

I was telling someone a few days ago that I have one mission which is to improve conditions for athletes, sportsmen and women in T&T and to do so with integrity and ethically.

I am clear in my mind that by focusing on our athletes, sportsmen and women, sport will make significant and sustainable progress.

But in doing so and in striving to achieve that mission, there are critical success factors.

Not everyone will agree with me and not everyone will see things the way I see it and that’s just fine as I respect everyone’s right to their opinion and views and to disagree with me

But having experienced first hand and intimately the highs and lows of a sporting life in T&T, I feel confident that serving our athletes, sportsmen and women and striving to create the enabling environment that will allow them to execute on their critical success factors is the right thing to do.

Should the focus be on the athletes, sportsmen and women to such an extent that other stakeholder’s interest and needs are sidelined?

That’s not what I am saying or seeking to do. What I am saying is that it’s the athletes who have to perform and by their success there is a ripple effect that will redound to the benefit of sport in general and the country by extension.

I have no problem explaining why I am focused on athletes but there are people in decision making and policy making positions who prefer to speculate and naysay without asking me why?

I am a phone call away and will be more than happy to have a cordial discussion.

Mine is a simple perspective: fix things for the athletes, sportsmen and women especially those who have the potential to be successful at the elite and Olympic level.

The history of our sport has been one where sportsmen and women have carried the burden of sporting success no matter how that success is measured.

T&T has benefitted in more ways than one from the success of our dedicated sportsmen and women.

For how long will the cries of our sportsmen and women go unheeded and ignored?

Those who choose to ignore the reality on the ground can feel free to do so. I have no intention of turning away from what I know from firsthand experience to be the real story.

In an effort to raise public awareness and kick start fund raising, I am participating in the Trinidad International Marathon.

I am as determined to finish the 26 mile journey as I am confident that setting a target of 10 or more Olympic gold medals by the year 2024 is the right objective as is establishing a dedicated T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund that is independent and non-governmental.

The #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation fund enables the public, former national sportsmen and women, fans and supporters of sport and corporate T&T to contribute and financially support athletes who aspire to qualify for the Olympics and be an Olympic champion.

We all have choices in life but whatever choice you make remember action speaks louder than words.

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Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 men’s team suffered their first defeat, going down disappointingly 2-0 to Guatemala on Wednesday but are still very much in the race to secure one of two World Cup playoff spots at the CONCACAF Championship in Jamaica.

In 2005, during a Stanford graduation ceremony speech, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, told the audience: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” His message? Don’t settle, don’t be afraid to take risks. Don’t be afraid to be daring and ambitious! Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

The contemporary world whose purchase of choice is the newest smart phone or software and emerging nations with new found spending power are redefining what sport means. Part of the new attitude to sport is the digital transformation—a world where it seems you are only as good as your internet connection.

The sheer talent, promise and potential of the nation’s youth and young people as represented by our athletes is simply breathtaking but you have to watch and pay close attention. In pursuit of their dream, in striving for excellence, our Olympic and Commonwealth athletes endure punishing hours of training and the arduous task of endless repetition.

Often their inspiration, dedication, resilience, commitment and self-discipline go unnoticed. Through sport, our talented sons and daughters break boundaries on the global platform that is the Olympic, Commonwealth and other multi-sport games.

For us at the Olympic Committee, we remain indomitable and passionate in our belief that the goal of the movement to use sport to educate and serve young people, is as relevant today as it was 2000 plus years ago.

One thing is certain: When we engage children and young people and reach out to them to bring them to sport, to show them the power of sport and the Olympic values, we must ensure that their inspirational role models our athletes are at the centre of what we do and why we do what we do.

Moreover, it is essential that we meet the integrity challenge by protecting Olympic and Commonwealth sports from the dangerous threat posed by doping, gambling, the cycle of corruption and poor governance.

If we don’t face these challenges our right to self-regulate, our autonomy, legitimacy our stewardship will be taken away from us. To whom much is given much is expected.

Therefore, I propose that the TTOC will continue to vigorously promote the adoption of good governance and ethics across the country’s Olympic and Commonwealth Sport movement and that we be unwavering and advocate and vigorously promote a good governance code for sport in T&T and ensure that affiliated NSOs align with the Olympic Charter and include in their constitutions basic universal principles of good governance.

The TTOC must lead from the front in championing for the development of a sport industry. This will require not just lobbying and finger pointing but the articulation of the conceptual framework that will inform the policy debate.

Our collective challenge is to take sport mainstream. Sport is still on the margins of T&T society. The children, youth and young people have a lot of different interests that present a threat to active sport and healthy lifestyles.

The responsibility to create and shape a bright sustainable future for tomorrow’s athletes and for sport on the whole falls to our generation of sport leaders, administrators, athletes and coaches.  We have to modernise how we market, promote and brand Olympic and Commonwealth sport and the Olympic and Commonwealth values and ideals to the current and future generation of public, media and corporate audiences.

