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

National sport organisations (NSOs) have to think about how to differentiate themselves in the minds of the business sector. Sport must be looked upon as marketers who can help business, not just a group looking for a donation or help out.

 

Sport leaders have to create the environment that would lead to increased revenue tomorrow, next month, and next year.

 

It is time for NSOs and local sport to go on the offensive. For too long local sport has remained closed in on itself, a prisoner to the belief that without government, business, a fairy god father or mother sport will not thrive.

 

NSOs can be the authors of their own destinies and growth over stagnation. Is there a magic wand? There is no such thing. Success never offered a promise that it is for the faint of heart.

 

Sport in T&T can be transformed into a viable industry and sector. The future is bright.

 

I lecture (part time) with the UWI masters in sport management degree programme teaching a course—entrepreneurship and sport.

 

It’s a small group but the dynamism of ideas and vision is inspiring.

 

There are bright, talented young people involved in sport who hold the key to the bright future of which I write.

 

Unfortunately for many of them sport offers no pathway. Their energy, ideas and passion seem to meet a brick wall and glass ceiling. New ideas, new hopes, new aspirations, creativity and innovation foster and drive growth and wealth.

 

Traditional and conservative thinking frustrate creativity and innovation on the altar of conformity.

 

How do we ensure the stability and financial independence of sport? How do we create and maintain sustainable revenue streams?

 

Revenue generation within local sport must emancipate itself from the traditional mindset.

 

There is no fairy godfather or god mother. The magic wand method has not withstood the test of time.

 

How can local sport progress towards becoming sustainable in a modern and fast-changing environment?

 

What are NSOs trying to achieve? What is their target? Who do they attract?

 

In the modern business environment conflict of interest, good corporate governance, anti-bribery and anti-corruption rules, guidelines and policies have made it imperative that sport organisations be able to meet objective and strategic criteria.

 

Sport has a specificity that is recognised by the European courts.

 

Sport leaders must be able to embrace the paradox of creating financial sustainability while at the same time protecting sport and the athletes from political and commercial abuse.

 

They have to lead the fight against doping in sport, take measures to protect the health of athletes, dedicate efforts to ensuring that in sport the spirit of fair play prevails and yet at the same time push for excellence and victory.

 

Sport leaders have to encourage total participation and the development of sport within communities in the context of allocating finite financial and human resources, demonstrate on one hand concern for the environment and environmental issues while at the same time advocating for more facilities for sport.

 

Sport leaders must balance the desire to make their individual sport the best with the reality that it’s only by interdependence, unity and a collective will the full potential of sport can be realised.

 

To understand where sport can go and the heights it can reach sport has to be first understood.

 

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Richard Branson to name a few, could not have built the empires they did without first knowing and understanding what they were doing. Transforming the local sport sector to the extent that T&T becomes the sport capital of the Caribbean is achievable as is growing a genuine sport marketing industry.

 

However, NSOs must generate the excitement needed to grow their sport’s participation numbers and individual club and fan base and innovate to create value. The growth and value creation can only come with self belief and the desire and willingness to take full responsibility for the big vision and dream that will create the bright future.

Brian Lewis is the Honorary Secretary General of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee www.ttoc.org. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the TTOC.

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NATIONAL table tennis ace Arun Roopnarine and Aaron Wilson will leave for Austria on Monday to take part in an intensive five-week training camp at the world renowned Werner Schlager Academy in Vienna.

This period of training will be followed by their debut participation in the Polish Open, in Warsaw, Poland. This development initiative comes after the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) made a commitment in 2012 to assist both players as part of the “With The Future In Mind” (WFIM).

This unique programme targets both players’ possible participation in the Junior Olympics in Nanjing, China, next year.

The ITTF recommended the training stint at the Werner Schlager Academy. It is intended to identify weaknesses, improve strengths and introduce new training techniques designed to lift their game and make them more competitive on the world stage.

The Werner Schlager Academy is one of the top training centres outside of China and currently is the home of the Chinese national team which is preparing behind closed doors for next month’s World Championship in Paris, France.

This Academy holds 50 tables, and training is done by the top International trainers who use state of the art technology and incorporate training techniques from different playing systems all over the world. Ball machines and video analysis are incorporated with nutritional and psychological input which comes from experts in the various fields and there are massage areas as well as infra-red cabins and modern fitness gyms.

Not since the glory days of the late 70’s and early 80’s has local table tennis seen two young players who have made their mark in local and regional table tennis at such early ages. Roopnarine and Wilson, along with Meshach Pillai, won gold in 2007 in the Under-10 Team event in the inaugural Caribbean pre-Cadet Championship. They have not looked back since, and return with medals every time they represent TT regionally.

In 2011, both boys copped two gold medals in the World Junior Circuit in Guatemala. They topped the field in the Cadet team and Cadet doubles events. Last year in Cuba, the local duo along with Sarvesh Mungal won bronze in the Cadet team event, while Roopanrine teamed up with Wilson to claim bronze in the Cadet Doubles event. The former also bagged bronze in the Cadet singles event. Wilson earned a similar Cadet bronze last week in the 2013 Caribbean Cadet Singles.

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Visually impaired field athlete, Carlos Greene will compete at tomorrow’s UTech (University of Technology) Track and Field Classic, in Kingston, Jamaica.

Greene, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2012 Paralympics in London, England, is expected to do battle in the shot put and discus events at Jamaica’s National Stadium. The T&T thrower will use tomorrow’s meet as preparation for the July 19-28 IPC (International Paralympic Committee) Athletics World Championships, in Lyon, France.

Greene’s coach, Lester Osouna, president of the T&T Paralympic Committee (TTPC) Ken McKell, and TTPC administrative manager Deborah McKell will also attend the UTech Classic.

Ken McKell, who is also president of the Caribbean Association of National Paralympic Committees (CANPC), said that the UTech Classic is the “first meet in the Caribbean that is an inclusive track and field Games with Paralympic competition”.

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• LA CHORRERA

Trinidad and Tobago will play hosts Panama tomorrow for a spot in the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, to be held in the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to November 8. The four semifinalists from the 2013 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, currently taking place in Panama, will qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Tomorrow, T&T meet Panama in the first of  the CONCACAF quarterfinals from five p.m. (T&T time), at Estadio Agustín Sánchez, while Canada face Jamaica at eight p.m. in the other match. The match-ups for the other quarterfinals are still to be determined.

T&T reached the quarterfinal round without kicking a ball, on Wednesday night, after Canada drew 1-1 with Costa Rica, the team T&T beat 2-0 on Monday. Canada, 2-0 winners against T&T in their opening fixture, topped Group B. The young Soca Warriors finished second.

