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

Often people think sports and they think “fun” or “anything goes” but the sports and sports medicine industry is a business like any other industry and in T&T is not an easy one to manoeuvre within, much like any other industry here. Many young graduates return home with visions and dreams to do their part to make things better here, only to find themselves either changing careers or searching for any opportunity to leave.



Most people would have heard the story about the two shoe salesmen. Two shoe salesmen from competing companies were sent to a foreign country to assess the market potential for selling shoes there. They both did their research and came up with the same conclusion: nobody there wore shoes. Both went to the same telegraph company with the same assessment except the message of shoe salesman one said that there was no opportunity because no one in the country wore shoes while the other sent that it was a fantastic opportunity because no one in the country wore shoes.



Isn’t this what life is usually about? Perspective! When two authorities on a topic disagree on a point it is often about perspective and what influences that perspective. In the story of the two salesmen, the conclusions arrived at by each salesman was based on their strengths and their ability to deliver successfully within the given environment.



On a blog I came across, I read one man’s account of the rest of the story. Apparently salesman number one returned home and went on to build a successful business in ladies dress shoes in a new marketing territory that included another first-world country, France. He became extremely wealthy and lived a secure and comfortable life.



Salesman two set up shop in the foreign country in pursuit of his vision. He projected sales of 15,000 in his first year of business but was disappointed to realize less than 100 sales. The project was in jeopardy. Payroll cuts were made, threats of abandonment made by home office, the general atmosphere in the company was anxious and depressed, etc. By all standards, the first year appeared to be a failure.



Wait! The story goes on. During that first year, salesman two, being the type of entrepreneur-minded individual he was, spent the year monitoring the market’s behavior—some things that he had missed when he first researched the market.



He learnt that many liked the “idea” of shoes but found them to be claustrophobic and did not like having to constantly stop to empty the sand from them. So, he started to bring in sandals. Another segment of his market had no interest in wearing shoes and rather enjoyed being bare-footed. However, they would often cut their feet on rocks and debris. So, salesman two found a lotion made by a German firm that would toughen up the soles of the feet. In an area completely unrelated to feet, he started to bring in straw hats and walking sticks for this population that spent many hours in the hot days, walking.



Year two he broke even. Year 3 was a little better again. The hats were a hit, he could not keep enough of the lotion in stock and he had developed a niche market for his shoes. It wasn’t until seven years later that salesman two became a millionaire.



In T&T, the same scenario seems to play out all the time in the sports industry. New generations of professionals, energetic and eager return home only to realize how differently things operate here from the world they trained in and how unreceptive it is. Feelings of frustration and despondence step in quickly. They become misunderstood and accused of being pompous when they come with only good intentions. Still, this is the real world. School does not prepare you for this part.



To be adaptable does not mean you have to lower your standards but it does mean humbling yourself to understand your new environment. There is a lot of trial and error involved which is why alliances are important but it is possible to gradually develop a niche. Like salesman two, diversifying may be necessary which brings new opportunities for learning but embrace such challenges and as best you can and never stop believing in the change you can make.



Often the young graduate says, “I need to unlearn everything I learned in school,” but this is not the answer. It is more about building on that knowledge and applying it appropriately, like salesman two did. He did not give up, he just remained diligent.

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A two-year project to renovate and rebuild the headquarters of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has been announced today, meaning that employees will have to vacate the premises on a temporary basis.

Workers are due to move out of the office in the Frankfurt Otto-Fleck-lane site on June 18, and move into temporary premises six kilometres away on the road to Neu-Isenburg, five days later.

House One, where DOSB officials are based, will be completely rebuilt, while House Two, where other sporting federations and institutions are housed, will be partially renovated.

The news was announced by the DOSB following an Executive Board meeting today, the last such meeting to be held at the headquarters before renovation begins.

DOSB director general Michael Vesper claimed the work is necessary because the office is comparable with a "dinosaur" and "in no way longer meet the requirements of a modern, functional and prestigious office building".

Alfons Hörmann, who replaced Thomas Bach as DOSB President last December, added "the decision for the new building is also a long-term decision for Frankfurt", while vice-president Hans-Peter Krämer claimed they "want to make the headquarters fit for the future".

Krämer explained that the project, muted since 2011, is now confirmed, and that this is possible only due to the financial support provided from the city of Frankfurt and the federal state of Hesse, for which they are "very grateful".

The project will be monitored by regular meetings of a specially convened DOSB Planning Committee, and it is hoped the renovated building will be fully open for use by 2016.

Following the release of a new logo earlier this month, the decision to develop new headquarters marks the latest stage of a modernisation process currently ongoing within the DOSB.

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Michael Johnson Performance have continued their expansion into the football market ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Ivory Coast national football team have announced that they will base themselves at the world renowned Michael Johnson Performance Centre in Dallas before they head to Brazil.

The squad, which includes world stars Didier Drogba, Gervinho, Yaya and Kolo Toure face Colombia, Greece and Japan in Group C, will be using the world class Michael Johnson Performance facilities prior to their friendly against El Salvador at the Toyota Stadium in Dallas.

This follows the launch of Michael Johnson Performance at St. George’s Park in the UK in partnership with Perform at England’s National Football Centre.

Founder and former Olympic and World Champion, Michael Johnson, commented; “We are delighted to welcome Ivory Coast to Michael Johnson Performance for their World Cup preparation.

