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

TRINIDAD and Tobago swimmer, George Bovell, has earned his fourth silver medal at the Qatar-Leg of the FINA/Arena Swimming Short Course World Cup at the weekend.

Bovell sped home in 21.06 seconds after USA’s Anthony Ervin for the second straight week in the men’s 50 metres at the Hamad Aquatic Centre.

He was seventh in the same event at the London Olympic Games. Ervin won gold in 21.02 second while Australians Kyle Richardson got bronze in 21.54 seconds.

The trio also finished in the same order at the United Arab Emirates leg of the World Cup on Wednesday, with Ervin winning in 21.18 seconds, followed by Bovell (21.23) and Richardson (21.58).

Bovell also earned a second straight silver medal in the men’s 100 metres individual in a new national record and lifetime best of 51.87 seconds at the weekend.

Last week at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex, Swimming Pool, in Dubai, Bovell got silver in the 100m in 52.19 seconds.

The 2004 Olympic bronze medal winner is due to participate in a number of international swim meets over the next few weeks including events in Sweden, Russia, Germany, China, Japan and Singapore.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

TRINIDAD AND Tobago will be hosting the newly-formed World League Round One Qualifier, under the auspices of the International Hockey Federation (IHF), from November 11-17.

Matches will take place at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua with TT entertaining Barbados, Chile, Puerto Rico and Venezuela in the men’s category while, in the women’s division, TT will have to deal with Barbados, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The World League is part of the FIH’s quest to make the qualification process for both the

World Cup and the Olympics as inclusive and local as possible, in an effort to minimise travel costs to the smaller hockey countries.

It is split into four rounds that last over a two-year cycle. For one cycle, the World League will serve as the qualifier for the World Cup and in the next cycle serves as the qualifier for the Olympics Games.

Ann Browne-John is the chairperson of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), while Douglas Camacho, Garth Baptiste, Annette Knott, Roger Gomes, Maureen Craig Rousseau, Willard Harris, Gary Griffith and Monica Sobers-Hylton are the other appointed members.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

HARVARD SPORTS Club climbed to the top of the Toyota Championship Division standings when they romped past defending champions Caribs Rugby Club 31-5, as both teams clashed heads at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, on Saturday.

The 2011 winners never looked themselves and concluded the first period of play significantly behind (21-5) a dominant Harvard force. Two foul play red cards against Caribs players Jamal Clark and Andre Carbrera also played a crucial role in the Harvard victory.

Harvards players, Claudius Butts, Rowell Gordon, David Gookool and Cloyd London all scored tries for the squad while Ryan Hinkson chipped in with five critical conversions and one goal-bound penalty. Jason Clark scored the lone try for Caribs.

Harvard Club is now on a high as they presently hold a one-point margin ahead of the defending champions.

For both teams, their remaining three Toyota Championship games are all must-win matches.

Harvard coach, Larry Mendez was pleased that his team was able to notch the all important win over Caribs. He acknowledged his players for a job well done, but was well aware that the title race was far from over.

“It was a crucial match, and one we had to win to keep our hopes of winning the Toyota Championship alive. So credit to the guys. But the mission isn’t over. Our next opponent is Stag Trinidad Northern,” said Mendez.

Other Toyota matches on Saturday saw Stag Trinidad Northern beat Police 87-0 and Royalians defeat Rainbow 46-7.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has vowed to tighten up testing procedures after a number of competitors at the recent 2012 Olympic Games in London missed blood test appointments without incurring sanctions.

The missed appointments, for blood tests relating to the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), were disclosed in the recent Independent Observer (IO) report on the London 2012 anti-doping programme and were first reported last month by insidethegames.

The story aroused much interest, including from Paula Radcliffe, the Marathon world record-holder, who circulated it to her 85,000 plus Twitter followers with the comment, "Totally UNACCEPTABLE".

Asked by insidethegames what was being done to prevent something like this happening again, the IOC replied:

"As mentioned in the IO report, the failure of some athletes to report to the doping control at their assigned times as part of the ABP testing programme was noted by the relevant International Federations [Ifs], which subsequently took alternative measures to control these athletes.

"Based on this first experience with the ABP testing programme in London, the IOC will work in close collaboration with the IFs and the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] to apply stricter procedures for the programme at future Olympic Games."

It is still not clear how many athletes missed their appointments or from which sports.

WADA President John Fahey disclosed just ahead of the Games in July that as many as six sports would be deploying the ABP, which is based on the idea that by monitoring certain biological variables in an athlete over time, unusual variations in those measurements might betray a change in behaviour, such as recourse to doping.

The six sports were understood at the time to be athletics, swimming, cycling, rowing, triathlon and modern pentathlon.

Problems such as these missed London appointments clearly do nothing to boost confidence in the ABP as a weapon in the war against drug cheats.

One Swiss-based blood doping expert told insidethegames this year that the ABP's ability to reveal doping with erythropoietin (EPO) was "virtually zero".