Needing to win on Wednesday to have any chance of advancing, Costa Rica took the lead in the 59th minute through Arington Torres. A long pass from the left side found a streaking Torres, who beat defender Ian Fernandes before chipping the ball over Canada goalkeeper Marco Carducci from 12 metres.

But the Canadians rallied, and were level at 1-1 in the 76th minute, Hanson Boakai’s rising 20-metre shot beating Costa Rica goalkeeper Jorge Jara.

Also on Wednesday night, Ervin Zorrilla scored two goals, one in each half , to lift Panama to a 2-0 win over Barbados and into the quarterfinals. The victory earned Los Canaleros the top spot in Group A. Jamaica finished second, and also qualified for the knockout phase. Barbados ended with just one point, and were eliminated from the competition.

In their first match, Panama were held to a 1-1 draw by nine-man Jamaica. The Jamaicans drew 2-all with Barbados.

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Sport Minister Anil Roberts has described as tremendous the performance by this country’s under-17 boys’ football team which defeated Costa Rica 2-0 in Monday’s Group B Concacaf World Cup qualifier.

 

As a consequence, the young Soca Warriors kept their chances alive in qualifying for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

 

Speaking at yesterday’s close of the four-day Secondary Schools Leadership Symposium titled No Pain, No Gain produced by The Sports Desk and held at the Cascadia Hotel, Roberts stirred the teen audience with his commendation of the performance from the young squad.

 

“Let’s salute our under-17 boys for destroying Costa Rica on astroturf because—for you all who don’t understand—playing football on astroturf and grass are two different things. Costa Ricans grew up on astroturfs. We only have one football field, which is Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya that is astroturf (ready) for football. Therefore, we are at a tremendous disadvantage, because the way you roll your foot on the ball, the way the ball stops, the way it bounces, the way you beat, the way you tackle, is all different from grass. So, for our young men to blow out Costa Rica which has 22 astroturf pitches, is tremendous,” said the minister.

 

Roberts was at the time underscoring the need for young people to go beyond the call in order to achieve convincingly. If you are supposed to do homework for two hours and you stop, that’s good, he said, because you would have done what you are supposed to do. But, he went on to explain that simply doing what you are told would not make you a leader.

 

Using the achievement of T&T’s own Dwight Yorke on the international football scene the minister said people look at him (Yorke) and the things he owns and desire to be like him because in their opinion, he is lucky.

 

What they should know said Robert was that, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Dwight Yorke not lucky! Dwight has God-given skills and he’s a Tobagonian who worked hard, hard, while all of us where liming and partying, he was with a ball in the hot sun whole day in Tobago.

 

“When coaching finish, Dwight Yorke with his ball; when school finish, Dwight Yorke with his ball. When Dwight Yorke in his bedroom, he with his ball and that’s why Dwight Yorke reached where he reached—not because he did what the coach said. He refused to stop when they said stop.”

 

Over the past four days, 300 teen participants benefited from a series of interactive sessions with influential sporting personalities such as legendary cricketer Brian Lara, multiple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon, four-time Olympic sprint finalist and bronze medal winner Marc Burns and Olympic cycling finalist Njisane Phillip and world boxing champion Ria Ramnarine.

 

Covering topics such as Taking Charge, Confidence vs Arrogance, Beating the Odds and the Principle, the gathering also heard from motivational speakers Don La Foucade and Joseph O’Brien, Kwanize John, Brian Lewis and Derek Daniel.

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Brian Lewis, general secretary of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC), on Wednesday declared there was one young man in local sports who was the epitome of a titan and his name is Marc Burns.

 

“That’s a leader and that’s a patriot. That’s standing up for what he believes and that’s principle. If you can’t spell the word patriot and you don’t know what a patriot is or means, you just have to look at Marc Burns,” he said.

 

Lewis was speaking at the continuation of the four-day sport symposium being held at the Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre titled No Pain, No Gain produced by The Sports Desk. Lewis was invited to speak to 300 secondary school students on the topic: The Principle.

 

“If everybody in this room could achieve 50 per cent of what he has done for this country, you’ll be a hell of a young man or young woman. This is an individual—as is typical in T&T—who is undervalued because he may not be as flambouyant as others, but he has loyalty and commitment,” he said.

 

To qualify his statement, Lewis turned the attention of the audience back to the 2007 Pan Am Games when this country was close to not competing in the 4x100-metre relay because athletes being considered were either recovering from injury or had clashing schedules.

 

“Marc Burns stood up and told his teammates and all of T&T, that T&T will run in the relay...We have an attitude in T&T, that when we reach, we forget. It is a fact. So when it comes to attending games such as the Pan Am Games, Central American and Caribbean Games and Commonwealth Games, aside from the Olympic Games, challenges occur and sometimes not all of our best athletes are available. Their schedules may not permit it. That has never been the case with Marc Burns,” he said.

 

Lewis added, “The biggest obstacle in achieving whatever you may define as success is yourself. We are very good at making excuses and hiding and running from responsibility and looking for the easy way out. All of you are teenagers. Each of you has to take full responsibility for the choices that you make and shaping your own destiny. There’s no excuse.”

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Pan American and Commonwealth Games multiple medallist Roger Daniel will lead a six-member delegation at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games qualifiers in Guatemala set to begin on Sunday.

 

The one-week event will be held at the Victor Manel Castellanos Range. The qualifiers are being held for the first time. Daniel, along with fellow Commonwealth Games medallist Rhodney Allen and Caribbean Championships bronze medallist Marsha Bullen-Jones are competing in the pistol events, while Marlon Moses and Taran Deosaran are in the rifle competition. The team will be managed by Robert Couri.

 

The team is an experienced one as Daniel and Deosaran are former CAC Gold medallists. Daniel was victorious at the 2002 Games in El Salvador as well as in 2010 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Deosaran was double champion in El Salvador. The team will leave for Guatemala from Friday for the competition, which gets underway on Sunday 14th and runs until April 21.

 

Daniel warmed up for the qualifiers dominating the Caribbean ACOM Challenge in Martinique on the Easter weekend, winning four gold medals. The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force sargeant copped the Standard pistol (559), Free Pistol (192), 10m Pistol (198.3) and Central Pistol (577) events. Bullen-Jones was third in the Ladies 10m Pistol (163.6) and fourth in the Sport Finals (497). Daniel says the qualifiers are crucial for him. “It will be like actual games we will be going in 2014 in Vera Cruz in Mexico. We will be meeting all contenders. It is important to go there well prepared and do what is expected, which is to qualify.”