“It is a significant step into the football industry for MJP and continues to cement our position within the market.

“The pre season preparation programme has been very well received in the UK and I am personally looking forward to coming to the UK and coaching some of the sessions in June.”

MJP is known widely in the US as the destination for NFL athletes for off-season training and conditioning and recently launched its UK HQ at St George’s Park, in an attempt to bring its outstanding facilities and coaching expertise to football.

The UK Pre-Season programme will create bespoke training for athletes including a focus on speed, injury prevention, nutrition analysis and support, massage and physiotherapy, mental skills training and more.

MJP, founded by the former World and Olympic champion Michael Johnson, operates training centres and trains athletes around the world, including some of the world’s most recognisable elite, professional, and Olympic athletes and teams.

Former athletes that have been through the MJP experience include, Detriot Lions’ Ndamukong Suh, Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner, Baltimore Ravens’ Michael Oher and 400m World Champion Jehue Gordon.

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In some vital aspects, sport in T&T remains very much in the dark ages, in particular, in respect to concepts such as long-term athlete development (LTAD), sport science, good governance, sports law, sports marketing and sport management.
Since 1997 the TTOC has hosted numerous workshops and seminars in an effort to build capacity within NSOs. UWI and UTT cannot be faulted. Dunning-Kruger, however, remains pronounced. However, there is a silver lining behind the dark cloud. As there is a growing band of young men and women who have studied and qualified in sport science technologies or sport management. Practitioners don’t have it easy as they find themselves between the proverbial rock and hard place—pioneers and therefore a bit ahead of their time.
Asking these young and passionate newcomers to volunteer their time and effort in a labour of love is a bit harsh. But unfortunately it is the reality of the situation. The perception may be somewhat different. But that is just what it is—perception, not reality. No national team can survive, far less, thrive in the international crucible without legal and ethical sport science interventions. It is impossible to get on to the podium without the use of sports science and all its branches. It is also difficult to raise participation levels and retention rates without a LTAD approach to sport development.In the modern world of sport, sportsmen and women are given individual programmes and daily computerised data on their training performances, the attention to detail ensures that every move is now monitored and analysed.
National teams adopt the GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking device. Worn in training vests, the GPS tracker enables sports scientists to give an individual rundown of each athlete’s performance following training. Heart-rate monitors, ice baths, vitamin D beds, deep-freeze refrigeration technology, eye coaches, Tai Chi.
There are gravity-free treadmills and underwater treadmills. World class sportsmen and women now include yoga as part of their fitness routine. Computerised analysis of opponents is the new norm rather than the exception to the rule. Many of our NSOs are populated by traditionalists who refuse to adapt their thinking to the modern realities of grassroots and elite level sport and as a result continue to place our athletes—elite, age grade and developing in situations where they can only fail. They live in the past—their thinking and methods locked in backward time travel, in an age where Facebook, the Internet and GPS are now part of everyday conversations in sport. NSOs must embrace the modern realities and challenges. Instead of beating a steady path to the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company begging for a hand out as if money is the panacea. The responsibility of regulating, administrating, managing, marketing and developing a particular sport is the purview of national and international governing bodies. Through the process of affiliation with international bodies NSOs are granted the exclusive right to run their respective sport. NSOs must remember they are membership bodies and not public authorities.
Addressing the problems, solving the issues and meeting the challenges head on cannot be delegated. Sport leaders must lead. Sport leaders must innovate, create and inspire. Lead from the front. Don’t pass the buck. In the absence of vibrant, dynamic well organised NSOs, it can be argued there is no need for a Ministry of Sport or Sport Company. There is an evolution taking place in 21st century T&T. It is exciting. T&T Sport can be a legitimate and authentic contributor to this evolution. But NSOs cannot solve modern problems with caveman tools.

Source

In some vital aspects, sport in T&T remains very much in the dark ages, in particular, in respect to concepts such as long-term athlete development (LTAD), sport science, good governance, sports law, sports marketing and sport management.
Since 1997 the TTOC has hosted numerous workshops and seminars in an effort to build capacity within NSOs. UWI and UTT cannot be faulted. Dunning-Kruger, however, remains pronounced. However, there is a silver lining behind the dark cloud. As there is a growing band of young men and women who have studied and qualified in sport science technologies or sport management. Practitioners don’t have it easy as they find themselves between the proverbial rock and hard place—pioneers and therefore a bit ahead of their time.
Asking these young and passionate newcomers to volunteer their time and effort in a labour of love is a bit harsh. But unfortunately it is the reality of the situation. The perception may be somewhat different. But that is just what it is—perception, not reality. No national team can survive, far less, thrive in the international crucible without legal and ethical sport science interventions. It is impossible to get on to the podium without the use of sports science and all its branches. It is also difficult to raise participation levels and retention rates without a LTAD approach to sport development.In the modern world of sport, sportsmen and women are given individual programmes and daily computerised data on their training performances, the attention to detail ensures that every move is now monitored and analysed.
National teams adopt the GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking device. Worn in training vests, the GPS tracker enables sports scientists to give an individual rundown of each athlete’s performance following training. Heart-rate monitors, ice baths, vitamin D beds, deep-freeze refrigeration technology, eye coaches, Tai Chi.
There are gravity-free treadmills and underwater treadmills. World class sportsmen and women now include yoga as part of their fitness routine. Computerised analysis of opponents is the new norm rather than the exception to the rule. Many of our NSOs are populated by traditionalists who refuse to adapt their thinking to the modern realities of grassroots and elite level sport and as a result continue to place our athletes—elite, age grade and developing in situations where they can only fail. They live in the past—their thinking and methods locked in backward time travel, in an age where Facebook, the Internet and GPS are now part of everyday conversations in sport. NSOs must embrace the modern realities and challenges. Instead of beating a steady path to the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company begging for a hand out as if money is the panacea. The responsibility of regulating, administrating, managing, marketing and developing a particular sport is the purview of national and international governing bodies. Through the process of affiliation with international bodies NSOs are granted the exclusive right to run their respective sport. NSOs must remember they are membership bodies and not public authorities.
Addressing the problems, solving the issues and meeting the challenges head on cannot be delegated. Sport leaders must lead. Sport leaders must innovate, create and inspire. Lead from the front. Don’t pass the buck. In the absence of vibrant, dynamic well organised NSOs, it can be argued there is no need for a Ministry of Sport or Sport Company. There is an evolution taking place in 21st century T&T. It is exciting. T&T Sport can be a legitimate and authentic contributor to this evolution. But NSOs cannot solve modern problems with caveman tools.