-David Owen

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

l COLOMBO
Inspired by a swashbuckling knock of 78 from Marlon Samuels at a crucial stage, West Indies rolled over Sri Lanka by 36 runs to lift the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka yesterday.
Darren Sammy’s team silenced a partisan crowd of 30,000 at R Premadasa Stadium by first recovering from a very slow start to score 137 for six off 20 overs after having the luck of the toss in the highly anticipated final.
That total had seemed a long way off when they limped to 32 for two after ten overs, having reached 14 for one off six overs  – the lowest score in the powerplay stage of the tournament.
Sri Lanka also found the going tough and collapsed from 51 for two in the 11th over to 101 all out in 18.4 overs, sparking wild celebrations and dancing among the West Indies players.
Ace off-spinner Sunil Narine snatched three wickets for nine runs off 3.4 overs, and medium-pacer Sammy picked up two for six off two overs.
It was the first time since 2004 when Brian Lara’s team captured the Champions Trophy in England that West Indies had won an international limited overs title.
The victory could not have been more telling after Samuels lifted West Indies’ spirits with his memorable 56-ball knock, which included six sixes – one of them carrying a series record 108 metres, along with three fours.
The dominance of Samuels’ innings was underlined by the fact that he tore into ace fast bowler Lasith Malinga, smashing him for 39 off his first three overs in a hapless return of none for 54 off four overs.
An ecstatic Sammy could not contain his feelings after the match.
“For the last two years we’ve shown the never-say-die attitude, but we haven’t had the results,” the West Indies captain said. “This moment we’re going to live forever. The team has been through a lot in the last two years, for the last ten years. The mission was to win the T20 World Cup, the belief we left the Caribbean with has pulled us through. Today we were down and out but our never-say-die attitude came out.
“Thank you to everyone who supported us. The tournament is for the fans. The love we felt from the Sri Lankan people is tremendous and we want to thank them for that. This hopefully will be the beginning of things to come. Hopefully this team will go on.”
Opting to play an unchanged side when it was generally felt that opener Johnson Charles should have been dropped for either Dwayne Smith or Lendl Simmons, West Indies lost an indecisive Charles in the fifth ball of the match when he lifted medium-pacer Angelo Mathews into the hands of mid-off before scoring.
The usually free-scoring Chris Gayle took nine balls to get off the mark as Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene skillfully changed his bowlers with a combination of spin and pace.
Left-hander Gayle, who had predicted a West Indies win after their ruthless 74-run victory over Australia in the semi-finals, made just three off 16 balls before off-spinner Ajantha Mendis had him leg before wicket with a straight ball.
Samuels and Dwayne Bravo then gradually consolidated as Bravo struck the first six of the match in the 12th over when he swung Akila Dananjaya over midwicket to move to 14 off 12 balls.
By then Samuels, who hit the first boundary of the match in the fourth over through extra-cover off fast-medium Nuwan Kulasekara, had moved to 24 off 35 balls.
In the over after Bravo hit the six, Samuels tore into Malinga, flicking for six over midwicket and then crashed the next ball over long-off for another six.
Samuels reached his fifty with a six off Jeevan Mendis. It came off 46 balls and contained five sixes and one four.
He and Bravo added 59 in 8.1 overs before Bravo was unfortunate to be given out leg before wicket for 19 by retiring Australian umpire Simon Taufel, in his last international match, to Ajantha Mendis. Television replays showed the ball came off the inside edge of the bat.
Kieron Pollard was caught at backward point on the second attempt by Dananjaya off Ajantha Mendis for two and Andre Russell was leg before wicket next ball as he essayed a sweep.
After Samuels was dismissed with the score on 108 off the first ball off the 18th over, Sammy, with an unbeaten 26 off 15 balls, helped to beef up the total.
Ajantha Mendis was the leading wicket-taker with four for 12 off four overs.
Sri Lanka suffered an early setback when fast bowler Ravi Rampaul ‘squared up’ Tillekaratne Dishan and bowled him off stump without scoring in the second over of the innings.
The vastly experienced pair of Jayawardene and left-hander Kumar Sangakkara took the score to 48 in the 10th over before the latter, who made 22, pulled a short ball from leg-spinner Samuels Badre to deep midwicket where Pollard took a well-judged low catch, diving forward on his knees.
From thereon it was struggle.
Mathews, coming too far inside his wicket, was bowled by a slower ball from Sammy and West Indies sustained the pressure with the scalp of Jayawardene, caught from a slog sweep by Sammy who was standing at point in the original position off Narine for the topscore of 33 off 36 balls with two boundaries.
As the pressure mounted, running between the wickets became indecisive and led to two run outs, one of them a direct throw from wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin who raced to short midwicket and despite a plea from bowler Samuels not to throw the ball, struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end to get rid of Thisara Perera as the sixth wicket to fall with the score 64 in the 14th over.
Kulasekera gave Seri Lanka a desperate late hope by lashing 26 off 13 balls with three fours and one six as 22 runs came off the 16trh over from Rampaul.
But after he was removed by Narine to a catch at long-off by Badree, virtually everyone knew that West Indies were just waiting to celebrate a most memorable win with dancing and prancing in true Caribbean style.
—CMC

T20 SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES VS SRI LANKA

WEST INDIES
J Charles c Kulasesekara b Mathews 0
CH Gayle lbw BAW Mendis 3
MN Samuels c BMAJ Mendis b Dananjaya 78
DJ Bravo lbw b BAW Mendis 19
KA Pollard c dananjaya b Mendis 2
AD Russell lbw b BAW Mendis 0
*DJG Sammy not out 26
+D. Ramdin not out 4
Extras (lb2, w3) 5
TOTAL (6 wks, 20 overs) 137
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-14, 3-73, 4-87, 5-87, 6-108.
Did not bat: Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Samuel Badree.
Bowling: Mathews 4-1-11-1 (w1);, Kulasekara 3-0-22-0 (w1); Malinga 4-0-54-0; BAW Mendis 4-0-12-4 (w1); Dananjaya 3-0-16-1; BMAJ Mendis 2-0-20-0.