 

Bullen-Jones said she used the ACOM Challenge to prepare her for Guatemala and will be aiming to qualify for Mexico. She said her ultimate goal is to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

 

Moses will be hoping to qualify for his first CAC Games. The 29 year old, who has been shooting for two years, has participated in several ISSF World Cups in Australia, South Korea and Germany. He also won the President’s medal for excellence in 2007 before getting into competitive shooting.

 

Deosaran, who has been in the sport for 26 years, will be seeking to compete in another CAC Games and is calling for better ammunitions to train and compete locally. “Right now we have been using third and fourth grade equipment.”

 

 

RESULTS

 

ACOM Challenge results

 

Marsha Bullen-Jones

 

3rd Ladies 10m Pistol- 163.6 points

 

4th Ladies Sports Finals- 497

 

Roger Daniel

 

1st Standard Pistol- 559

 

1st Free Pistol- 192

 

1st 10m Pistol- 198.3

 

1st Central Pistol- 577

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World boxing champion Ria Ramnarine yesterday explained at length how impractical is was for anyone to try to live up to the expectations of all with whom they come into contact.

 

She did, however, move to impress upon her teen audience the need to develop self-esteem and character, bounded by discipline and dedication in order to achieve in life.

 

Speaking on the topic Down, But Not Out at the Secondary Schools Leadership Symposium titled No Pain, No Gain held at the Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre in St Ann’s Port-of-Spain, she said, “If each one of you has a different expectation of me within the next five minutes, how am I going to live up to each and everyone’s expectation? You have to know your self-worth. That’s the only way you can motivate yourself. There is no greater motivator than you. And for me, personally, that’s one of the greatest tools I have in always rising back to the occasion.”

 

Making a case for female athletes pursuing a career in contact sports, Ramnarine said she’s been dropped in many fights and that her buttocks and back hit the canvas a couple times. She even dropped to her knees, but because of her resolve not once did she stay down.

 

“I’ve always risen back up. You always have to take the eight-count and rise back up. If the referee decides to count you out, you can’t argue. But in your heart you must know you gave everything, plus some more. It should never be that you held back something,” she said.

 

“The track and field guys will leave it all out on the track. You don’t take anything back to the training room with you. What you are keeping back could have been the deciding factor in whether you won or you lost. Think about it! You have ten seconds to go in a competition and your arms are burning…they are tired…they are on fire. Your legs can’t move. If you just push for that five more seconds, that might be the deciding factor. You might be down on points and knock the person down and they might not be able to get up. So, it really comes down to who wants it more,” Ramnarine said.

 

She made it clear, however, that the level of conviction of which she spoke doesn’t come easy, but rather, with experience, hard work, and all-round support.

 

“People think boxing is a one-man, one-woman sport. At the end of the day it’s one woman in the ring, but listen, if you don’t have a team to prepare you to get into that ring, I’m sorry…it’s very unlikely you are going to be successful. It’s very unlikely you are going to rise back up to the occasion. You really have to show your fighting spirit when the results isn’t going your way. That’s when it really shows who you are, that warrior inside,” said Ramnarine.

 

She added, “Anyone can move on from a victory. People see you moving on from victory to victory and your confidence builds; you are on a high. And yes, you can keep moving on, but what about when you lose?

 

“How many of us can move on from a defeat? How many of us can pick ourselves back up and move on? I’ve known a lot of boxers (and) their first fight in the ring they lost. We never heard from them again.

 

“They were like the more talented ones. I’m speaking locally and internationally. Then, there are the ones who lost their first fight—and, you know what? Today, they are world champions. They experienced what it was like being down very early, and they learned how to get up.”

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TRINIDAD and Tobago finished third on the medal table at the Caribbean Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships, which concluded on Sunday at Jean Pierre Complex, Wrightson Road, Mucurapo.

The host country actually finished ahead of the six other English-speaking nations involved with one gold, one silver and nine bronze medals at the five-day tournament.

Although T&T amassed 11 total medals and were not that far behind Dominican Republic in the total medal count, they were in a different league in terms of the colour of the hardware.

The Dominican Republic collected 15 medals all told, but ten of them were gold and three were silver. Fellow regional powerhouses Puerto Rico only had three golds, but they ended up with the most overall—18. Their total also included ten silver and five bronze medals.

Guyana were fourth with eight bronze medals, while Barbados were the only other team to finish on the podium, taking home two bronze medals.

Teams from Curacao, St Maarten, St Lucia and Grenada, back in the tournament following a break, walked away empty-handed.

T&T celebrated their first gold medal in the tournament in many years when Catherine Spicer and Arun Roopnarine won the under-18 mixed doubles crown, last Friday.

A few hours later, Roopnarine and Spicer also collected bronze medals when they combined with Aaron Wilson and Brittany Joseph, respectively, to reach the under-18 doubles semifinals.

Roopnarine, Spicer and Wilson were the only members of the squad to win as many as three medals.

Classified Championship A1 winner, Roopnarine had led Wilson, Andreus Pantin and Sarvesh Mungal to the silver medal in the boys’ under-18 team competition the night before. The third for Wilson and Spicer came when they collected bronze after reaching the under-15 and 18 semis, respectively, in singles when the curtain fell on the tournament on Sunday.

Joseph, who last year at age 14 became one of this country’s youngest ever national senior champs, did likewise in the girls’ under-15 draw.

Roopnarine failed to secure a fourth medal when he lost in the boys’ under-18 singles quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Isaac Vila of Dominican Republic. Mungal also went out at that stage.

The quartet of Gyshan Latchman, Nalini Boodoo, Ray J Thomas and Jasher De Gannes picked up bronze for finishing third in the girls’ under-15 team event. And the Latchman/Boodoo and De Gannes/Monique Cooper combinations also bagged bronze medals in doubles for reaching the semis.

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Trinidad and Tobago stunned Costa Rica 2-0 in their Group B CONCACAF Under 17 World Cup qualifier on Monday night to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the 2013 FIFA Under 17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

An opening goal by US-based midfielder Andre Fortune pushed T&T ahead in the 32nd minute, and Brent Sam sunk the Costa Ricans with a left-footed free kick strike in the 79th to leave T&T on three points, same as Canada heading into today’s final group game between the Canadians and Costa Rica.

Once Canada win or the match ends in a draw, T&T will advance to the quarterfinals. The four-semi finalists will qualify for the U-17 World Cup in October.

The victory by the junior Soca Warriors was the first for any T&T team over Costa Rica in competition since the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup when goals by Arnold Dwarika and Mickey Trotman sent T&T into the semifinals. T&T have never beaten Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier at any level.