Source

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee( TTOC) will  develop a good governance code for National Sport Organizations and Governing bodies affiliated to the national Olympic Committee.
The TTOC  with the support of Olympic Solidarity host annually between  4 to 6 sport administration courses.  
The objective is to build the sport administration ,sport management and sport governance capacity within national sport organizations.
The development of a good governance code for sport is the natural next step.
Good governance within sport organizations is an absolute necessity  and critical success factor if sport in Trinidad and Tobago is to achieve sustainable growth and development and fulfill its potential.
The TTOC in this regard will be proactive in facilitating the development and acceptance of a good governance code for national sport organizations.

HSBC World Sevens Series champions New Zealand have named an 18 man initial squad for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with 3 Super Rugby players included and the experience Cama returns

Sir Gordon Tietjens has rewarded Crusaders backline utility Adam Whitelock with a spot in his initial sevens squad for the Commonwealth Games.

Tietjens has named an 18 man squad which includes Super Rugby players Kurt Baker and Pita Ahki.

Whitelock was called up for the last two legs of the just completed world series and Sir Gordon Tietjens believes he has more to show.

"Adams been at two tournaments and expressed real interest in sevens and certainly performed when he needed to over the season as well."

Meanwhile, veteran duo Tomasi Cama and Lote Raikabula have been re-called after missing the last two legs of the world series.

Tietjens says their experience becomes invaluable at a tournament like this.

He says going to a Commonwealth Games it's very hard to take new players and Cama and Raikabula are too good to look past when in form.

Six players will be dropped before the team heads to Glasgow in July.

Source

Women claim bronze medal

T&T’s national women’s 4x100m celebrated this country’s first ever medal at the IAAF World Relay Championship, when the foursome, anchored by Kai Selvon clocked 42.66 seconds to claim bronze, in Nassau, Bahamas, on Saturday.

The bronze medal-winning women, which also included Kamaria Durant, Michelle-Lee Ahye and Reyare Thomas, finished behind the United States (41.88) and Jamaica (42.28). T&T moved into the final after finishing second in the opening heat, and third overall with a season-best 42.59, behind the US (42.29).

T&T bowed out of both the women’s 4x200 and 4x800m final after failing to complete either.

T&T claimed bronze in the 4x400m in a time of 2:58.34, a new national record. First was the USA with 2:57.25. Third was Bahamas with a time of 2:57.59.

T&T claimed silver in the men’s 4x100m relay edging Great Britain into third place in a time of 38.04, a season best. Jamaica won the event with a time of 37.77.

The T&T team 4x100 team included Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Rondel Sorillo and Richard Thompson.

Speaking after the final, both Ahye and Durant said they were pleased at the result. “(It) Felt really good for the whole team. (I’m) really happy that we were able to get a medal, especially since it was the first for Trinidad and Tobago. Also, I thought the competition was tough and we had to run our hearts out,” said Ahye.

Durant said it was important for T&T to get a medal since it was the first ever World Relay Championship.

“First time medalling for Trinidad and Tobago, so really excited about that,” she said, adding, “(I) thought the track was really fast and the competition on the whole was very exciting.”

Unfortunately, T&T’s 4x400m women: Shawna Fermin, Domonique Williams, Romona Modeste and Alena Brooks, failed to make it past the heats. T&T (3:30.91) finished fourth behind Nigeria (3:27.07), Brazil (3:30.37) and Italy (3:30.67) in Heat One, and ninth overall.

T&T’s men’s 4x400m team, comprising Lalonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon (two of four runners in T&T’s bronze medal team at the 2012 Olympics), Renny Quow and Machel Cedenio eased into last night’s final after placing second (3:01.06) in the heat, behind a star-studded Olympic champion team, the Bahamas, which set the Championship record in 3:00.30.

Bahamas ran with all four runners, Chris Brown, Michael Mathieu, Demetrius Pinder and Ramon Miller, who led the country to glory in 2012. Overall, T&T finished third in the heats, behind Great Britain (3:00.74). T&T lined up in lane five in the final.