SRI LANKA
*DPMD Jayawardene c Sammy b Narine 33
TM Dilshan b Rampaul 0
+KC Sangakarra c Pollard b Badree 22
AD Mathews b Sammy 1
BMAJ Mendis run out (Bravo/Narine) 3
NLTC  Perera run out (Ramdin) 3
HDRL Thirimanne c Charles b Sammy 4
KMDN Kulasekara c Badree b Narine 26
SL Malinga c Bravo b Narine 5
BAW Mendis c Bravo b Samuels 1
A Dananjaya not out 0
Extras (b2, nb1) 3
TOTAL (all out, 18.4 overs) 101
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-48, 3-51, 4-60, 5-61, 6-64, 7-69, 8-96, 9-100, 10-101.
Bowling: Badree 4-0-24-1; Rampaul 3-0-31-1 (nb1); Samuels 4-0-15-1; Gayle 2-0-14-0; Narine 3.4-0-9-3; Sammy 2-0-6-2.

Result: West Indies won by 36 runs.
Toss: West Indies
Series: West Indies won the 2012/13 ICC Word Twenty20
Player of the Match: MN Samuels (West Inides)
Player of the Series: SR Watson (Australia)
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), SJA Taufel (Australia)
TV umpire: RJ Tucker (Australia)
Match referee: JJ Crowe (New Zealand)
Reserve umpire: IJ Gould (England)

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

T&T’s George Bovell III made it four silver medals in a row when he finished behind USA’s Anthony Ervin for the second straight week in the men’s 50 metres final at the Doha, Qatar-Leg of the FINA/Arena Swimming Short Course World Cup at the Hamad Aquatic Centre, yesterday.
Bovell, who was seventh in the same event at the London Olympic Games sped home in 21.06 seconds, just behind Ervin who splashed to gold in 21.02 second while Australians Kyle Richardson got bronze in 21.54 seconds.
Ironically, the trio also finished 1-2-3 at the Dubia, United Arab Emirates leg of the World Cup on Wednesday, with Ervin winning in 21.18 seconds, followed by Bovell (21.23) and Richardson (21.58).
The other finishers in yesterday’s 50m freestyle final were South African Roland Schoeman (21.55), Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen (21.61), Australian Kenneth To (21.66), New Zealand’s Cameron Simpson (21.83) and Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov (21.87).
In the morning session, Ervin (21.36) also got the better of the 29-year-old Bovell (21.62) in the third of four heats for the top two times in the preliminaries while Richardson was third in the heat in 21.85 followed by China’s Wenjie Pu (22.89), Kuwait’s Mohammed Madouh (23.56), Bahrain’s Omar Al-Maliki (23.97), Oman’s Nawaf Al-Qasmi (25.12) and United Arab Emirates’ Abdulla Naseib (25.66).
In addition to Ervin and Bovell, Schoeman (21.70) and To (21.70) were the top qualifiers from heat two while Govorov (22.03) and Liukkonen (22.10) qualified from heat four, and Simpson (22.08), the lone swimmer from heat two.
On Saturday, Bovell also earned a second straight silver medal in the men’s 100 metres individual in a new national record and lifetime best of 51.87 seconds.
To (51.58), took gold while Darian Townsend got bronze in 52.76 seconds, as the trio finished in the same positions as they did in Dubai as well.
Fourth was Japan’s Kosuke Hagino (52.86), followed by Australian Tommaso D’Orsogna (53.13), Hungary’s Laszlo Czech (53.23), Sweden’s Simon Sjoedin (53.87) and China’s Yu Zhang (55.30).
Earlier in the morning, Bovell III was the top qualifier in the second of three heats in 52.97 seconds followed by Hagino 53.88, Omar Pinzon (56.07), United Arab Emirates’ Obaid Al Jasmi (58.94), Oman’s Aiman Al Kulaibi (1:01.53) and Bahrain’s Khaled Ismael (1:07.30) while the duo of Georgios Syrianos of Greece and India’s Agnishwar Jayaprakash did not start.
The time swam by Bovell was also the fastest qualifying time overall followed by Hagino, To (54.10), Sjoedin (54.17), D’Orsogna (54.26), Czech (54.29), Townsend (54.48) and Zhang (55.28)
Last week at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex, Swimming Pool, in Dubai, UAE, Bovell got silver in the 100m IM in 52.19 seconds behind To (51.43) while Townsend took bronze in 52.60.
Next up for the 2004 Olympic bronze medal winner is the Stockholm, Sweden leg of the World Cup (October 13-14) followed by stops in Moscow, Russia October 17-18; Berlin, Germany, October 20-21; Beijing, China (November 2-3); Tokyo, Japan (November 6-7) and Singapore, November 10-11.
-Nigel Simon
Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Trinidad and Tobago football has hit a new low.

Six years after playing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Soca Warriors will not compete in the Caribbean Cup--unless a major sponsor comes forward in the next week. This comes after the Ministry of Sport, headed by Anil Roberts, blanked a $423,218 request from the T&T Football Federation (TTFF) to fund the team's participation in the opening round of Caribbean qualifying, due to take place in St Kitts-Nevis.

T&T are due to play French Guiana on October 10 in Basseterre, Anguilla two days later, and hosts St Kitts-Nevis on October 14.

But on Tuesday, the marketing arm of the TTFF received notice from the Ministry, which indicated it will not support the senior team, based on T&T's elimination from World Cup qualifying by Guyana, last November. The Ministry's position was relayed by Permanent Secretary Ashwin Creed in an e-mail to Anthony Harford, who heads the TTFF'S marketing arm.

"With regards to the support for the senior team you have been informed on several occasions that the Ministry focus is on development given the abysmal performance of the senior team," Creed declared. "As you are aware there is a note before the Cabinet to treat with the way forward for football. This note is predicated on two consultations held on a development plan for football. The Ministry will be guided by the recommendations of this note following the approval of Cabinet."