“It’s a brilliant result for us and it shows that we can compete with these teams,” T&T coach Shawn Cooper told TTFF Media, moments after the win for his team, who have been supported during this campaign by the Ministry of Sport.

“We worked our legs off coming into this tournament and I still felt we didn’t get the right kind of preparation because we got things going a bit late. But with the bit that we got in terms of match preparation, added to the fight, belief and effort that we gave, brought us to this victory tonight.”

Team captain Brendon Creed was elated.

“This is what we worked hard for…to come here and show teams in Concacaf that we too can win matches. We were disappointed with the loss to Canada but the boys knew that this could be our last game together in the competition if we didn’t pull it off, and we came into the game knowing it was all or nothing. We still have one more game to win to make it to the World Cup, and we will stay focused and achieve what we set out to.”

Costa Rica got a gift in the eighth minute when Honduran referee Armando Castro ruled that Creed fouled a Costa Rican just inside the box. It was a harsh call but the football Gods stayed on T&T’s side as Rory Rivera blasted the penalty over bar.

T&T had started the game with much purpose, and looked more businesslike than their opponents.

After a couple of attempts which caused little trouble for the Costa Ricans, T&T picked up the pace.

Fortune picked his spot nicely, firing a low left-footer into the right corner of the goal after collecting from about 25 metres out and advancing goalwards.

It was the ideal scenario for T&T, but the Central Americans were not to be outdone and controlled the following few minutes before the break as T&T tried to maintain their lead. Fortune had another effort close to the break, which he dragged wide of the right post from outside the area.

At the start of the second half, three minutes in, Costa Rica’s Arington Torres saw his header go inches wide of the mark. The same player had another header bounce off the upright in the 65th minute.

But T&T kept their composure, and worked their way back into the match, frustrating the Costa Ricans at times, forcing them into some untimely challenges.

T&T’s Kishun Seecharan should have done better after being put through on the right, but he sent his shot wide of the far post. And Akeem Garcia missed a wonderful opportunity to put T&T 2-0 ahead when his glancing header went wide of the left post in the 73rd minute.

Substitute Aikim Andrews replaced Seecharan, and like he did against Canada, woke up T&T’s right side attack. Andrews was hacked down on the right of the box, and Sam made sure with a perfectly taken left-footed free kick which beat Jorge Jara all ends up on his near post.

Sam was forced off the pitch near the end after suffering a cut to the mouth that required stitches, on receiving an elbow from a Costa Rican that went unnoticed by the match officials.

T&T kept their opponents at bay in the remaining minutes to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

T&T line up:

1.Johan Welch, 2. Shannon Gomez, 3 Maurice Ford, 4. Josiah Trimmingham, 5. Leland Archer, 6. Brendon Creed (capt), 7. Kishun Seecharan (8. Aikim Andrews, 73’)  9. Akeem Garcia, 14. Andre Fortune (11.Jarred Dass, 76’), 15. Brent Sam (17. Martieon Watson, 90’),

16. Levi Garcia

Subs that did not play: 10. Matthew Woo Ling,, 12. Jabari Mitchell,

13. Anderson Toussaint. 18. Sterling Noreiga, 19. Weah Adams,

21. Stephon Seepersad

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The Fiji Rugby Union is likely to receive funding from the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) for the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro.

FASANOC president Reg Sanday confirmed that preparation grant has been made available from the Olympic Solidarity Fund.

The grant is to fund sports teams from Fiji which have the greatest potential to win a medal at the Rio Games.

“The FRU has put its hand up for funding from the Olympics Solidarity Fund to prepare the Fiji sevens team for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeirio, Brazil in 2016,”Sanday said.

“The funding will be channelled through FASANOC and will cover the cost of teams wishing to qualify for and prepare for the Olympics.”

The grant is for one team only per country.

Sanday said a circular has been sent out to all Olympic team sports in Fiji advising them of the funding.

These sports are basketball, football, hockey, rugby, indoor and beach volleyball.

“A strict condition of the grant is that the team must be recognised to be already of world class standard,”Sanday said.

“This means the team should be in the top five or sixth ranking in the world.”

The grant is for financial and technical assistance such as for specialist coaching and advice.

“For the last Olympics held in London in 2012 the grant went to Fiji women’s volleyball and beach volleyball but both teams weren’t able to qualify,” he said.

Each sport willing to get the help will need to complete a detailed four-year plan broken down into annual plans.

“FASANOC will screen submissions and work with affiliates to improve them before the deadline at the end of the month,”Sanday said.

“We are pleased at FASANOC that despite its busy schedule for the current IRB World Seven Series and the World Cup in Moscow this year plus the start of the Digicel Cup, the Fiji Rugby Union has been able to submit a proposal to FASANOC with its plans to qualify the Fiji Sevens team next year for the Rio Olympics and to continue with preparation for Rio after qualifying,” Sanday said

The plan received from Rugby House is currently being vetted to ensure it ticks all the boxes.

“Once a decision has been made at the end this month the submission will be forwarded on to the Olympic Solidarity Fund for consideration.”

Serevi to return as National Coach for World Cup

We will know in 2 weeks whether Waisale Serevi and Tomasi Cama Snr will be part of the coaching panel for the team to the Rugby 7's World Cup in June.

Fiji Rugby Union HPU General Manager, Mike Ryan has confirmed that he has received word from Alifereti Dere for the inclusion of the duo. Both Serevi and Cama have agreed to assist Dere.

FRU is expected to make a decision before the team leaves for Scotland 7's

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The likes of 3x3 basketball and BMX freestyle are in contention for a spot at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) sports director Christophe Dubi.

Rio 2016 is currently slated to award 306 gold medals across 28 sports with a maximum of 10,700 athletes – a rise from London 2012’s 302 medals in 26 sports with golf and rugby sevens joining the Olympic Programme. The IOC is set to make a final decision on additional events on August 9, with Dubi seeking an impact similar to that enjoyed by London 2012’s debutants. “Women's boxing was incredibly successful, and in mixed doubles of tennis, the quality of the field was extraordinary,” he said.

Dubi said the IOC has options to add “radically new events” in Rio, with some designed for youth audiences. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has been pushing its three-a-side half-court concept, while the International Cycling Union (UCI) proposes adding street-style BMX and a mountain bike eliminator. “You have new properties that are not mainstream yet outside of the Olympics, but where the Olympics could give a boost,” said Dubi.