The highlight of the inaugural World Relays on Saturday, was Jamaica’s 4x200m which smashed the world record with a gold medal run in 1:18.63. Anchored by multiple Olympic medialist Yohan Blake, the Jamaicans led a Caribbean-strong final, which saw St Kitts finish runner-up in 1:20.51, and Barbados fourth in 1:21.88. France took third in 1:20.66.

Source

Trinidad and Tobago produced a sizzling run in the men’s 4x400 metres final, at the IAAF World Relays, here in Nassau, Bahamas, late yesterday.

Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow, Machel Cedenio and Jarrin Solomon captured bronze at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, establishing a new national record in the process--two minutes, 58.34 seconds.

Gordon put T&T in pole position with a strong leadoff leg. Quow was impressive too, and when Cedenio got the baton he was second, marginally behind Bahamas’ Chris Brown.

Solomon also received the baton second, but LaShawn Merritt was right on his shoulder. The American moved past the T&T anchor with about 150 metres to go.

The urgings of a 15,000-strong crowd were not enough to propel Bahamian Michael Mathieu over the line ahead of Merritt, the world champion overhauling his fellow-anchor to hand United States gold in 2:57.25. Bahamas clocked 2:57.59 to take silver.

After press time, last night, T&T hunted precious metal in the men’s 4x100m event.

Running in heat one in the qualifying round, Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Rondel Sorrillo and Richard "Torpedo" Thompson combined for a 38.09 seconds clocking—good enough for second spot and an automatic berth in last night’s championship race.

Great Britain finished first in heat one in 37.93.

Jamaica went into the final as the fastest qualifiers, the northern Caribbean team clocking 37.71 seconds. Great Britain and T&T were second and third fastest, respectively.

In the women’s 4x400m “B” final, Shawna Fermin, Alena Brooks, Magnolia Howell and Romona Modeste produced a 3:33.21 effort to finish fourth.

Australia emerged victorious in 3:31.01, forcing Bahamas (3:31.71) to settle for the runner-up spot. Canada (3:32.58) finished third.

In the “A” final, the Americans grabbed gold in 3:21.73, while silver went to Jamaica (3:23.26) and bronze to Nigeria (3:23.41).

T&T were non-finishers in the women’s 4x200m and 4x800m events.

In the 4x2, the first exchange, between Michelle-Lee Ahye and Reyare Thomas, was never completed, and Kai Selvon and Kamaria Durant were left stranded.

United States (1:29.45), Great Britain (1:29.61) and Jamaica (1:30.04) earned gold, silver and bronze, respectively.

Jessica James ran the opening leg for T&T in the 4x800m, and at the end of her two laps she trailed the field.

Fermin was charged with second leg duties, but was unable to complete her assignment. Her injury did not seem serious, but the discomfort was sufficient for Fermin to abort her run.

Neither Brooks nor Modeste got the opportunity to break a sweat.

United States were golden in the event in 8:01.58. Kenya clocked 8:04.28 to secure silver, while bronze was bagged by the Russians in 8:08.19.

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Kamaria Durant, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Reyare Thomas and Kai Selvon re-wrote the history books at the Thomas Robinson National Stadium here in Nassau, Bahamas, on Saturday night. They teamed up for the first-ever global medal from a Trinidad and Tobago women’s relay team, and also became the country’s first podium finishers at the inaugural IAAF World Relays.

The T&T quartet completed their lap of the track in 42.66 seconds, edging Nigeria (42.67) into fourth spot. The Americans, anchored by Lekeisha Lawson, claimed gold in 41.88, while silver went to Jamaica in 42.28.

Durant, the newest member of the team, ran the leadoff leg for T&T. “It was exciting being in a final,” Durant told the Express, “and being with these girls. I don’t even know what to say because I know these girls have been in it longer than me and I know they’ve been longing for it. Just to be with them is an achievement. I’m very happy.”

Ahye was superb on the back straight, the in-form sprinter setting up T&T’s push for precious metal. “Yes, the door has officially opened,” Ahye declared after the race. “Look out for us more in finals and on the podium.”

The experienced Thomas ran the third leg for T&T, handing the baton to Selvon. Thomas was a relieved woman on Saturday night. “It has been years the women tried to mount the podium, so this was a great opportunity.”

Selvon, who outduelled Nigeria anchor Francesca Okwara in a keen battle for bronze, was also thrilled to be part of a victory ceremony at a global championship. “We’ve been working at it for a long time. We’re just happy to see we pulled through this time and we executed. We’re proud of one another.”