T&T is the most successful country in the history of Caribbean football, having competed in all 17 tournaments, winning eight times. Jamaica have won five titles. The Caribbean Cup is a qualifier for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which serves as preparation for FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Yesterday, Harford informed the media of the Ministry's shock decision not to support the national team.

"TTFF marketing wishes to advise that it has received a negative response to the request for funding the airfares and allowances for the senior national football team to participate in the first round of the Caribbean Cup. The email response came from the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Mr. Ashwin Creed, who pointed out the ministry is concerned with development because of the abysmal performance of the national senior team," Harford said. "TTFF marketing, which is charged with the responsibility for marketing and events at the TTFF put in a request for airfares, including the return of five overseas-based players, player and staff stipends, a weekend camp before leaving, and accommodation for four persons, as the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) pays accommodation for 25 of the party of 29. The total requested was TT$423,218."

Harford told the Express that while talks were ongoing with potential sponsors, nothing was confirmed. He said that while the TTFF had raised some funds earlier this year, all went into the preparation of the Olympic men's team and under-17 and under-20 women's teams for qualifying tournaments.

"The TTFF is severely strapped for cash as there has been no Government funding since March and the sponsorship funds raised to date have supported the under 17 and under 20 teams both of which played their qualifiers without Government support. TTFF marketing has learnt that the Ministry has since paid one bill for the under 17 tournament, but this has not been communicated to TTFF marketing nor the TTFF by the Ministry. It is understood that this invoice was just over $250,000 and paid directly to a hotel. TTFF marketing is continuing its drive to meet the other outstanding invoices for these national teams, including payment to other hotels, coaches, catering and transport."

By Ian Prescott

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

The 2012 season of the Digicel School Rugby Football Union kicked off at the Queen's Park Savannah, in Port of Spain, on September 29, with 140 players on show in a series of friendly matches.

Under the direction of coach Brendon O'Farrell, nine under-17 teams and four under-14 teams from north Trinidad took part in the matches on the opening day, impressing the league officials and convincing them that this season would be even more competitive than the last.

The 2012 league will comprise ten under-17 teams and eight under-14 teams from north Trinidad.

The Trinidad and Tobago Schools' Rugby Football Union is also in the process of developing leagues in Tobago and south Trinidad, which will be incorporated into the Union from January next year.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Two Jamaican athletes, including 4x400 metres relay pool member Dominique Blake, are facing disciplinary action after testing positive for doping.

A preliminary hearing began in Kingston, Jamaica, yesterday for Blake and national 800 metres champion Ricardo Cunningham over doping violations returned by the pair at Jamaica's Senior Championships in June.

Cunningham, who trains with the MVP track Club in Jamaica, appeared in person at the hearing, while Blake, who previously served a nine-month ban, sent a representative.

They are due to reappear on October 17.

Last November, former Jamaican relay world champion Steve Mullings was banned for life from competing in athletics after a second doping offence.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

Talented teenagers, Aaron Wilson and Arun Roopnarine are in Markham, Ottawa, competing in the Scotiabank 2012 Canada Junior & Cadet Open table tennis tournament.

Trinidad and Tobago Table Tennis Association (T&TTTA) secretary, Bob Roopnarine explained that their participation is being facilitated by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), as part of the ITTF WFIM (With The Future in Mind) project.

"Aaron was selected for the ITTF Hopes programme initially some three years ago. He was moved into the ITTF WFIM project last year with confirmation from the TTOC (T&T Olympic Committee). For 2012, again with confirmation from the TTOC and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Olympic Solidarity in Lausanne, (Switzerland), Aaron was approved.

"The ITTF," the T&TTTA secretary continued, "has agreed to add Arun to the ITTF WFIM project and allocate the funding for a T&T Cadet Boys team composed of Arun and Aaron. Their logic is that the benefits of doing that rather than focusing only on one player is far better for T&T table tennis.

"The ITTF will provide accommodation and a waiver of tournament fees for selected events."

T&TTTA president, Reeza Burke, an ITTF Level 2 coach, travelled to Canada with Aaron and Arun.

"While there," said Roopnarine (Bob), "Reeza will hold discussions with Joe Fisher of Canada, who has been mandated by the ITTF to conduct a Referees and Umpires Course from November 1 to 8, 2012."

On September 24, two days before his 14th birthday, Wilson won the Tobago Open men's singles title, beating top-ranked Curtis Humphreys in the final.

And Roopnarine (Arun), who turned 15 on Monday, was part of the T&T team that struck gold in the men's team event at the Caribbean Championships, in Dominican Republic, in August.

-Kwame Laurence

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

An official who works for Mohamed Bin Hammam has been suspended from all football-related activity for failing to cooperate with an investigation into the former FIFA presidential candidate, the governing body said yesterday.

Najeeb Chirakal, who works for the Qatar FA, has been banned by FIFA's ethics committee for two months or until he cooperates with the proceedings, whichever comes first.

"The ban is effective immediately and will last for two months or until Chirakal cooperates with these proceedings as requested, whichever is earlier," FIFA said in a statement.

Bin Hammam is being investigated over alleged bribery claims during his campaign to unseat FIFA president Sepp Blatter in last year's presidential election.

The 63-year-old Qatari also faces allegations of financial mismanagement in his role as Asian Football Confederation president.

Bin Hammam has denied any wrongdoing.

Chirakal had been asked to provide information and documents by the secretary to the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee but failed to respond, the FIFA statement added.