The climb is steep. The hurdles are high. It is a challenge we must accept. It is a dream we must live and honour. Failure is not an option. There is no excuse. Let us fear not nor impose limits on ourselves.

Let us unite under the tent of our shared values and vision for sport and arm in arm walk our talk and be the change we want to see in doing so let us accept the advice of the late Steve Jobs and Stay hungry, Stay foolish.

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Recently, I was reviewing the programmes and work undertaken over the past 17 years by the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC).

One programme that has had a significant impact is the TTOC’s community based sport and recreation programmes.

The concept behind the community programmes is built on the TTOC working along and side by side with various stakeholders in sport, including national sport organisations, coaches, athletes, other sport leaders, corporate partners and government.

An example of such a programme would have been the Shape the Community programme in Point Fortin which was an ambitious programme that set out to fill gaps in sport education in the community through the training of community coaches and the involvement of community members, schools, NSOs and other partners.

Shape your Community focused on integrating sustainable sport and physical activity into the lives of the youth and elderly.

In conjunction with Atlantic LNG, the TTOC afforded children from primary schools in Point Fortin the opportunity to participate in sports that they would not normally be exposed to during the period 2008—2013.

In October 2008, the TTOC launched its legacy programme, Shape the Community. The objectives of the programme in the community are:

• Increase participation in sport, recreation and physical education across all age groups in the communities

• Integrate physical education programmes in primary schools

• Increase corporate involvement in the development of youth through sport

• Develop coaching as a profession

• Create sustainable employment opportunities for the profession of coaching

• Expose youth to sports of varying types in a structured manner

• Increase the reach of the TTOC’s and the IOC’s vision and goals for Olympism

• Establish a developmental pathway for sport in the communities in collaboration with national sport organisations and the Ministry of Sport.

Point Fortin was chosen as the pilot community. Ten primary schools in Point Fortin were chosen to participate in the programme after careful consultation with principals and teachers in the community, the three sports chosen were tennis, swimming and gymnastics.

Training and participation took place between Mondays and Fridays. Each session was one hour long and each class was assigned four hours of activity per month.

The TTOC arranged for the children and supervising teachers to be transported to the various venues. Coaches and volunteers were all recruited from within the community of Point Fortin.

The Point Fortin Borough Corporation supported the programme by waiving the fees for the use of their facilities—the Point Fortin Civic Centre, the Baby Lucas and Guapo Recreational Grounds.

Swimming took place at the Point Fortin community swimming pool in Egypt Village.

The gymnastics programme took place at the South West regional indoor facility.

Coaches were exposed to training along with the volunteers.

The Shape your Community programme was extended to Mayaro with plans to take the programme to other communities and was evaluated by researchers at the Sport and Leisure Academy at the University of T&T.

The intention of the evaluation included highlighting challenges, to work out solutions to these challenges, and to establish baseline measures for other communities across the country.

The Shape your Community project was the brainchild of TTOC past president Larry Romany. It is a programme that made a positive difference and showed that Olympism, the Olympic values and ideals had practical application and wasn’t just a nebulous idealistic notion.

On behalf of the TTOC I wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Be safe and keep Christ in Christmas. He is the reason for the season.

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Storm clouds, dark and ominous have enveloped the economic landscape. The price of oil is falling and with it optimism and high hopes.

Finance and Economy Minister Larry Howai last week in a statement to the House of Representatives announced that ministries will be ordered to review spending in light of an oil price beneath that budgeted.

“Ministries will therefore be required to review their budgets to determine areas where expenditure can be suppressed,” Howai said.

“The ministry will continue to monitor what is happening in the global environment and to refine our remedial fiscal measures to ensure that the country can respond appropriately to changes in the market for oil and gas.”

National sport organisations in T&T are impacted by the economy. Any reduction in revenue must be of concern to national sport organisations.

The Finance Minister indicated that all ministries must immediately reduce their expense by 45 million dollars each. He also indicated that further adjustments may be necessary as the situation continues.

National sport organisations must have conversations with their membership to prepare for the volatility that can be expected in light of the economic realities.

From a strategic management perspective, not many national sport organisations would have made allowances for the threat posed by falling oil prices.

In fact most national sport organisations have indicated that they were already faced with significant cuts based on what they had budgeted and submitted.

Sport administrators have suggested that they will have to take drastic measures in respect of their plans and programmes.

The next 12 months are critical in the context of Rio 2016 Olympics.

Any drastic curtailing of programmes and plans to properly prepare this country’s elite and high performance athletes and national teams will prove detrimental and may well put an end to any realistic chances of qualifying for Rio 2016 and for those who do qualify, hamper hopes of winning a coveted medal.

Uncertainty for national sport organisations and athletes can prove distracting but it need not derail efforts to achieve podium targets.

Overcoming the financial challenges will not be easy but remaining positive and determined is the perfect antidote.