Source

THE HASELY Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo will be the stage for Trinidad and Tobago’s clash with  Barbados, in a Men's 2014 15-a-side North America and Caribbean Rugby Association(NACRA) Championship encounter.
Trinidad and Tobago,  the reigning South division champions, will go into battle with Barbados at 4 pm.
Last year, the Calypso Warriors lost 26-18 to USA South in the NACRA final played  at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo Road.
Trinidad & Tobago last won the NACRA 15s Rugby Championship in 2008. They are the reigning NACRA 7s champions.
Curtis Nero,  Manager of the Trinidad and Tobago team, said that the local players are hard in training and  determined to get past Barbados .
Adam Frederick, the TT captain, said that the home advantage will play a big part  and urges the public to come out and support the Calypso Warriors.
Trinidad and Tobago team - Adam Frederick (captain), John Hill, Mark Griffith, Felician Guerra, Aaron Rocke, Trizene Mc Lean, Kareem Figaro, Jamal Clark, Shaquille Tull, Gordon Dalgliesh, Rowell Gordon, Wayne Kelly, Jonathan O’Connor, Jamal Frank, Aasan Lewis, Agboola Silverthorn, Anton Celestine, James Phillip, Anthony Lopez, Keishon Walker, David Gokool, Joseph Quashie, Daryl Scott, Andre Cabrera, Justin Mc Lean, Anderson Joseph.
The  NACRA championships is divided into two competitions and four divisions, with a relegation/promotion system play-off integrated as well.
The two competitions are the Championship League and the Cup League. The Championship League consists of two three team divisions with Bermuda, Cayman and the USA South making up the North, while Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are in the South division.  Teams play a round robin schedule during May and June with the top team from each division playing June 28th to determine NACRA supremacy.

THE HASELY Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo will be the stage for Trinidad and Tobago’s clash with  Barbados, in a Men's 2014 15-a-side North America and Caribbean Rugby Association(NACRA) Championship encounter.
Trinidad and Tobago,  the reigning South division champions, will go into battle with Barbados at 4 pm.
Last year, the Calypso Warriors lost 26-18 to USA South in the NACRA final played  at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo Road.
Trinidad & Tobago last won the NACRA 15s Rugby Championship in 2008. They are the reigning NACRA 7s champions.
Curtis Nero,  Manager of the Trinidad and Tobago team, said that the local players are hard in training and  determined to get past Barbados .
Adam Frederick, the TT captain, said that the home advantage will play a big part  and urges the public to come out and support the Calypso Warriors.
Trinidad and Tobago team - Adam Frederick (captain), John Hill, Mark Griffith, Felician Guerra, Aaron Rocke, Trizene Mc Lean, Kareem Figaro, Jamal Clark, Shaquille Tull, Gordon Dalgliesh, Rowell Gordon, Wayne Kelly, Jonathan O’Connor, Jamal Frank, Aasan Lewis, Agboola Silverthorn, Anton Celestine, James Phillip, Anthony Lopez, Keishon Walker, David Gokool, Joseph Quashie, Daryl Scott, Andre Cabrera, Justin Mc Lean, Anderson Joseph.
The  NACRA championships is divided into two competitions and four divisions, with a relegation/promotion system play-off integrated as well.
The two competitions are the Championship League and the Cup League. The Championship League consists of two three team divisions with Bermuda, Cayman and the USA South making up the North, while Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are in the South division.  Teams play a round robin schedule during May and June with the top team from each division playing June 28th to determine NACRA supremacy.

Baku 2015 today announced Procter & Gamble (P&G) as its first sponsor for the inaugural European Games.

The company will back the first ever Games in a deal which will see Baku 2015 promoted via P&G products across Azerbaijan.

"We would like to welcome Procter & Gamble as the first official partner of the European Games," said Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports and chief executive of Baku 2015.

"I am sure with their support we can help promote the Games across the whole of Azerbaijan."

The deal is a coup for Baku 2015 as P&G, an American multinational consumer goods company whose headquarters are in Cincinnati, are also a TOP Olympic sponsor.

Its "Thank You, Mom" campaign for London 2012 and Sochi 2014 was widely hailed as a great success.

The deal was announced on the eve of a meeting of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee here tomorrow, which is due to be followed by the EOC Seminar on Thursday and Friday (May 23 and 24) when Baku 2015 are due to make a presentation to the 49 National Olympic Committees who will compete in the Games.

Taygun Gunay, director of P&G Azerbaijan, said: "P&G is very proud of the partnership with Baku 2015 and considers this as a natural continuation of its successful on-going cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and Azeri National Olympic Committee.

"The agreement that we sign today demonstrates the united purposes of the Baku 2015 European Games - to improve life through sport – and of P&G to touch and improve people's lives.

"P&G will support the Baku 2015 European Games through its world-class brand-building capability and retail customer relationships in virtually every retail outlet in Azerbaijan.

"We see high potential in the Azerbaijan market.

"We plan to continue investing in this market and bring benefits to the local community."

It is estimated that P&G products, including Ariel, Duracell, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Vicks and Wella, serve nearly five billion people around the world.

"Procter & Gamble have a long-standing history of supporting major international sports events and we are delighted to be welcoming them on board as our first official partner," said Charlie Wijeratna, the Baku 2015 commercial director,

"As a company, they understand the importance of using the power of sport to help change lives for the better and that is why they are a perfect partner for the first ever European Games."

Source

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee has stated that the matter involving the outstanding payments due to the 13 2006 World Cup players is very much on the front burner for his administration.

Speaking on Monday, Tim Kee emphasised the need for the matter to be put to rest, adding however that the TTFA was not in possession of the necessary funds at this time. “I wish to categorically state that this matter is still very much on the front burner. As a matter of fact, if we had the funds now, these players would get their monies today or tomorrow,” Tim Kee stated.

He added that the timing of the release by the players was questionable with the country set to play two of its biggest international matches in some time and collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism to promote the country in Buenos Aires with the launch of supporters charter for the game at the Estadio Monumental on June 4.