However, it is the International Aquatics Federation (FINA) that boasts the most requests, and in a more traditional format. FINA is seeking 50-metre medal events in backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for men and women, plus 800 freestyle for men and 1,500 free for women. Dubi pointed to swimming’s “super-high” television ratings, adding: “Is it totally different? No, but it's important as well. Every time you put it on TV there is consumption.” FINA also seeks more entrants in women's water polo, open-water swimming, diving and the synchronised swimming team event.

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Defence Force forwards Devorn Jorsling and Richard Roy each secured keys to a new Toyota Yaris after they were revealed as the respective Digicel TT Pro League players of the year for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, when the league held an awards function for the past two seasons at Capital Plaza, Port-of-Spain, on Monday night.

 

Jorsling was the man of the night, receiving a total four personal accolades: Player of the Year and Most Outstanding Forward for 2011 and the Golden Boot for 2011 and 2012.

 

Roy, meanwhile, picked up the Player of the Year, Most Outstanding Forward and joint Golden Boot winner for the 2012 season.

 

“It was critical that we decided to ensure that all the various aspects of the running of the league were paid and that we were able to ensure that competition was running successfully,” said TT Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene for the belated awards function.

 

“So the time is right at present, and we saw it fit that we have a celebration for both years because it is important to celebrate not only life, but our achievements,” said Skeene.

 

Defence Force, champion of the Digicel Pro League Championship in 2011 and favourite for this year’s title, was named Team of the Year for 2011 and its coach, Ross Russell, Coach of the Year.

 

And, for the 2012 season, reigning Caribbean Club Champions Caledonia AIA deservingly grabbed Team of the Year. The Lucozade Sport Goal Shield and First Citizens Cup winners had the FA Trophy and Caribbean title to boast while its coach at the time and present T&T co-head coach Jamaal Shabazz received the Coach of the Year award.

 

But overshadowing the flashy trophies distributed on Monday night were two Toyota Yaris vehicles, one grey and one white, on display at the entrance of the ballroom.

 

“As a footballer, when you can set goals and achieve them it’s a great feeling,” said Jorsling after the official presentation of the cars were made to teammate Roy and himself.

 

The T&T international added: “It’s also a great achievement for football in the country that a player can receive a car and I’m grateful for the work of the people like Mr Skeene and the other people in the backroom for getting sponsors on board to donate a prize like this.”

 

However, Jorsling and Roy weren’t the first to ever receive vehicles from Player of the Year supporting sponsor Toyota T&T Limited. Former MVPs Marvin Oliver, Trent Noel and Kerry Baptiste also received Toyota cars in the past.

 

“When I look back at some of the achievements in my career, I must say that I did an okay job from playing in the savannah in Morvant to achieving Player of the Year in the top league in the Caribbean and winning a vehicle.”

 

“It’s a great feeling,” said Jorsling.

 

But, what motivates the consistently sharp forward?

 

“I use simple things as motivation,” said the 29-year-old. “I saw that no other player has ever won the golden boot more than once in the Pro League. I won it in 2010-2011 then had a stint in the US (with Orlando City). I came back and my motivation factor was to be the top goalscorer in Trinidad again.”

 

After wrapping up a season with the United Soccer League (USL Pro) club, Orlando City, in 2011, Jorsling joined home-town club Caledonia on a short stint in which he joined Roy as joint top scorer and helped the Morvant-Laventille club win two knockout titles along with qualifying for the CFU Club Championship, before returning to the Defence Force.

 

Now, Jorsling, who also won the Golden Boot in 2008, is in the running to win another Most Goals award with 19 league goals already this season and chased by North East Stars forward Cornell Glen (16 goals).

 

“You just have to remain humble and focused,” shared Jorsling. “You can’t get cocky. This is just a car and there are bigger things you can achieve. This being the year of the (Concacaf) Gold Cup I just have to keep working hard.”

 

Roy meantime, said winning the Player of the Year for 2012 “didn’t come as a shock.”

 

The 25-year-old said, “I know I performed well (last season) and I was confident that I was getting the car this afternoon.”

 

Jorsling praised Roy saying, “Richard Roy and myself are good friends off the field, and in the team we have what is called friendly rivalry. I think my stint in the US was a blessing in disguise for him, and he got to flourish knowing he was the main guy and didn’t need to be under my wing again. I was proud to see that he led the line last season for Defence Force and achieved what he had to. I hope that he can now remain focused.”

 

Former League players Angus Eve, Dean Pacheco and St Lucian Earl Jean were among special awardees having served as players and now as coaches, while Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Roberts received a Servant of Sport Award and Long Service Awards went to Paul Regis and Frank Sealy.

 

 

Honour roll
2010-2011 Senior Awards
Digicel Pro League Champions – Defence Force
First Runner-Up – Caledonia AIA
Second Runner-Up – San Juan Jabloteh
Player of the Year – Devorn Jorsling (Defence Force)
Leading Goal Scorer – Devorn Jorsling (Defence Force)
Coach of the Year – Ross Russell (Defence Force)
Team of the Year– Defence Force
Most Outstanding Goalkeeper – Cleon John (San Juan Jabloteh)
Most Outstanding Defender – Corneal Thomas (Ma Pau SC)
Most Outstanding Midfielder – Trent Noel (Joe Public)
Most Outstanding Forward – Devorn Jorsling (Defence Force)
Lucozade Sport Goal Shield – North East Stars
First Citizens Cup – Joe Public
Toyota Classic – Ma Pau SC
Digicel Pro Bowl – Joe Public
Most Disciplined Team – St Ann’s Rangers
Referee of the Year – Neil Brizan
Assistant Referee of the Year – Dion Neil
Match Commissioner of the Year – Norris Ferguson
Team Administrator of the Year – Raymond Mc Lean

 

2011-2012 Senior Awards
League Champions – W Connection
First Runner-Up – T&TEC FC
Second Runner-Up – Caledonia AIA
Player of the Year – Richard Roy (Defence Force)
Leading Goal Scorer – Richard Roy (Defence Force) - Devorn Jorsling (Caledonia AIA)
Coach of the Year – Jamaal Shabazz (Caledonia AIA)
Team of the Year – Caledonia AIA
Most Outstanding Goalkeeper – Jan Michael Williams (W Connection)
Most Outstanding Defender – Nuru Abdullah Muhammad (Caledonia AIA)
Most Outstanding Midfielder – Ataullah Guerra (Caledonia AIA)
Most Outstanding Forward – Richard Roy (Defence Force)
Lucozade Sport Goal Shield – Caledonia AIA
First Citizens Cup – Caledonia AIA
Toyota Classic – W Connection
Digicel Pro Bowl – Defence Force
Most Disciplined Team – W Connection
Referee of the Year – Neil Brizan
Assistant Referee of the Year – Cindy Mohammed
Match Commissioner of the Year – Boris Punch
Team Administrator of the Year – Raymond Mc Lean