Bin Hammam, who was standing against Blatter in last year's presidential election until he was suspended for alleged bribery, was later banned by FIFA for life over the allegations.

The ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in July, after CAS ruled there was insufficient evidence.

The case is being reviewed by Michael Garcia, chairman of the investigatory chamber of FIFA's revamped ethics committee.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

...while Germany wins first mixed gender relay
Returning to the pool for the first time since the London Olympics, T&T’s George Bovell swam a time of 52.19 seconds to claim silver in the 100 metres individual medley at the two-day FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, yesterday. Bovell finished behind Australian Kenneth To, who took gold in 51.43, while South African Darian Townsend placed third in 52.60 seconds. His silver medal winning performance was 0.22 seconds off his lifetime best recorded at the World Championships, last year.
However, the T&T 2008 Olympic silver medallist could not muster similar success in the 50m breaststroke, as he ended his chance of medalling, finishing fifth in 29.87 in heat four, which saw him eliminated in 17th overall at the preliminary stage. The gold medal eventually went to event favourite Cameron van der Burgh who clocked an incredible 26.64 finish. South African Guilil Zorzi (26.91) and Glenn Snyders (27.04) of New Zealand finished second and third, respectively. Bovell, who is rated as the most successful swimmer in the Caribbean, will be back in action today in the 50m backstroke event. His qualifying time of 24.88 put him in lane two of preliminary heat six of six.
Later, he will contest the 50m freestyle event in lane four, in heat seven of eight after qualifying for the preliminary stage in a time of 21.29. At the London Olympics, Bovell finished seventh in the 50m freesyle final in 21.82 seconds. Meanwhile, Britta Steffen found herself chased by two elite men’s swimmers, holding on to a lead that was quickly shrinking. In the sport’s first top-level event featuring both genders, Steffen made sure it was ladies first. The German held off two fast-charging male swimmers to anchor her country to victory in a mixed 4x50-metre medley relay at a short-course World Cup meet that provided exactly the kind of drama organisers had been hoping for. Germany gambled by putting Steffen — a world record-holder in the 50m freestyle — on the final leg, but it proved to be a successful tactic as her teammates gave her a lead of half a pool length. Hungary’s Krisztian Takacs and Ukraine’s Sergii Frolov took off after her and closed the gap, but Steffen made sure Germany won by a comfortable margin.
Germany finished in one minute, 43.21 seconds, 2.10 seconds faster than Hungary. Ukraine was a further .58 seconds back. “I only wanted to give my best and I did,” said Steffen, surrounded by her other three teammates before they received a gold medal on the first day of the two-day meeting. A mixed freestyle relay is scheduled for today. The mixed relays, which feature two men and two women on each team, is being introduced at all eight World Cup meetings this season in what the sport’s governing body FINA says is a bid to move the sport forward. If they prove successful, FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu said mixed relays could be part of the programme at the short-course world championship in December.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), is expected to visit Trinidad for a few hours on Monday to discuss and sign a chess-in-schools programme for the country. Ilyumzhinov is expected to meet with Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh and officials of the Ministry. Also at the meeting will be Russell Smith, president of the T&T Chess Association, who is also expected to sign the agreement. The signing will represent an historic development in the history of chess in T&T as it will inaugurate the first official chess-in-schools programme, particularly one backed by FIDE, the world governing body for the sport. According to Smith, who is also General Secretary of FIDE Americas, the programme will provide the required technical expertise and be tailored to T&T conditions including the different chess skills among juniors.
Dr Gopeesingh told the Guardian yesterday that he would be happy to sign the agreement for such a programme as he believed that chess was a sport which could assist young people in learning to think logically and strategically. This is the second time that the FIDE president would be visiting T&T. His first visit was in 2010 when he officially launched the Umada Cup in Port-of-Spain. The international tournament which attracted 100 players from 15 countries, was sponsored by Ilyumzhinov. It is held alternatively every year among countries of the Caribbean. The FIDE president is dropping in on Trinidad on his way home from the UMADA cup held this year in Suriname.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt

FACILITIES WHICH were outlined as part of the sporting package in the 2012-2013 National Budget by Finance Minister Larry Howai on Monday are under construction.

In the 2011-2012 Budget presentation by then-Finance Minister Winston Dookeran, it was announced that work will begin on three new sporting venues - the National Tennis Centre in Tacarigua (next to the Eddie Hart Ground) as well as the National Aquatic Centre and the Cycling Velodrome in Couva (next to the Ato Boldon Stadium).

And Howai, on Monday, reiterated that the facilities “will be constructed in readiness for international competition and built according to international specifications to attract world-class athletes to Trinidad and Tobago to provide the required exposure to our athletes and provide the opportunity for Sport Tourism.”

Sports Minister Anil Roberts, in an interview on Monday, pointed out, “at the Eddie Hart Ground, phase one was done, with the upgrade of the car-park and so on. Then to the east of (the Ground), is the National Tennis Centre, which has begun.

“The Aquatic Centre has begun in Couva, next to the Ato Boldon (Stadium) and the Cycling Velodrome has begun,” he continued. “You’ll see work moving apace on those sites, as well as recreational grounds across Trinidad and Tobago, and most recently three grounds and three basketball courts in (Laventille).”

Finance Minister Howai said that the Sports Ministry and the Planning and Sustainable Development Ministry will jointly prepare “a marketing programme for hosting international events and aimed at encouraging international sports-men and women to come to Trinidad and Tobago, particularly during the winter months to utilise the facilities for which we are seeking appropriate franchisees.

“During their stay, they would compete with our local athletes which will assist our development to world-class standards.”