“Perhaps there is the belief that the TTFA will acquire a large sum of funds from this game which is not true. Argentina will not pay a large sum of money to a country like Trinidad and Tobago. Instead it would have to be the reverse but we were quite willing to accept the invitation to play them as they will cover our expenses in Argentina in terms of accommodation and so on and the same goes for the Iran game,” he explained.

“What we may benefit from is the charter being arranged with the  Ministry of Tourism which will see fans purchasing packages from which money will go back into the TTFA for development.

“Even so, it’s not a huge amount. But rest assured that while we are still short of funds, that all efforts are being made to acquire the funding to pay the players. And you will recall that when I came into office that was one of the very first things we did last year which was making a payment of around ten million. We have some outstanding amount for them which we are seeking at this point in time,” Tim Kee added.

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Steve Waithe captured the men’s triple jump title, at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Indiana, USA, on the weekend. The Pennsylvania State University student jumped 15.85 metres.

Waithe also competed in the men’s long jump, the Trinidad and Tobago athlete finishing fourth with a 7.32m leap.

University of Iowa senior, Carissa Leacock was fifth in the women’s long jump (6.09m) and 12th in the triple jump (12.00m).

Last Thursday, at the USATF (USA Track & Field) New York Twilight Series Meet, Lalonde Gordon clocked 20.47 seconds to win the men’s 200 metres event. Another T&T athlete, Andre Marcano was sixth in 21.91.

Marcano emerged victorious in the men’s 100m final in 10.38 seconds. Adrian Crichlow got home in 10.60 to finish fifth. Gordon was third fastest in the preliminaries in 10.62, but opted out of the final.

At the Summit League Outdoor Championships, in North Dakota, on the weekend, Deborah John grabbed gold in the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.75 seconds. The North Dakota State University student had clocked 13.67 in the qualifying round.

In the 100m final, John got to the line in 12.45 seconds to finish sixth. Her preliminary round time was 12.14.

Deandra Daniel seized silver in the women’s high jump, at the ECAC/IC4A Outdoor Championships, in New Jersey. The Coppin State University sophomore cleared 1.82m. Another T&T athlete, Morgan State University’s Jeanelle Ovid went over the bar at 1.68m to finish 13th.

Haysean Cowie-Clarke was 14th overall in the men’s 100m dash in 10.85 seconds. His Coppin State teammate, Mark London returned a time of one minute, 51.03 seconds for 18th spot in the men’s 800m.

And Morgan State’s Emmanuel Stewart was 27th in the men’s javelin (57.76m) and 28th in the discus (38.95m).

Kai Selvon bagged women’s 100m bronze at the American Track League meet, in Georgia, the T&T sprinter getting home in 11.48 seconds. Geronne Black (11.85) was 11th overall.

At the Conference USA Outdoor Championships, in Texas, Robert Collingwood threw a personal best 18.23m to finish third in the men’s shot put. His twin brother and University of Southern Mississippi teammate, Richard Collingwood was fourth with a 16.45m effort.

Richard threw 47.41m to finish 11th in the discus.

Florida International University (FIU) sprinter, T’Keyah Dumoy was ninth in the women’s 200m (24.33) and 19th in the 100m (11.93). And in the women’s triple jump, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) junior Aeisha McDavid finished 26th with a 10.85m effort.

Emmanuel Callender was fifth in the Georgia Tech Invitational men’s 100m final in 10.50 seconds. He had produced a 10.40 run in his qualifying heat. In the 200m, Callender (21.48) was 14th fastest.

Ade Alleyne-Forte finished eighth in the men’s 400m in 47.14 seconds, while Pilar McShine clocked 4:30.53 for 10th spot in the women’s 1500m.

And at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting, in China, on Sunday, T&T’s Mikel Thomas was eighth in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.64 seconds.

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This Saturday Trinidad & Tobago Senior Men’s National 15s Team will start their defence of its 15-a-side Caribbean Championship Title against Barbados at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, with a kick off time of 4:00 p.m.  Trinidad & Tobago, who relinquished this title some years ago, is eager to successfully defend its Title and show dominance over the Caribbean Islands.

The always calm Team Manager, Curtis Nero says that the Team is hard at training and is quite confident of victory over the ever improving Bajans.  The Team will be captained by veteran Adam Frederick, who has stated that his team knows what is required to defeat the Bajans.  He also reiterated that the home advantage will play a big part in his Team’s success and urges the public to come out and grant that support.

The Trinidad & Tobago Team will take twelve players from the Team that defeated the Bajans in 2013 and as such it is felt that we are well equipped to deal with anything the Bajans may throw at us.

The Team is listed as follows:
John Hill
Mark Griffith
Felician Guerra
Aaron Rocke
Trizene Mc Lean
Kareem Figaro
Jamal Clark
Shaquille Tull
Gordon Dalgliesh
Rowell Gordon
Wayne Kelly
Adam Frederick (Captain)
Jonathan O’Connor
Jamal Frank
Aasan Lewis
Agboola Silverthorn
Anton Celestine
James Phillip
Anthony Lopez
Keishon Walker
David Gokool
Joseph Quashie
Daryl Scott
Andre Cabera
Justin Mc Lean
Anderson Joseph

During the bpTT/Michael Johnson Performance (MJP)/Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) high performance workshop held last week at Olympic House. Lance Walker, MJP’s global performance director of MJP expressed the point of view that the much talked about T&T carnival mentality is a blessing that can be used to drive, develop and maintain a high performance culture and mind set.

As set out in the Olympic Charter one of the many roles of the TTOC is to encourage the development of high performance sport as well as sport for all- as such High performance is a priority for the TTOC and significant effort and investment has been made to develop the TTOC High performance programme.

Whenever a discussion is taking place in respect of high performance sport there are many views and opinions about the status of high performance sport in T&T.

At last week’s workshop, which was attended by 30 coaches all of whom were involved in some form or fashion with the high performance end of local sport, there was in-depth discussion around the question of is there a high performance culture and mind-set within national sport organisations?

There is an obvious need for ongoing attention. Most of the coaches present felt they still had much learning to undergo.

The onus is on the TTOC to live up to its role and mandate and encourage the development of high performance sport.

Moving off the high performance topic there are some disturbing trends developing in the world of sport especially around major sport events.

Sport around the world is facing serious and potentially damaging risks to the credibility and integrity of sport.

This increasing risk is further exacerbated by the failure of sport leaders to come to grips with the reality and balance that is needed when sport is used as a political tool.

The old rhetoric that sport and politics shouldn’t mix is just that old. Sport is now perceived as an important political tool and driver of policy.

Many world sport leaders openly court governments and politicians and even though the IOC and FIFA to name two international sport governing bodies have within their statues rules that appear to protect the autonomy of sport.

In recent years there has been an exponential growth in the public and political profile of sport. An expanded social agenda has seen the use of sport as a tool to address social inequality, crime and conflict.

The power of sport to make a positive difference and the relevance of the values of sport has been shown to have a significant and transformative impact. The social agenda and the perceived legacy benefits encourage major cities and countries to invest not just funding but emotion and policy objectives.

But it has come at a price that sport leaders worldwide don’t seem to have considered or contemplated.

Cue Brazil and the fraught build up to the FIFA World Cup. The IOC has cause for serious concern in respect of Rio 2016.

Trinidad and Tobago sport leaders are well advised to take heed—when your neighbour house on fire wet yours.

When facilitating the use of sport as a political tool sport leaders must be mindful that motives and values aren’t always shared or common. Is sport the means or the end?

There are consequences for those who fail to ensure that the best interest of their sport is the priority. It is important that there be a strategy and a risk management process in place.

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The national team scheduled to compete at the inaugural IAAF World Relay in Bahamas was announced yesterday by the National Association of Athletics Administration (NAAA).

The World Relays will get underway from May 24-25 and will see athletes from this country compete in the Men’s 4x100m and 4x400m events as well as the Women’s 4x100, 4x200, 4x400m and 4x800m races.

This country’s best shot at a medal is undoubtedly the Men’s 4x100m team which earned bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012. Making up the team is two-time Olympics relay silver medallists Richard Thompson and Marc Burns, Keston Bledman, Darren Brown and Rondel Sorrillo.

The national team will arrive in Bahamas on May 22 and will be managed by veteran Dexter Voison. The TT manager yesterday explained that the athletes were selected on availability and form. He also expressed confidence in the contingent especially the Men’s 4x100m team.

“TT has a history in recent years in medalling at major meets specifically the Men’s 4x100 and men 4x400 teams The Men 4x100m team was upgraded to silver in the 2012 Olympics...and our quarter-milers have showed some good form with Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow and young Machel Cedenio doing well,” Voison said.

TT World Relays contingent

MEN’S 4x100 - Keston Bledman, Richard Thompson, Marc Burns, Darrel Brown, Rondell Sorrillo.

MEN’S 4x400 - Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow, Machel Cedenio, Jereem Richards, Jarrin Solomon, Zwede Hewitt.

WOMEN’S 4x100 - Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kai Selvon, Kamaria Durant, Geronne Black, Aaliyah Telesford, Reyare Thomas.

WOMEN’S 4x400 - Shawna Fermin, Alena Brooks, Domonique Williams, Romona Modeste, Jessica James, Magnolia Howell.

WOMEN’S 4x200 - Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kai Selvon, Kamaria Durant, Geronne Black, Aaliyah Telesford, Reyare Thomas.

WOMEN’S 4x800 - Shawna Fermin, Alena Brooks, Domonique Williams, Romona Modeste, Jessica James, Magnolia Howell.

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Tomorrow (Saturday 17th May) the Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association(TTCGA) will hold the last of three  fitness tests conducted for athletes and team sports seeking selection for the 2014  Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The testing will be held at the Jean Pierre Indoor Court from 8am .

The TTOC is overseeing its High Performance  fitness criteria with the help of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) High Performance Unit.

Participants in team sports have a compulsory fitness standard to meet.

The team sports qualified for Glasgow are netball, rugby sevens and hockey (both men and women).

In two months time The Glasgow Games will get underway ( July 23-August 3).

Trinidad and Tobago’s(TTO) best ever Commonwealth Games medal haul is nine, at the 1966 edition in Kingston, Jamaica.

There is exercising and then there is training. There are workouts that help you make progress towards your fitness goals, and then there are practices that are artfully designed take you to the mental and physical limits of what you believe you are capable of and beyond. These practices, that few are willing to do, through the process of destroying you, create champions.

For most young people Saturday morning is an opportunity to sleep off a hangover from the night before but in the sport of swimming Saturday mornings have a special connotation. They are the “coup de grace” so to speak, intended to finish you off after you are already exhausted from putting in at least nine two hour swimming sessions, plus three weight room sessions that week. There is never any doubt about it, Saturday morning practices will make you earn your weekends!