 

2011 Youth Division Awards
U-13 Division
League Champion – W Connection
First Runner-Up – San Juan Jabloteh
Second Runner-Up – Joe Public
Most Valuable Player – Jesse Joseph (Joe Public)
Leading Goal Scorer – Isaiah Hudson (W Connection), Jesse Joseph (Joe Public)

 

Under-15 Division
League Champion – W Connection
First Runner-Up – San Juan Jabloteh
Second Runner-Up – St Ann’s Rangers
Most Valuable Player– Yafeu Rougier (W Connection)
Leading Goal Scorer – Yafeu Rougier (W Connection)

 

Under-17 Division
League Champion – Joe Public
First Runner-Up – San Juan Jabloteh
Second Runner-Up – W Connection
Most Valuable Player – Keron Matthews (Defence Force)
Leading Goal Scorer – Arvin n Youth Match Commissioner of the Year – Shari Beharry
Team Administrator of the Year Award – Debie-Ann London (W Connection)

 

2012 Youth Division Awards

U-14 Division
League Champion – San Juan Jabloteh 
First Runner-Up – W Connection
Second Runner-Up – St Ann’s Rangers
Most Valuable Player – Renaldo Francois (San Juan Jabloteh)
Leading Goal Scorer– Judah St Louis (W Connection)

 

U-16 Division
League Champion – St Ann’s Rangers
First Runner-Up – W Connection
Second Runner-Up – San Juan Jabloteh
Most Valuable Player – Akeem Garcia
Leading Goal Scorer – Akeem Garcia

 

U-18 Division
League Champion – W Connection
First Runner-Up – North East Stars
Second Runner-Up – T&TEC FC
Most Valuable Player – Neil Benjamin (W Connection)
Leading Goal Scorer – Akeem Roach (W Connection)
Youth Match Commissioner of the Year Award – Cassie Moore
Team Administrator of the Year Award – Debie-Ann London

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Sparkle McKnight has been named the top-ranked 400-metres runner in the latest USA National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One rankings.

 

The Arkansas University student sped to the number-one spot in the women’s one lap event following her 52.17 victory at the Sun Angel Classic in Arizona on April 5.

 

The Chaguanas resident is also at number seven on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) women’s performance listing. The time is a new personal best for the London Olympic sprint relay team member.

 

McKnight improved on her previous best of 52.44 set in winning last year’s national women’s 400m title at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in June. The 2010 double Carifta silver medallist also got under the B standard of 52.35 for this year’s World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Moscow, Russia.

 

In addition, the national indoor record holder (52.52) is at sixth in the 400m hurdles after she clocked another pb of 56.62 in copping the Texas Star Elite title in March 23. The former Carapichaima Secondary student is also eighth in the world in the one-lap hurdles event.

 

McKnight is also 66th in the 200m (23.91). Wayne Davis II is the only other T&T athlete in the top ten. Davis II (Texas A&M) is at sixth on the men’s 110m hurdles performance list with a 13.54 clocking, missing the World Champs B standard of 13.50. The Olympic semifinalist is also ninth on the World Rankings. Durel Busby (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) is at 65th position (14.26). Kai Selvon (Auburn), Shawn Fermin (Washington State) and Alena Brooks (Minnesota) are also in the top 20. Selvon lies at 16th in the women’s 200m (23.37) while Fermin and Brooks are at 17th in the women’s 400m (53.37) and 800m (2:05.82), respectively.

 

Brooks’ clocking is a new personal best for the Diego Martin Government Secondary graduate. Other athletes in the top 50 include Jamol James (Tennessee)-33rd/10.33w and Shermund Allsop (LSU)-45th-10.48w in the men’s 100m and in the women’s 100m is Geronne Black of Portland State, who is 44th (11.61w).

 

In the Junior College standings, Kernesha Spann (Western Texas) leads the way in the women’s 400m hurdles with her 1:00.27 posting in racing to victory at the Texas Tech Open on April 6. Spann is also ninth in the 400m flat rankings (56.11). Elton Walcott (South Plains) is third in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 15.82.

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The Caribbean community’s desire to have West Indies cricket return to its previous glory is not unrealistic, but administrators of the popular sport must first take responsibility for their numerous shortcomings and ultimate failings, says legendary batsman Brian Charles Lara.

 

In his view, only then can they implement the requisite systems to develop structures that would enhance the team’s performance and reclaim the respect previously held.

 

“It’s a difficult proposition for anybody to lead the West Indies team, especially with the administration how divided they are on occasions, the lobbying when trying to pick a board and many different things. It is an unreal situation for any young man to handle, especially during a bad time,” Lara said.

 

He made the remarks while speaking on the topic Taking Charge at The Guardian Sport Desk’s four-day symposium presently taking place at the Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain.

 

“We take good talent in the West Indies and make it ordinary, while people abroad take ordinary talent and make it good. I still believe we have the best young cricketers in the world. Back in the 60s, 70s and 80s cricket was a skill game. Skill and fitness was very important towards performance and the West Indies cricketers were the most skilful team and the fittest, and they went around the world beating people,” he said.

 

The former captain added: “I think in the 90s technology took over and we laid no foundation as administrators to ensure that we moved with the time. We always thought a next ‘Sir Viv’ was around the corner; a Joel Garner was going to pop up. Yes! They did! But people learnt about West Indies cricket. People went back home, did studies and worked on us. That is when the decline started…the fact that we relied on natural talent and not advancing our game, not creating an infrastructure for grass-root cricket; not doing anything technology-wise to ensure that we are up there with the very best.”

 

He reflected on his tenure as captain of the Windies and declared to an audience of 300 teenagers that it was one of his most difficult assignments and when googling his name, the statistics would show that he was not a very good captain.

 

Lara was convinced that had the West Indies Cricket Board of Control developed systems that related to proper succession planning, talent recruitment and the enhancement of techniques the tremendous success enjoyed in the 60s, 70s and 80s might have remained unchallenged.

 

“When I entered West Indies cricket, we weren’t beating teams as convincingly as we were in the past. If you are accustomed beating England five-nil, all of a sudden you are drawing two all. Then, there is some kind of decline. I would not have been the first captain to have faced any insularity in the Caribbean. From that point in time (the 90s) you could feel the tension within the team at every port. It’s a very difficult thing when you are not successful,” he said.

 

Lara continued, “I know we are on a five- or six-match win against some pretty ordinary teams, but hopefully in the future we will have some people, good thinkers, forward thinkers who would do things to ensure that we harness the talent.”

 

He cited Adrian Barath’s rise and the fact that he scored a Test century on his debut, not just against any team, but against the best in the world, Australia, on that continent.

 

“Today, he is not even plying his trade with the national team anymore. Why? Are we going to blame Adrian Barath alone or was it something that was not put into place to ensure that such a wonderful star could be maintained?

 

“There are a lot more leagues going on around the world and people are paying less attention to what is going on in West Indies cricket. The guys are a lot more professional. Chris Gayle is playing all over the world, so is Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard. I believe that when they come together there is less tension. Nobody is worried about making a dollar or where their career is going because there are a lot more options,” said Lara.

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Cricket legend Brian Charles Lara admits that former West Indies captain Courtney Walsh might not have been the most successful leader in terms of his statistics he registered on the field, but (he) Walsh was the type of leader the team needed to follow.

 

Ambassador Lara was at the time responding to questions from a young female participants at yesterday’s start of a four-day symposium conceptualised and presented by The Sport Desk and held at the Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre, St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain.

 

Lara said: “There is no other leader I would put above him, just from the facts of his character traits and what he gave to the team: his body language, his humility, his sacrifices. For me it’s not about results. I feel it’s very important to play the game with integrity, to play the game with the sporting discipline. Success will take care of itself. If you are meant to win you will win. If you don’t, then you’re going to learn from your experiences.”

 

“My role model, my friend Courtney Walsh is a good example of stats and the captaincy is not what is most important for a leader.”

 

Then came the follow-up question: How a follower can coach a leader effectively?

 

Lara said while a leader has to set goals, that leader cannot perform by himself.

 

He referred to his tour of duty as captain of the West Indies and his then controversial selection of Darren Sammy who he described as the perfect example of a follower coaching a leader.

 

“I remember picking Darren Sammy; not for his cricketing ability, but for the way he carried about himself. We were going to play in a tournament in England and we had 14 players to pick and after 12 the two players they were asking for I didn’t want on the team, because they weren’t going to play, but I knew they were going to be very destructive. And I remember picking Darren Sammy and a guy called Sylvester Joseph. Darren Sammy at no point in time would have considered himself to be a future leader of West Indies cricket. He was someone who you could depend on,” said Lara.

 

He added: “He’s going to ensure he does what is necessary for the team to be successful. That is the way how a follower can actually help a leader, by being part of a team and willing make sure that everyone is moving in the right direction. Today Darren Sammy is captain of the West Indies team and if you are in the dressing room, I’ve heard, he has the same demeanour and he has a lot of people moving in the same direction he wants to move in.”

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In all areas of national life people are looking for solutions that effect real and lasting change.

 

Sport is no exception. For many people, sport matters but their frustration is the feeling that outside of sport and with the exception of very few companies there is a lack of appreciation and understanding for the role that sport can play and in very many noteworthy instances—is playing in the life of young people. Sport is making a positive difference.

 

But yet, no one of significance outside of sport, seems to be listening. The sport fraternity feels unloved, underappreciated and as if it is the black sheep of the family. To be honest it’s the same way those in the arts and culture feel but the focus here is on sport.

 

Talk to people in sport and the cry is money, the lack of it. My view has been well ventilated in this column. It’s not money that’s the problem. The lack of money is a symptom of a far deeper issue. In my view the deeper issue surrounds marketing, promotion, communication, creativity, innovation and adapting to the knowledge economy.

 

Within sport there needs to be a clear understanding of how do we create value? What value do the national sport organisations (NSOs) bring to the nation? How do we articulate that value? How do we communicate that value? How do we quantify, measure and evaluate that value?

 

Resource acquisition, in this case money, is driven by communication strategies that answer the core question: Why should I fund and support your organisation? The answer should be based on evidence but most NSOs fail to effectively communicate their success stories.

 

The challenge is to position the sport sector, inclusive of the NSOs as a trusted, brand leader with proven ways of creating value.

 

Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, visited Africa in June 2001. During his visit he told African leaders who appealed to him for American investment dollars, that they needed to change their ways. Why?

 

Powell told them, “Money does not go where it will not be safe, where it will not draw a return, and where people are not confident.”

 

Powell further advised that it was the responsibilities of the leaders to create the environment that will build confidence and trust. The suggestion Powell offered was clear, it had to be proactive and from within. Moving forward meant acknowledging that the solution is within the leaders themselves.

 

It is important that when addressing problems and concerns that we go beneath the surface and address the underlying realities. It is a key success factor. What needs to be done? What can and should we be doing to make a difference?

 

We have to look below the surface.

 

NSOs are non profit, non governmental, volunteer based membership organisations. In reality, NSOs compete with other NGOs and nonprofit organisations for resources—financial and human.

 

It is a formidable challenge but one that can be overcome with hard listening and clarity of thought. The conversations and dialogue that the sport sector should engage in must embrace a different paradigm one that is based on self belief and self confidence that the problem and solution is not extrinsic.

 

NSOs must guard against muddling their key messages and mission.

 

Concrete steps must be made to keep message and mission foremost in the minds of stakeholders.

 

The primary difference between for-profit and non-profit organisations is that profit organisations look to maximise wealth, whereas non-profit organisations look to provide a greater good to society.

 

To my mind, spending time and it will not necessarily be easy, because there will be different views and perspectives, discussing, debating and coming up with an answer to the question “what is the value proposition of NSOs” will be time well spent.

 

Brian Lewis is the Honourable Secretary General of the T&T Olympic Committee www.ttoc.org. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the TTOC.

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A search for a new sponsor for its flagship Diamond League has been launched by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after Samsung decided not to renew its $4.5 million (£3 million/€3.5 million) deal for the upcoming 2013 season.

The South Korean electronics giant, who are one of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) TOP partners, had sponsored the League since its launch in 2010 but have decided against the option of taking up a fourth year.

"We are in discussions with various possible replacements for Samsung," Nick Davies, the IAAF deputy general secretary, told insidethegames.

"We should know more in the coming weeks."

The Diamond League is made up of 14 of the world's top meetings in 11 countries across three continents, encompassing 32 individual disciplines, with $480,000 (£314,000/€370,000) in prize money available at each event. 

This year's circuit is due to open in Doha on May 10 before travelling to Shanghai on May 18 and then two meetings in the United States before arriving in Europe, at the Golden Gala in Rome on June 6.

The top three athletes at each meeting are awarded points, and in the case of the final meeting of the discipline the points are doubled.


The athlete with the highest number of points in each discipline at the end of the season wins "The Diamond Race", earning a Diamond Trophy created by jeweller Beyer and a $40,000 (£26,000/€31,000) cash prize. 

Samsung's decision to withdraw is believed to have been partly motivated by the fact that the fragmented nature of the Diamond League means that each individual meeting has its own sponsor, who usually enjoy a greater projection than they do.

But Samsung will remain involved in athletics as they recently announced a new sponsorship deal with Jamaica's Usain Bolt, the six-time Olympic gold medallist, coinciding with the launch of its  new NX300 camera.

A major advertising campaign featuring Bolt is due to be launched worldwide on April 15. 

Samsung also last year extended their sponsorship of European champions Chelsea until the end of the 2014-2015 season. 

Samsung is also a sponsor of the Asian Games and its current deal with the IOC lasts until Rio 2016. 

Contact the writer of this story at duncan.mackay@insidethegames.biz

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Trinidad and Tobago’s Carifta Games gold medallist Machel Cedenio maintained his winning ways yesterday, snapping up victory in the men’s 400 metres event, at the 2013 National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) President’s Classic.

On the Hasely Crawford Stadium track, Cedenio, in his Simplex Athletics colours, looked very comfortable in cruising to victory in 46.99 seconds, ahead of Neon Trackers’ Kern Alexis.

This time, Cedenio did not need to muster a big effort in the final 50 metres, as he did at Carifta in the Bahamas. The 17-year-old quartermiler eased through his first 300, with Alexis marginally ahead, and then switched on the power at the end to ensure there was no other winner, before shutting down.

Unattached runner Richard Jones also showed his superiority, perhaps with a bit less comfort than Cedenio.

Jones and Defence Force runner Matthew Hagley enjoyed the front to themselves. They traded the lead several times up to the home straight, before Jones made his move at the top of the straight, easily holding off his rival.

Visually impaired thrower Carlos Greene had the attention of the crowd in the shot put Men’s Open event, but his best effort of 10.76 metres was only good enough for fourth. Akeem Stewart of Tobago Falcons took that event with an impressive 17.77m effort.

Among the top women in action yesterday were Geraldine George (Petrotrin Palo Seco), who took the Women’s Open javelin with a 39.26m throw, and Romona Modeste (Neon Trackers), winner of the women’s 400m Open in 54.88 seconds.

Results

Women’s Javelin Open
1. Geraldine George (Petrotrin Palo Seco) – 39.26m 2. Darlene Lewis (UWI) – 38.26m 3. Gwendolyn Smith (Petrotrin Palo Seco) – 36.79m

Men’s High Jump Open
1. Dominique Richards (UTT Fast Track) 1.95m 2. Omari Benoit (Falcons) – 1.95m 3. Rodney Liverpool (Defence Force) – 1.85m

G U-17 800m
1. Chivonne Aigle (GC Striders) – 2:40.37 2. Patrina La Touche (Oasics) – 2: 43.85 3. Ashley Fernandez (Petrotrin Palo Seco) – 2:45.19

B U-17 800m
1. Jordan Lares (Abilene Wildcats) – 2:06.18 2. Atiba Samuel (Petrotrin Palo Seco) – 2:06.95 3. O’Neal De Shong (Air Bon Sonics) – 2:09.75

Women’s 800m Open
1. Dawnell Collymore (Memphis Pioneers) – 2:18.79 2. Ishawn Francis (Burnely) – 2:22.34 3. Elia Nero (Neon Trackers) – 2:22.91

Men’s 800m Open
1. Christopher Mitchell (Defence Force) – 2:01.22 2. David Herbert (Alpha Athletics) – 2:01.55 3. Jean-Paul Drakes (D’Abadie Progressive) – 2:02.13

Women’s shot put Open
1. Portious Warren (Toco TAFAC) – 12.86m 2. Cherisse Murray (Toco TAFAC) – 12.38 3. Gwendolyn Smith (Petrotrin Palo Seco) – 12.21m

Men’s javelin throw Open
1. Hakim Smith (Toco TAFAC) – 56.40m 2. Danien Murray (Toco TAFAC) – 51.15m 3. Andwele Korede (Warriors) – 50.04m

G U-17 400m (Invitational)
1. Thyla-Marie Scott (Cougars) – 57.40 2. Renee Stoddard (Neon Trackers) 59.59 3. Marisha Arthur (Neon Trackers) – 1:02.93

B U-17 400m (Invitational)
1. Aaron Sylvester (Concorde) – 51.27 2. Jesse Frederick (Memphis Pioneers) – 52.02 3. Daniel Hernandez (D’Abadie Progressive) – 52.71

Women’s 400m Open (Invitational)
1. Romona Modeste (Neon Trackers) – 54.88 2. Domonique Williams (Neon Trackers) – 55.28 3. Shirnelle Ettienne (PFNJ) – 57.02

Men’s 400m Open (Invitational)
1. Machel Cedenio (Simplex) – 46.99 2. Kern Alexis (Neon Trackers) 47.74 3. Asa Guevara (Abilene Wildcats) – 48.01

Men’s 3000m Open
1. Richard Jones (Unattached) – 9:12.71 2. Matthew Hagley (Defence Force) – 9:12.80 3. Jules La Rode (Penal Athletics) – 9:44.20

Men’s shot put Open
1. Akeem Stewart (Falcons) – 17.77m Kesean Phillips (UWI) – 15.66m 3. Kenejah Williams (Tobago Falcons) – 14.17m Carlos Greene (Unattached) – 10.76m

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Sergeant Roger Daniel swept the pistol events at the ACOM Championships, also called "The Pablo Roy Camille Challenge", in Martinique on Easter weekend.

Daniel captured four gold medals for Trinidad and Tobago, winning the 10 metres and 50m events, as well as two 25m events. The Olympian was named top pistol shooter of the tournament.

The other T&T shooter at the Championships, Corporal Marsha Bullen Jones bagged a bronze medal.

T&T finished second on the medal table with four gold medals and one bronze medal. Martinique were first with four gold medals, seven silver and seven bronze, while third spot went to Guadeloupe with one gold medal and one silver medal. St Martin, France and French Guiana also competed.

The T&T shooting team will now fine-tune preparations for the April 14-23 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games qualifiers, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The 2014 CAC Games will be held in Veracruz, Mexico.

"Attending the ACOM Challenge," said Daniel, "helped me mentally to see where I am at towards the upcoming qualifiers. I still have to get accustomed to the new equipment, but I feel confident enough going into the CAC qualifiers. The heat and wind were factors that caused me to really search within to avoid elimination in the finals. I kept saying 'stay focused' all the way, even though the distractions were there."

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