Roberts, asked about Trinidad and Tobago as a sports tourism location, replied, “we move towards the next three years to develop Sports Festivals in April and October for Trinidad and Tobago, as well as during the winter months.

“Every 10,000 tourists that we can get here will add to the annual GDP (gross domestic product) of the country by approximately $120 million,” continued Roberts. “So over the next five years, we would want to develop the sport tourism industry, where we can reach a target of 50,000 visitors to Trinidad and Tobago annually based on sport, whether it is for sporting events, whether it is for training, whether it is for competition.

“In that way, we can add to the national pie over half a billion dollars to Trinidad and Tobago’s revenue position, as we move sport to a true industry,” he ended.

-Joel Bailey

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

PRESIDENT OF the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) Larry Romany is pleased but cautious over the plans for sport which were unveiled in the National Budget, for the fiscal year 2012-2013, by Finance Minister Larry Howai on Monday.

Romany, the veteran sporting administrator, stated in an interview yesterday, “we’re always very happy to see sport get funding but the whole problem is going to be the execution of those things.”

Howai said that work will continue on the construction of three major sporting venues - the Aquatic Centre and National Velodrome (both in Balmain, Couva) and National Tennis Centre (in Tacarigua), while a lot of focus will go towards the upgrading and maintenance of a number of recreational grounds across the country.

“Those are the same things that keep coming up every year in the Budget, the fixing of fields, the building of facilities, but the real story is whether or not it will start, or when it will get off the ground,” said Romany. “It hasn’t gotten off the ground since they have announced it, and that was over two years ago.

“I think the plans for all of these facilities (were) since 2007. The same thing about fixing fields, upgrading and so forth, it comes back in every Budget.”

Romany expressed hope that, in this fiscal year, the plans will start to materialise, both with the three major venues and the community fields.

Asked if the Finance Minister’s focus on sport was a result of Trinidad and Tobago’s performance at the Olympic Games in London, England, Romany responded, “if you went back to last year’s Budget, it had the same upgrading of facilities. So it didn’t have anything really to do with the successes.

“Maybe now, with the successes, there will be a strong impetus to actually get it done. But the things that were announced, are announced on an annual basis, for the last four years.

We’re hearing it since 2007. It’s just for it to start to get off the ground.”

With regards to track and field, Romany pointed out, “I think that the development of track and field will depend heavily on the upgrade of many of the community fields. The training and the coaching of track and field is done on grass, it’s not done in the stadia.”

He continued, “the Hasely Crawford Stadium was reconditioned recently to take international meets. That is fairly adequate. I know they’re doing the one in Tobago, which is very good. Tobago has tremendous athletes.

“It will be good to do the (Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella). But, more than that, is the upgrading of the playing grounds, of the grass fields that could be levelled and so forth.

“Training and development can be done on those. That’s a very important aspect in the development of athletics,” Romany ended.

-Joel Bailey

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

Tonya Nero will be T&T’s lone representative at the 20th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Kavarna, Bulgaria on October 6.
The 23-year-old distance runner will leave for Bulgaria tomorrow and will be aiming to improve her national half-marathon mark of 1:15:42.  “My goal is to run about 1:13. I feel I can do it.  I am hoping the weather conditions will be favourable and I anticipate the competition will be great.” The multiple national record holder told the Trinidad Guardian that she has been preparing for the race. “Training has been good. I spent some time (from the end of July to September 14) working out with my former university team-mates at Wichita State (in Kansas, USA). I will be doing some easy runs (6-8 miles) before I leave on Wednesday.”  Nero indicated that since her return to Trinidad earlier this year she has been coached by NAAA Secretary Allan Baboolal and Trustee Paul Voisin. Baboolal will accompany her to Bulgaria as her coach/manager. Nero will be aiming to improve on the 54th placing by Shermin Lasaldo at the 2007 edition in Udine, Italy.

Baboolal said Nero was the lone athlete selected. “Tonya was the only athlete close to international standard.” Top local runners Richard Jones and Curtis Cox were not considered.  Jones  represented Trinidad and Tobago at three championships in 2005 (Edmonton, Canada), 2007 (Udine, Italy)  and 2008 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) with his best performance in Rio (71st -1:13.01). Nero, a former student of ASJA Girls College, is a recipient of the Ministry of Sports’ Elite Funding Assistance Programme since May and holds national records in women’s outdoor 5,000m, 10,000m half marathon and marathon and the indoor 3,000m and 5,000m events. The Maracas-resident was  seventh in the women’s 10,000m finals at the 2011 NCAA Division One Outdoor Championships and 13th in the 5,000m finals at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. In March earlier this year Nero created history when she became the first local woman to win an individual medal at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships taking second place in the senior women’s race at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain. She later missed out qualifying for the London Olympics in the women’s marathon when she ran 2:43:45 (a national record) in Rotterdam in April, missing the Olympic B mark of 2:43.00.