After a meditative early morning drive on the quiet roads of Ann Arbor I arrive at the University of Michigan Swimming Pool where I am practising with the Club Wolverine Elite Swim Team, coached by my longtime US coach Mike Bottom and Mark Hill.

After entering the facility, I proceed down a long corridor lined with the swim caps of all the team’s past Olympians on the wall of heroes, towards a sign that reads “It’s not every 4 years it’s every day”.

I duck into the locker room and change into my cold damp swimsuit that has not yet dried properly from the night before, I grab my goggles and cap, fill my water bottle and walk out, ready for whatever awaits me.

We are starting to gather at the far end of the swimming pool, nervously speculating about what awaits us as we limber up, foam roll and progressing through some active stretching on our own. I am surrounded by Olympians, NCAA Champions and inspired, talented pro and college swimmers coming up through the ranks.

Our world-renowned coaches, Mike Bottom, Mark Hill and Dr. Josh White come out from their offices onto the deck and hand out colorful sheets of paper with the workouts printed on them. We huddle for a minute, almost in disbelief as we synthesise the cryptic looking sheet of distances and times in front of us.

“The Pain Train is coming!”, we joke as we reconcile ourselves to our fate. With our coaches we discuss what we are doing, the few personal twists on things, what the focal points are and how they will make us better. Then without hesitation we dive in. Bring it on!

In swimming we dedicate a few practices every week to forcing our bodies to adapt so that they may better tolerate lactic acid, allowing us to finish our races without fading, and to keep our technique when our nervous system is fried. I am from a school of swimming in which we colour code levels of intensity based on heart range and the energy system used which designates the colour purple to this type of training.

I imagine it as a deep purple. To be honest we are afraid of purple, because this type of training requires the highest level of intensity, repeating swims at or close to race pace, racing each other, with limited rest and breathing, which painfully forces your muscles to seize up, setting your lungs on fire, physically prohibiting you from moving properly, giving you a headache, fading vision, nausea and vomiting. It literally begins to kill you.

These physical aspects are only part of the challenge. Firstly this set cultivates a certain type of courage that enables a person to push themselves to their limit, knowing full well, the physical hell that awaits them there as their body begins to fail.

Secondly this type of training requires a great degree of mental fortitude in order to keep one’s composure, and execute race strategy, maintaining proper technique, thus defying the body’s basic instinctual life preserving urges to breath and stop.

After an initially slow warm up of technique work, kicking, repeats of 50m underwater, we progress to some speed work. Being Saturday morning with a week of good hard work behind me it takes me a bit longer to get going, eventually just at the end of the warm up I am through the soreness and feel capable of what lies ahead. I slide and glide down the pool with a perfectly balanced rhythm, visualising in my mind the few technical errors that I intend to correct.

Without hesitation we divide up into heats and match up for races. With coaches eyes and video cameras on us we aggressively dive into it; 65m at 100m race pace (100m in swimming is comparable to 400m in track), feeling big, light loose, connected and fast I accelerate into the tun and blast out of it, pulling up at at 65m. 23.9 for that 50 I am told, solid but I can be faster.

I cruise down the rest of the lap gasping for air and listening to my heart pound  like a bass drum in my ears. I reach the wall just in time to make the interval before blasting off again for a 50m at the my pace for the 2nd 50 of the 100m. After the initial few adrenalin fuelled strokes I settle into a rhythm, one that if I can keep, will keep me.

Half way down the lap, at 25m my lungs are now burning, my legs are becoming exponentially heavy, my mind screams “air” and I yell back “faster” pushing that urge down and pulling to the surface of my mind the technical aspects that I must juggle; my rotation, my left arms tendency to enter slightly inwards, I lift my kick, and correct my head position.

At 35m, with 15m to go I consciously make an effort to keep my eyes open and stay in the moment, one stroke at a time in this desperate rush. Glancing over I can see that I am ahead, “a little further, all the way”. At this point my arms are becoming weak and a wobble presents itself, old desperate tendencies begin to show.

It is only my awareness of them now that allows me to consciously seek to counteract them and hold my form. Head down into the finish. 25.4 I am told, unable to speak I just nod, and push off in a rush to get to the 25m mark for one final 25m into the wall.

Fighting to take control of my breath I force a deep inhale, and a hold, resisting the urge to breathe out immediately, thus allowing the oxygen time to diffuse into my blood. In doing so I take control of my frantic heart and steel myself for one more surge. I arrive at the 25m mark on the 56 seconds to a cacophony of cheering coaches and teammates and blast out of there like a bat out of hell as the clock strikes 60 seconds. From the get go my mind is overwhelmed by desperation.

This is the where the familiar physiological battle to retain composure truly takes place. Ignoring the rival in the lane next to me, my failing muscles, fatigue, burning lungs and stomach I go through a mental technique checklist as my subconscious begins to take over. Faster and faster I somehow manage to literally will myself into the wall and almost have no recollection of the last 10m except for short term fleeting memories of terrible pain.

Its over, I gasp and choke in relief on the wall as I struggle to keep my head above water. Its a few more seconds before I recognise where I am again and the terrible urge to vomit welling up from inside of me.  Three more rounds, “#gobigorstayhome” I tell myself as I begin to warm down in preparation.

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