Falling oil prices highlight the downside of the dependency on oil and gas as the main pillar of the economy.

Sport presents a number of opportunities and regardless of the price of oil, life will go on.

National sport organisations that are able to forge the appropriate strategic response will cope with the turbulence.

The main concern will be for our athletes. It will be the responsibility of the sport administrators to negate the pitfalls.

The importance of a well-structured resource allocation process becomes a critical success factor. How will national sport organisations invest resources? How will national sport organisations evaluate if its resource allocation is effective?

Falling oil prices and austerity measures need not be detrimental to national sport organisations and athletes. In fact it may well turn out to be a positive turning point for resource allocation within the T&T sport ecosystem.

In a very real sense falling oil prices and the adverse impact on the economy while troubling, presents the opportunity for national sport organisations to become more strategic.

• Brian Lewis is president of the T&T Olympic Committee. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Olympic Committee.

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There is a need to get serious about implementing policy. The discipline needed to effectively and efficiently implement and execute policy is proving elusive in T&T.

In sports, the focus tends to be on the big things, most times that boils down to getting the win or the W to use sport jargon.

Get the W.

But getting the Big W comes down to getting the little things right. It’s what is done on a daily basis—day to day that is critical.

Too often we don’t see the importance of the little things because they seem insignificant, so by failing to get the little things right we come up short.

It’s invariably the little things that determine the eventual outcome. You don’t know beforehand which ones they will be.

Every action can be game changing. Doing the little things right is critical.

The little things we fail to do or fail to see—and the result is less than we plan.

We fall short because some of us see policy discipline and policy process as little details that can be easily bypassed.

There are policy and policy guidelines but a lack of discipline in implementing is an ongoing problem.

If it isn’t politics and the politics of the day, personal opinion and judgment override policy.

A lack of policy discipline provides fertile ground for waste, mismanagement, dysfunction, ineffectiveness and inefficiency.

In every document you read that relates to the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Sportt) reference is made to the fact that what they both do is driven by the National Sport Policy established in 2002, and the strategic/operational plan of the Ministry of Sport.

It is acknowledged that execution of sporting initiatives is the responsibility of the various national sport organisations for the respective sports and that Sportt’s role is to facilitate the execution of the mandates of each National Sport Organisation (NSO).

Sportt at this time is responsible for providing support for the development of 16 sports. NSOs are managed on a grant funding arrangement. The criteria established by Sportt for accessing funding include submissions by NSOs of their strategic plan and annual operational plan, development plan based on the pathway model specific to their sport and audited financial statements and detailed budgets.

The three major pillars are high performance sport or elite sport; total participation in sport or sport for all and sport as an industry.

In the coming weeks we will take a closer look at the institutional framework and other key elements that make up the national sport policy and other policy guidelines in respect of the broader issues regarding the development of sport in T&T. Transparency and accountability demands that there be open and candid discussions. Indiscipline and failure to stick to the policy cycle is proving harmful to the sustainable development and management of sport here in T&T.

The sustainable development of sport depends on the quality of the policy framework.

We all need to get serious about the discipline required to effectively and efficiently implement and execute plans and policy.

How do we determine policy failure or success if we are reviewing and changing before implementing, monitoring and evaluation?

It’s not beneficial to rubber stamp systemic failure to implement and execute.

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I read the news on Wednesday, oh boy - 95 words precisely, in my newspaper at least, on those 40 landmark Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations.

'What is wrong with these people?' I thought. 'Don't they recognise the importance of a sports movement powerful enough to redraw the map of London?'

Then I reflected: if you take the 40 recommendations at face value, 95 words is probably about what they are worth for a mainstream news organisation.

A blueprint to make bidding for and staging the Olympic Games a slightly less daunting, slightly less costly process, and to inject slightly more flexibility into the way the sports programme is chosen, is hardly calculated to set pulses racing around the breakfast tables of Peoria or Antananarivo.

Even the most eye-catching proposal - recommendation 19: "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) to launch an Olympic Channel" - is something it should have done years ago.

The proposals, if passed next month, will pave the way for some useful innovations, but Thomas Bach's five-ring revolution it ain't.

I don't blame the IOC President for this.

As his compatriot Otto von Bismarck observed, politics is the art of the possible.

It would be disastrous for Bach, little more than a year into his tenure, were he to advocate a truly radical series of reforms and then get shot down in flames.

Furthermore, whatever may have been written in recent months as the race for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics has disintegrated before our eyes, the Olympic model is far from broken.


The Movement generated more than $8 billion (£5 billion/€6.5 billion) from broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing in the four year cycle culminating with the London 2012 Games.

What is true is that the broadcasting and international sponsorship revenues that play such an important part in funding National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Sports Federations (IFs) are set to pause for breath in the 2013-2016 quadrennium.

Instead, the main engine of growth looks set to be local sponsorship - but these proceeds are earmarked chiefly for the countries where the Games are staged, in this case Russia and Brazil.

So there is no crisis - but what is also self-evident, at least to me, is that the Movement has a structural problem that these recommendations will do, to use the technical term, diddly-squat to address.

The structural problem is that the Winter Games is not a global event because vast sweeps of the globe scarcely ever experience snow and ice.

So as a marketing platform for host countries they are far less powerful than their Summer counterpart.

And yet the hassle factor for the host population is nearly as great.

The solution is obvious.

No, nothing to do with the Jamaican bobsled team.

They should simply move some indoor disciplines with fans in lands where the water never freezes from the bursting-at-the-seams Summer Games to Winter.

Volleyball, for me, would be one strong candidate to make the switch; boxing another.

And why not offer sports, such as squash and karate, which have been battering at Lausanne's door in a so far unsuccessful attempt to get into the Olympics, the opportunity to join the Winter programme?

You get some idea of why Agenda 2020 has steered clear of this sort of thing, if you remember what happened to poor old Brian new-kid-on-the-block Cookson, President of the International Cycling Union (UCI), when he had the temerity earlier this year to suggest something similar.

"Let's think about the Winter Olympics," Cookson said. "Why does it have to be snow and ice?

"If you have a problem with Summer Olympics where the whole thing is perceived as overheated with too many facilities, too many sports, too many competitors and so on, why not look at moving some of the other sports indoors that traditionally take place in the northern hemisphere winter?

"Why not look at combat sports like judo, or other indoor sports like badminton?

"You could even say what about putting track cycling in the Winter Olympics?"

I agree with almost every word of that; yet poor old Cookson ended up having to apologise to International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer - and I can see why - for talking about sports other than cycling.

But if Agenda 2020 is not a suitable forum for giving such ideas a serious airing, you have to wonder what is.

The Winter Games has, I think, one other shot at gingering up interest in its rather jaded concept and producing a more competitive race for 2026, and that is if there is a strong southern hemisphere candidate.

But that would be a short-term fix.

The fundamental problem - that the cost-benefit analysis is not nearly as attractive as for a Summer Games while you do not have a genuinely global product - will remain.

Don't get me wrong: there are a fair few things in these 40 recommendations that it will be good to have: non-discrimination on sexual orientation as a fundamental principle; stronger relationships with organisations managing sport for people with different abilities; proper ceremonies for athletes who win medals after the event as a consequence of disqualifications; an insistence that Olympic Movement organisations comply with basic principles of good governance (though there is nothing about what the consequences would be if they don't).

But there is much that seems vague (recommendation 28 on the key issue of autonomy); little flashes of the old self-indulgence (is it really necessary to spell out quite so baldly that "the field of play for the athletes to always be state-of-the-art for all competitions"?); and the odd line that is plain silly (is the IOC's "ultimate goal" really "to protect clean athletes", as recommendation 15 would have it? I'm not saying that's not important, but I'd have thought its "ultimate goal" was to organise outstanding Games).

The other short-term problem that I fancy the IOC may now face is that if the mainstream media judges the content of Agenda 2020 to be worth only 95 words of its real estate, it may focus instead on where next month's Session, at which the members will pass their verdict, is taking place.

Monte Carlo, with its casino and luxury car showrooms, is a delightful place; but it is not necessarily the ideal backdrop for an organisation at present struggling to convince people that it is in tune with these waste-averse, exceptionally cost-conscious times.

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We must plan long term if we are serious about making a mark in world sport.

The consistent success that Trinidad and Tobago so dearly crave and desire will not happen because we wish it. Not only must there be a long term plan but with it we must have discipline and patience.

To be the greatest of all time, to be an Olympic champion is an undistilled passion for thousands of sportsmen and women around the world. Here in T&T, we do have sportsmen and women who carry dreams of greatness in their hearts.

Even as I made the announcement 16 months ago that our Olympic target is 10 or more gold medals by 2024, there were no illusions that such a declaration would meet with unanimous acceptance. There would be varying responses. Positive, negative, scornful or dismissive. It didn't really matter. Nothing can be achieved unless it is first spoken.

Striving for excellence is a core Olympic value.

An Olympic gold medal has far deeper significance than just the trappings and financial rewards and the adulation.

Winning an Olympic gold medal and becoming a champion is a process, attitude and mindset.

Luck? Destiny? Purpose?

There are many opinions based on individual perspectives and experiences.

Love it, hate it, embrace it or resent it.

Being an Olympic champion has been a cherished achievement for over 2000 years.

Myth, truth, legend or mere tall tales—the pursuit of Olympic glory and victory has always gone hand in hand with producing decent honourable men and women who are deeply and unwavering patriotic.

The quest and enduring romanticism of an Olympic gold medal has surged deep within the human psyche a stirring for Olympic gold, it is the ultimate achievement for many sportsmen and women. The dream and vision of standing on the top of the Olympic podium with the gold medal around your neck and hearing your country's national anthem play and watching the national flag raising is something that words cannot describe. Not even money can adequately replicate or represent the emotions of such an experience. Priceless and invaluable memories.

Last week I attended along with other presidents from various Caribbean national Olympic committees a Rio 2016 preparation forum hosted by Carlos Nuzman, president of the Brazil Olympic Committee.

Brazil shared their vision for Rio 2016 and beyond. Their aspiration and intention is to finish in the top 10 of the Rio 2016 medal count.

Their strategic map and vision has been many years in the making. No matter the stumbles or failures, the Brazil Olympic Committee is focused on achieving their target.

At this particular point in time, they have around 700 athletes in their Rio 2016 programme. Their expectation is that just around 400 will be selected for Rio 2016.

There will always be arguments surrounding the social issues in Brazil. But it is undeniable that sport plays a significant role.

Olympic gold medals don’t guarantee social justice or a more equitable distribution of national wealth.

But as many athletes in Brazil set sight and focus on Rio 2016. The Olympic Games is a symbol of their country’s effort to achieve its full potential.

Here, our present and future Olympians are just as determined and focused on achieving their best in Rio 2016 and beyond.

We may not have the resources of a Brazil but I have no doubt that we can match any country in respect of determination and will power.

Rio 2016 is very much in focus and on the radar.

Last week’s visit to Rio as a guest of both the Brazil Olympic Committee and the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee was a timely reminder that the margin for error is razor thin.

Rio is in a race against time but they aren’t alone. Many other countries will themselves be leaving no stone unturned in the push for Olympic glory.

Brian Lewis is the president of the T&T Olympic Committee. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Olympic Committee.

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Public and media opinion seem to be squarely in the corner of T&T sport. Everyone appears to agree that sport can do wonderful things for this country.

Opinion surveys will probably show that public sentiment and mood is that our sportsmen and women and national sport organisations must be financially supported. Nowhere is there anything but overwhelming support.

No matter where you go, the prevailing opinion is that sport can play a major role. No argument. As far as the majority is concerned, there is a vision for the role of sport in T&T. Why isn’t that strong vision and overwhelming support not translating into financial support?

Some have argued that sport here is suffering from a lack of respect for process and structure. In the absence of a systematic disciplined way of doing things, there is no way a coherent implementation plan can be put in place.

How can there be oversight responsibility if every chief, cook and bottle washer run in different directions all hell bent on doing their own thing?

How do we build respect for process and structure, develop more organised structures and work within guidelines? It cannot be done helter skelter.

There are a number of groups and organisations doing excellent work within local sport. Loads of money appear to be floating around. So why is sport struggling to attract funding? Is it a perception or a reality?

There are those who suggest that within sport, funding is not going to the people and groups doing the best work with a proven track record. How do you separate fact from fiction?

What can’t be denied is that sport in T&T is in need of funding.

Where is it going to come from and who will provide it?

If you want an excellent example of a sport programme that most people feel deserving of support, the Eddie Hart Football League is one.

I attended the opening of the Eddie Hart League at the Tacarigua savannah on Sunday. The League is celebrating its 48th year.

The enthusiastic gathering included Member of Parliament for Tunapuna and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Winston Dookeran, chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, alderman Edwin Gooding and deputy chairman Esmond Forde and justice Sebastian Ventour.

The gathering highlighted the power of sport to cross the divide, be it politics, class, social standing, race and religion.

The vision and energy of the league’s founder remains undiminished, notwithstanding the fact—as he alluded to in his address—that there are many obstacles and tribulations.

That Hart has championed the cause of the League for 48 years is a reflection of his indomitable will and passion for sport, the community of Tunapuna, football, the young men and women and children who participate in the league.

The presence of the Police and Prison bands and steel bands created a patriotic Trinbagonian ambience.

The march past had a variety of displays, some more creative and precise than others. The exhibition match between two Pro League teams Massy Caledonia Aia and San Juan Jabloteh signaled a message that sport has no borderline.

However, one couldn't help but sense an undertone of frustration at the fact that the League is still in an annual struggle to attract the funding and financial support that is needed.

It no longer makes sense to ask why.

The real question may well be: Why do we tolerate and accept these contradictions in our society?

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Pressure...real pressure and stress. I’m blindsided by the scale and enormity of what is unfolding in the public domain.

Many people involved in sport in T&T are feeling uncertain; some despondent, with their trust betrayed.

Two years away from the Rio Olympics—new Minister, new Permanent Secretary, new deputy Permanent Secretary, new SportTT CEO and Board.

The saving grace is that national sport organisations (NSOs) charged with governing, managing and administrating their respective sports are still fairly stable and must now step up to the plate and ensure that the negative aspects are calmly navigated.

The current debacle highlights the importance of the Ministry of Sport and the Sport Company of T&T understanding that their role and responsibility isn’t to run sport and assume the role and responsibility of the national sport organisations.

The NSOs are the sport leaders and sport managers. Many have asked, “Where do we go from here?”

There is no choice but to face the pain, difficulties and hardships. Cast aside all the hindrances and the past imperfections.

The beauty and power of sport as a force for good will live on after the trouble and distress; the difficulty and pain of betrayed trust.

We need a fresh start for sport. Clipped wings can grow again.

It is always darkest before daylight. There is a silver lining behind every gray cloud.

On the grayest of days there is the gleam of sunlight.

To overcome shame and remorse requires courage and rebuilding of trust.

Cast aside all regret, trials and tribulations and press on to the summit.

Sport is a positive force for good.

No weapon formed against sport will prosper.

Our youth and young people who possess God given athletic talent and potential must have the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

The positive power of sport will not be defeated. A fresh start for sport in T&T is imperative, because in adversity, failure and disappointment can be found the seed of opportunity and progress.

The clouds will clear.

Be resilient, persistent; be of good courage.

The power of international achievement on the Olympic and world stage is respected and recognised. T&T benefits from the positive global publicity it receives from the sporting achievement of our athletes and national teams.

Sport can make a positive and transformational contribution to the sustainable social and economic development of T&T.

Temporary setbacks don’t define the true potential; the positive, progressive and constructive reality of sport in T&T.

Integrity, honesty, fair play, courage and determination are essential and core values of sport.

Stem the tide. Be a part of the solution. Live those values. Rise up and move forward.

Don’t evade responsibility for what we do, protecting ourselves from being held accountable for the consequences of our behaviour by deflecting attention onto others.

As we walk in the dark valley fear no evil. Positive actions will change the headlines.

Leaders entrusted with the responsibility of stewardship and service in difficult times must have the answers and the action plan to navigate rough seas and danger.

Fortitude, perseverance and an indomitable spirit are the qualities required to overcome adversity.

Fear not! T&T sport shall overcome. God bless.

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How do we encourage operational discipline within the national sport organisations and other sport stakeholders given that sport in Trinidad and Tobago is and will remain volunteer based and amateur?

It’s one thing to say you want to do something; it’s another thing to get it done. The fact of the matter is setting goals and having plans are just one aspect. After the goal setting and planning phase, you have to put structure in place to make it happen. That means having the resources, organisation, and processes you need to execute your strategy.

What are we doing to encourage operational discipline? The question is asked against the background that being a volunteer or an amateur is not an excuse for shoddy or inept work.

How do we put the right team in place, one with the skills, knowledge, and capabilities to accomplish the goals or objectives that are set?

Have we critically analysed our strengths and weaknesses? What are our blind spots? There are a number of things be they attitudes, mind-sets, habits, and norms that inform how we think and behave. Some of these are part of our culture but if we are to be honest, they may not necessarily be in our best interest. How do we attract the very best people and expect greatness from them?

How we develop and retain people is fundamental to sustainable success in sport. When you get your team right, you’re going to get results.

What’s working? What’s not? Is our approach the right one?

Are we building a firm platform?

There is no room for complacency.

If we want to create a culture of sustainable success we first have to appreciate that a great culture doesn’t just happen. It must be built deliberately and it’s the job of every single person within T&T sport to create a culture that says excellence.

What do we really stand for?

When people in T&T look at their sport leaders what do they see? Do our actions match our stated intentions?

Things change. Priorities change. The economy changes. The business and social climate changes. It’s important to let an organisation’s culture change too so that it doesn’t start to feel static and irrelevant to people.

It’s not easy but when something is not right we have to grapple and come to terms with it. There are changes taking place and to remain relevant national sport organisations must embrace the changes and be proactive and integrative in their thinking.

It will take a collective approach even though some of us would wish that things remain the way they were when our society was simple in the way it was structured.

The hard harsh reality is that we must adapt the timeless values and principles of sport and Olympism and make it relevant to modern society if sport is to have a bright future.

It’s not a question of selling out or adopting an approach that suggests that the end justifies the means or by all or any means necessary.

It’s about getting the right people in the right place working as a team.

It’s not only about winning medals but about helping people live better.

Sports people have the energy, ideas, creativity and above all the dreams. What we offer to T&T is an experience to be lived. We want to inspire people to improve their lifestyle and to strive for excellence in all areas of their lives. But for some reason the message is getting lost or not getting through to people.

It isn’t enough to throw up our hands in frustration and say that’s the way it is. There are no easy answers but we must certainly have the will and determination to keep searching.

I wish to extend sincere condolences to the family, friends and associates of Bertrand Doyle for his unwavering service, dedication and commitment to national life in the spheres of insurance, religion, education and sport. He made a positive difference and contributed to the development of T&T. RIP Mr Doyle.

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This was one of the busiest International Olympic Committee (IOC) gatherings I can recall – though it will be nothing on the Session in Buenos Aires in September.

As we return to our various corners of planet earth, here is a summary of what I think we gleaned from these long days beside Lake Geneva.

● Thomas Bach will dominate the remaining weeks of the IOC Presidential campaign.

Like him or not, and even his supporters exude more admiration than warmth when discussing his qualities, the man from Tauberbischofsheim can boast a truly formidable Olympic CV.

A tireless networker, a capable, if far from inspirational, public speaker and now author of a detailed, carefully thought-out manifesto, he looks a certainty to finish either first or second in the six-man race.

But he does not yet look invincible – if support coalesces eventually around one of his five rivals.

This anointed anti-Bach challenger could, in effect, be chosen by the other candidates themselves, if they are prepared to strike deals ahead of the September 10 vote.

Or he could be chosen, more haphazardly, by the electorate, as successive rounds of voting whittle down the field.

The problem, from the anti-Bach perspective, of waiting until the last minute, is that the German looks capable of getting close to a majority relatively early in the poll, leaving him needing to coax votes out of only a few more of his IOC colleagues to push him over the line.

The longer opposition to Bach remains divided, the harder it will be, barring the unexpected, for any one of the other candidates to stop him.

● Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has underlined his status as a front-rank Olympic powerbroker.

Prior to the 2018 Youth Olympic vote, I was told on several occasions that Sheikh Ahmad had put his weight behind the Buenos Aires bid.

It follows that the South American city's victory in a poll it did not go into as favourite, will be widely interpreted as a strong sign that the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and chairman of the Olympic Solidarity Commission is now a man of real influence in the Olympic Movement.

This was a very good meeting for him.

● Relations between the IOC and SportAccord President Marius Vizer are at a low ebb.

This is the almost inescapable conclusion to be drawn from the absence of the International Judo Federation (IJF) President's name from a list of nine individuals nominated in Lausanne to become new IOC members – particularly as the list did include the President of the National Olympic Committee of Romania, the country where Vizer was born.

Vizer's SportAccord manifesto included the introduction of a new united World Championships, which could easily be seen as a fledgling rival to the Olympics.

Nonetheless, he would be a powerful enemy to make: this year's World Judo Championships take place in Brazil just ahead of the IOC Session in neighbouring Argentina; Vizer was joined last year at the London 2012 judo competition by Russian President - and Honorary President of the IJF - Vladimir Putin.

● The use of mainstream political leaders to help out bids, though it can be highly effective, is fraught with risk.

This was underlined in Lausanne on at least two occasions.

Medellín's efforts to win the Youth Olympic Games for Colombia were buttressed by the presence in Lausanne of Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian President.

He duly contributed a dignified, Presidential speech to a lively presentation.

Some observers were clearly startled, though, when he alluded, in a subsequent answer, to a peace process in Cuba involving his negotiators and the guerrillas.

I doubt such an off-the-cuff remark would actually have cost Medellín votes, but I also doubt it was something Colombian bid directors planned for.

Tokyo 2020 had added Deputy Prime Minister Tarō Asō, a skeet shooting competitor at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, to its Lausanne team.

An engaging character, all was going well until he mistook the word "lobbying" for the word "doping" in a question from media and launched into a rambling reply.

This was trivial in itself (though not for the poor media handlers and bid advisers); IOC members were in session elsewhere.

But it followed a sub-standard media roundtable the previous day; this is not a good time for a bid to be developing an accident-prone reputation.

● There is still life in the Istanbul 2020 bid

After a dispiriting month, a bad session in Lausanne could just about have sealed the latest Istanbul Olympic bid's fate.

But, led by the irrepressible Hasan Arat, bid chairman, the Turkish team kept its head, raised its game and unveiled a new star in the shape of Ali Babacan, the youthful Deputy Prime Minister for economic and financial affairs.

I still think some immensely stressful times lie ahead – not least if, as seems likely, it is judged necessary for Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to be present in Argentina (see comments on mainstream political leaders above).

But, whatever may be happening in the rest of the world, inside the Olympic bubble there is emphatically no recession.

If this bid is to be tripped up, I still think it is more likely to be on concerns regarding security and/or project management prowess than because IOC members judge its relatively high cost to be out of keeping with the spirit of the times.

● Tokyo must find a way of regaining momentum quickly

For all the Japanese team's efforts, for all the bid's manifest qualities – of which a Mount Fuji-sized $4.5 billion (£3.1 billion/€3.5 billion) cash mountain is far from the least – I still detect scant excitement among IOC members at the prospect of returning to Tokyo after 56 years.

In Switzerland, I got a sense of growing frustration that the message just does not seem to be getting across, which might account for the slightly Keystone Cops flavour now in danger of enveloping the bid.

In practical terms, Tokyo desperately needs a convincing anchor speaker to bring to its final presentation precisely the passionate gravitas that Seb Coe summoned up eight years ago for London 2012.

In this context, I wonder whether August 11, 2012 may come to be seen as a key date in the campaign.

This was the day Koji Murofushi, a gold medal-winning hammer thrower was disqualified from the IOC Athletes' Commission election.

Murofushi, a commanding stage presence, with good English and a relaxed yet dignified demeanour, could potentially have delivered that almost mystical Olympic edge that Coe gave to London.

Though the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded eventually that Murofushi's reputation and integrity as a sportsman remained completely untarnished, it is hard to see how Tokyo 2020 can make much use of him now.

In any event, he is not an IOC member – a fact underlined when Danka Barteková and James Tomkins, two of the four winners in that controversial election, played a small part in formalities for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games vote.

● Madrid is on a roll

Buoyed by the boost that fate, in the shape of the recent protests in Brazil and Istanbul, has handed them, the Spanish bid took full advantage in Lausanne, serving up crisp, no-nonsense sound bites for the media and a royal superstar - Felipe, Prince of Asturias - for the IOC.

Just about the only thing that could have gone better was the Thursday morning event in the majestic Palace hotel, when the three 2020 rivals exhibited their bids for a few hours in adjacent rooms named after prominent local personages/institutions.

The Spanish capital was allotted the Salon Sir Peter Ustinov for this task, while the Salon Olympique - clearly the most apt title - went to Istanbul.

Prince Felipe and his colleagues have not won yet, though: their "realistic bid for realistic times" will come under more scrutiny now - and I am still not convinced that the low-cost option will hold quite as much appeal for IOC members in their comforting cocoon of sponsorship and broadcasting dollars as some think.

● Mike Lee has still got it.

Buenos Aires's win added to the British bid adviser's lengthening list of Olympic victories.

His company Vero's input was just one of a list of ingredients contributing to the Argentinean city's recipe for success.

And this was less high profile a campaign than some of the Summer/Winter Olympic, and for that matter World Cup, bids Lee has been involved in.

I think, nonetheless, that I detected his influence at work at certain key junctures, not least when the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) was quick to distance itself from a controversial advert featuring the Falkland Islands in the run-up to London 2012.

"It was the right bid for the city at this time," Lee told me after the vote, heaping praise on all elements of the bid and those responsible.

But the bear hug between him and COA President and IOC member Gerardo Werthein after the result was announced spoke volumes about how much his contribution was valued.

● These are strange days for IOC insiders.

They know, clearly, that change is on the horizon, but cannot be sure what form it will take.

This made for an odd atmosphere in Lausanne, the Olympic capital.

Whether this is direct cause and effect is unclear, but the bureaucrats seem to have fallen back on an instinct for privacy that would not look out of place in the British civil service.

Not only the 2020 presentations, but also the speeches of the six men vying to become the next global figurehead of the Olympic Movement were behind closed doors, for reasons that not even IOC members seemed able to articulate.

This would be fine in most private clubs, but the IOC shows every sign of revelling in its unprecedented international prominence.

As some Presidential candidates at least appear to appreciate, this stature imposes what should amount to an obligation on the IOC to foster maximum transparency as it goes about its business.

The ninth IOC President will need to look and sound convincing on camera.

I am baffled as to what was to be gained by keeping the cameras at bay as the Presidential contenders made their first formal pitch to IOC colleagues.

● Recession, what recession?

We have heard plenty in recent weeks on how Big Sport needs to come to terms with the new realities; I may have been responsible for some of the preaching along these lines myself.

But, actually, whenever you enter the cushioned corridors and geranium-fringed walkways inhabited by the real movers and shakers, the trials and tribulations of everyday life start to appear impossibly remote.

While much of the rest of the world suffers, it is worth remembering that Olympicland will have its activities funded, in large part, over the next three years by the fruits of commercial contracts inked before the boom turned sour.

Has the IOC been shaken into curbing its recent appetite for grandiose projects?

I am less persuaded of this than I was a week ago.

● A salutary reminder

Seeing the pain and disappointment in the eyes of the Glasgow 2018 Youth Olympic bid team after their elimination served as a jolting reminder of the heavy emotional toll this unpitying industry can take.

They had not put a foot wrong that I could see, but in the Olympic world, as elsewhere, you cannot push water uphill.

This was just not their time. Nothing they might have done would have changed that. End of story.

The good thing is that, not only will they have lifted their city's stock of goodwill for next time, whenever next time is, but they were able to fall back on the good offices of British IOC vice-president Sir Craig Reedie and wife Rosemary to ensure that they spent a memorable day in the Olympic citadel even so.

It was typical of the Reedies that they should set aside their own disappointment to do this.

Such gestures, from people whom you would not blame for adopting a much more high-handed attitude, help you remember that, when all is said and done, we are better off with the Olympic Movement than without it.

David Owen worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup and is now freelancing, including covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World Cup and London 2012.

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