-Clayton Clarke

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

KANDY— West Indies needed their now customary melodrama before they could beat New Zealand in a nerve-wracking Super Over and advance to the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka yesterday. Marlon Samuels clobbered the penultimate delivery of the over from seamer Tim Southee over mid-wicket to earn the Caribbean side victory in a tense finish at the Pallekele International Stadium, after scores were locked at 139 in regulation. Even then, the Windies were not guaranteed a spot in the final four and were forced to anxiously on the outcome of the second match of the doubleheader between England and Sri Lanka. England, who started the day second in the group, went down to unbeaten Sri Lanka by 19 runs to replace West Indies in third spot and crash out of contention for a semi-final berth.
Sri Lanka had already qualified for the penultimate phase of the competition. Facing a must-win situation, West Indies were dismissed for a paltry 139 off 19.3 overs after they were sent in. Talismanic opener Chris Gayle top-scored with 30 while Kieron Pollard got 28 and Samuels, 24. Seamers Southee (3-21) and Doug Bracewell (3-31) finished with three wickets apiece while off-spinner Nathan McCullum picked up two for 19. Captain Ross Taylor then stroked a superb unbeaten 62 from 40 balls to put the Black Caps on course for a victory. However, with the Kiwis needing two from the last ball of the regulation overs, Bracewell was run out by substitute Dwayne Smith’s direct hit from mid-wicket, attempting a suicidal second run.
In the dreaded Super Over, New Zealand posted 17 runs thanks to lusty hitting from their hero Taylor who took a four and a six off the fourth and fifth deliveries sent down by off-spinner Samuels. Gayle then put the Windies ahead when he swatted the first delivery from Southee, a no-ball, over long-off for six. West Indies could only manage six runs off the next four deliveries but Samuels settled the issue in style, clearing the ropes at deep mid-wicket with a full length Southee delivery to spark wild celebrations. For the second successive game, West Indies’ powerful line-up was kept in check by disciplined bowling. Bracewell accounted for opener Johnson Charles (8) and all-rounder Andre Russell (6) who was promoted to number three, to leave the Windies on 36 for two in the fourth over.
Gayle and Samuels added 31 for the third wicket, the best stand of the innings, as they tried to kick start the scoring. The left-handed Gayle slammed three fours and two sixes off just 14 balls while Samuels hit two fours and a six off 22 deliveries. When Gayle perished to a catch at the wicket in the seventh over, Samuels put on a further 26 for the fourth wicket with Darren Bravo (16) before he hit McCullum down Southee’s throat in the deep at 87 for four in the 11th. There was no acceleration as the Windies could only muster a measly 51 runs from the last nine overs. West Indies struck early through seamer Ravi Rampaul, as Rob Nicol walked across and was adjudged lbw for three. CMC
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES
J Charles c & b Bracewell 8
C Gayle c wkp B McCullum b Southee 30
A Russell c Franklin b Bracewell 6
M Samuels c Southee b N McCullum 24
D Bravo b N McCullum 16
K Pollard c Taylor b Bracewell 2   8
+D Ramdin c Taylor b Hira 1
D Sammy c Franklin b Southee 11
S Narine  b Southee 3
S Badree b Oram 1
R Rampaul not out 1
Extras (lb2, w6, nb2) 10
TOTAL (all out, 19.3 overs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Charles, 1.5 overs), 2-36 (Russell, 3.5), 3-61 (Gayle, 6.2), 4-87 (Samuels, 10.4), 5-98 (Bravo, 12.5), 6-102 (Ramdin, 13.2), 7-123 (Sammy, 17), 8-133 (Pollard, 17.5), 9-136 (Narine, 18.3), 10-139 (Badree, 19.3)
Bowling: Mills 2-0-25-0 (nb1), Bracewell 4-0-31-3, Southee 4-0-21-3 (w2), Oram 1.3-0-17-1 (w1, nb1), Hira 4-0-24-1 (w2), McCullum 4-0-19-2.
NEW ZEALAND
R Nicol lbw b Rampaul 3
M Guptill c Samuels b Sammy 21
+B McCullum b Badree 22
R Taylor not out 62
J Franklin c Gayle b Narine 14
J Oram lbw b Narine 6
N McCullum c Charles b Narine 5
D Bracewell run out 1
Extras (lb2, w2, nb1) 5
TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs) 139
Did not bat: R Hira, T Southee, K Mills.
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Nicol, 2.2 overs), 2-41 (B McCullum, 7.2), 3-52 (Guptill, 9), 4-85 (Franklin, 13), 5-115 (Oram, 16.4), 6-125 (N McCullum, 18.3), 7-139 (Bracewell, 20)
Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-23-1, Badree 4-0-18-1, Narine 4-0-20-3 (nb1), Sammy 4-0-35-1 (w1), Pollard 2-0-13-0, Gayle 1-0-15-0, Samuels 1-0-13-0 (w1).
Result: West Indies won via Super Over.
Points: West Indies 2, New Zealand 0
Series: West Indies qualify for semi-finals.
Man-of-the-Match: Sunil Narine.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt

These days I find myself spending a lot of time trying to make sense of what is taking place here in T&T. A lot of what is happening does not make sense, at least for the neutrals that have no political allegiances or association, if you are in the middle and count your only allegiance as simply being for T&T. As such, common sense and right thinking are the baseline considerations not politics. It is bewildering and frustrating. It’s a minefield out there and any misstep could prove detrimental. Yesterday was Budget day and one had expected that the way forward would be clear. Yet again politics seems to have trumped common sense.
Recently I read a Washington Post column by Robert J Samuelson in it he made an interesting observation on the dilemma of democracy. Samuelson said: “People want their leaders to tell the truth, but they often don’t want to hear the truth. Genuine leaders escape this trap by persuading public opinion to acknowledge distasteful problems. But these leaders are rare. Most pursue immediate popularity over truth even if this deepens long-term public mistrust.” Root and branch review of financial spending is a must if any organisation is to avoid wasteful spending. Budgets and the process of formulating a budget are supposed to present a clear direction and strategy as to the vision, aims and objectives. It is also supposed to present an opportunity to assess and evaluate.  Sport is no exception, in this respect calls by both the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company for audited accounts and justification for the use of public funds is a necessary feature of good and transparent governance.
It is essential that both the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company hold and call National Sport Organisations(NSOs) to account. Anyone who takes issue with such a requirement should be looked at with caution. It is imperative that national sport organisations operate above board. However demands that NSOs properly and independently account for public funds must be against a background of fair play. In so far as the Ministry and Sport Company is perceived by NSOs as placing demands that they themselves are not prepared to meet leads to credibility and trust issues. In sports, as in life, hard work and honesty matters. As do ethics and doing things right. The fact that both the Ministry and Sport Company control the purse strings can either be a carrot or a big stick. When the big stick approach is applied resentment builds. As will the perception of unequal treatment. Right now the operating environment is perceived as fear and big-stick based.

Goodwill is essential for any human endeavour to thrive far less survive. But for any review to be effective it must begin with everyone looking at themselves first. Fix your own house first before you focus on fixing any other house. How then do we deal with the current reality where the public has a natural distrust of politicians and leaders? Sport is an expression of culture and each sport brings with it a unique culture. It is necessary that there be respect for different cultures. In the push to professionalise local sport there is a grave danger that those who are being paid will forget that sport anywhere in the world thrives because people give their time for free for children and young people to simply be able to play. Why a root and branch review? Why budget? Why plan? Why evaluate and measure? Somewhere along the line we have to come to the realisation that we can do much better. That there is improvement and that we are far from making optimum use of the potential, talent and resources.

-Brian Lewis

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Senior national men’s rugby coach, Larry Mendez, is confident that the recently announced new promotion and relegation system introduced by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for its HSBC Sevens World Series presents an open window of opportunity for Caribbean rugby unions dreaming of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics. “The IRB has gone a long way in creating a level playing field. It’s still going to be hard for a Caribbean nation to qualify from the North America and Caribbean region given the disparity in funding and infrastructure between, Canada, Mexico and USA. However in my view Olympic qualification is not pie in the sky. I encourage the Caribbean to give it a serious go and don't be intimidated and  lack self belief or self confidence.”
In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, Mendez is determined and dedicated with giving Rio 2016 Olympic qualification a committed effort. “The Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) is seeking to put sport science support in place with the Sport Company High Performance Unit. The current nineteen member national 7s training squad will have their strength and conditioning needs evaluated. And the appropriate preparation programme will be designed ,implemented and supervised by the High Performance Unit. It’s a start and an important one at that. I am adopting the approach of New Zealand 7s rugby coaching legend Gordon Tietjens.He has a fearsome and zero tolerance attitude towards fitness , discipline, work ethic and team spirit. To begin with his team must always be the fittest. The All Blacks record in 7s rugby speaks for itself.” New Zealand’s (All Blacks) Sevens coach of 18 years Gordon Tietjens has been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame. Under him , the All Blacks  won 10 IRB World Series , a Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2001 and all four Commonwealth Games gold medals contested to date.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Last year’s finalist Stag Trinidad Northern will return to the final of the T&T Rugby Football Union (T&TRFU) Marcus Minshall Cup after whipping Rainbow Sport and Culture Club 74-7 when the two teams met in the last four stage, at Harvard Pitch, Queen’s Park Savannah, on Saturday.
The win put Northern into the title deciding match against Harvard, which defeated Royalians 46-5, at the same time. Northern, which has been struggling in the Championship Division league competition this season, took one step further in an attempt to cop silverware this season, albeit at the expense of a fringe Rainbow team. Brad Soulette gave Northern the perfect start with an early try, which was cancelled out by a response from Rainbow’s top player Agboola Silverthorne. The equalizer was converted by Themba Jack, giving the Marabella club a 7-5 lead. However, a flurry of tries put Northern in a commanding position to lead 36-7 at the half, before going on to crush the usually plucky Rainbow team by a whopping 67 point margin.
Soulette found a second try in the match, Jerome Maxime and Michael Augustus scored four and three tries, respectively. Cubison Thorne, Quami Felix and Andrew Crooks all got on the scoresheet with one try each, with Justin McLean successfully converting seven of the 12 tries. Harvard, which are in contention for both the league and knockout titles, meanwhile, had a similarly easy task against its semifinal opposition. The winning team opened with a try from Tariq Cheekes, which was converted by Ryan Hinckson, followed just minutes later by a try from Wayne Kelly. Royalians, which stunned champions Caribs by a one-point victory in the semifinal two weeks ago, looked to be on a comeback when Trizine McLean touched down to cut the deficit by seven points. However, his try went unconverted, as with a penalty attempt just moments before by the usually reliable Kelson Figaro. In the second half, it was all Harvard. A pair of tries from both Claudius Butts and David Quashie, along with a lone try from Hinckson and a second from Cheekes, sealed a comfortable victory in the end. Hinckson also added to his try by converting two more efforts in the second half.
Harvard and Northern will meet in the final, of which a venue and date is yet to be confirmed. In the Women’s Knockout match scheduled for Saturday, Caribs was a no-show, handing Romans a default 28-0 win and entry into the final. However, on Sunday, the other last four match was played with Royalians defeating Police 69-0. The tries came from Jenilee Lemada and Kwanieze John, both of whom scored hat-tricks, a pair from Dalia Jordan-Brown, and single tries from Ebony Young, Alesha Bruce, Talia Wilson and Ayana Skeete. John also scored two conversions. Meanwhile, champions Caribs was able to turn its attention from its untimely exit from the knockout competition, by  returning to the top of the TTRFU Toyota Championship Division standings, with a 104-12 blowout of Police, in the final rescheduled match. The expected win and bonus point put Caribs, which has won every league match thus far, three points ahead of Harvard.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt