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

Eight presidents since 1894.

Now it’s Thomas Bach’s turn. Last Tuesday, Bach of Germany was elected to lead the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Jacques Rogge’s tenure came to an end.

In the July to September edition of the Olympic review, the outgoing president made the point that one of the great strengths of the Olympic movement is its ability to adapt to change while adhering to the traditions and core values that define the mission of the IOC.

Rogge was emphatic in making the point that no organisation can survive over time without accepting change.

He graciously acknowledged that a new IOC president will undoubtedly bring more change to the Olympic Movement, and went on to say that is how it should be.

In what would be his farewell foreword, Rogge was both optimistic and gracious in passing the baton of leadership.

Rogge ensured that the IOC led the fight against doping and illegal betting while under his stewardship and built upon the financial platform laid down by Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Since 1894, every IOC president played a part in shaping the Olympic Movement. Demetrius Vikelas of Greece was appointed the first IOC president by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Vikelas served as president from 1894 t0 1896. Pierre de Coubertin led the IOC from 1896 to 1925. Henri De Baillet-Latour, like Rogge a Belgian, helmed the IOC from 1925 to 1942.

At the first post war IOC meeting, J Sigrid Edstrom of Sweden was president from 1946 to 1952.

American Avery Brundage was elected in 1952 and during his 20 years in the post, he is best remembered for his inflexibility on amateurism.

Irishman Lord Killanin was thrown into the hot seat from 1972 to 1980. His tenure encompassed the boycotts of the 1976 and 1980 Games.

Then came the Samaranch era. Samaranch restructured the IOC finances, overseeing television rights deals and sponsorship programmes. He led the IOC through the Salt Lake ethics crisis and undertook major reforms to the structure of the IOC.

Rogge was considered to be the ideal president to guide the IOC through the post Samaranch years. The creation of the Youth Olympic Games is widely considered to be his signature achievement. Rogge’s era will also be remembered for the Beijing and London Summer Olympic Games and the memorable Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. Rogge competed in sailing at the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968, Munich in 1972 and Montreal in 1976. He was also a member of the Belgian national rugby team. The other Olympian in the gallery of presidents is Brundage.

Bach, however, is the first gold medalist to be elected president. Those who elected him would have high expectations that the wealth of his experience both as an athlete and sport administrator will provide him with the leadership qualities needed to guide the complex behemoth that is the Olympic movement.

The IOC and the global Olympic movement will face myriad challenges and from all corners. There are a number of issues that require attention. But the major challenge facing the Olympic Movement is a booming cynicism and pragmatism that is slowly draining away the passion and enthusiasm for the foundational philosophy of Olympism and the core Olympic values, ideals and spirit.

The corridors of power are allegedly covered in agendas that have very little to do with the vision and ambition of Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the fundamental principles of Olympism.

The IOC and the Olympic movement are for some mere means to an end. Bach’s most powerful challenge will be those who are only paying lip service to the Olympic values, spirit and ideals. His legacy may well be determined by his willingness and ability to stop the slow but gathering erosion of the Olympic values, ideals and spirit.

Source

National junior tennis player Breana Stampfli, breezed through the Copa Dunlop ITF Junior Tennis tournament in El Salvador last week, only losing one set on her way to the Girls Singles Under-18 title.

In Saturday’s final against American Cristina Rovira, number-two ranked Stampfli cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory. In the earlier rounds, Stampfli had a relatively easy run to the final. In semifinal action, Stampfli eased past Viviana Onorato of Venezuela 6-2, 6-2.

Stampfli got a scare in her quarterfinal match against Julia Eshet of USA, coming from behind to win in three sets. Eshet won the first set 6-3, but Stampfli showed her resilience to win the next two sets, 6-2, 6-0.

Nancy Menjivar of Spain was no match for Stampfli in round two, as the latter won 6-1, 6-0 after earning a first round bye.

RESULTS

Final: Breana Stampfli (T&T) def Cristina Rovira (USA) 6-4, 6-3

Semifinal: Stampfli def Viviana Onorato (VEN) 6-2, 6-2

Quarterfinal: Stampfli def Julia Eshet (USA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-0

2nd Round: Stampfli def Nancy Menjivar (ESA) 6-1, 6-0

1st Round: Bye

Source

It is a comedy routine as old as the hills, but it afflicts all of us every once in a while. And on Wednesday (September 11) evening, as they prepared to leave Buenos Aires, it afflicted the eighth and ninth Presidents of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"You must go first, you are the current President," said Jacques Rogge, or words to that effect.

"Ah, but you have seniority," replied Thomas Bach.

A pregnant pause and then the spirit of Olympic compromise took over. And so it was that the two men headed off towards the same Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt arm in arm.

They were still together after touching down at around 11am on Thursday morning to be greeted by the first of numerous media posses keen to record the first words of the new IOC President on his return to European soil from the most important IOC Session for at least a decade.

The two men addressed the journalists and camera crews together, perhaps for the last time, before Bach headed off with wife Claudia to the headquarters of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) a 15-minute drive away in a dark DOSB Audi.

The DOSB played an important role in the 59-year-old's ascent to the most powerful post in world sport by demonstrating both his vision in conceiving and overseeing its creation via the merger of the Deutsche Sportbund (DSB) and the Nationale Olympische Komitee für Deutschland (NOK), and his managerial capability in acting, since 2006, as its first President.

It was appropriate then that he should tell DOSB staff that they too should take pride in his achievement.

There was time for a lunch of bockwurst before Bach departed for a pre-arranged appearance at the German Sports Ministers' conference, featuring the Federal Minister and counterparts from all 16 regions, in Wiesbaden a 30-minute drive away.

Having played a part in the meeting, Bach was doing yet more media when Volker Bouffier, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Prime Minister of the state of Hesse, appeared, bearing congratulations for Bach and flowers, embellished with the Olympic Rings, for the absent Claudia, who had already departed for Tauberbischofsheim, the Bachs' home-town, where a reception was planned for that evening.

It was around 6pm by the time Bach himself got back, to be greeted by a crowd in the market square - and an orchestra, one of his favourite metaphors for the Olympic Movement.

On his way into the reception proper, on the second floor of the town hall, 60 fencers from his local club, dressed for action, formed a guard of honour for the man who was one of the members of the winning German foil team at the 1976 Olympics.

This took a while, as Bach stopped frequently to talk to the young athletes, but the new IOC President eventually emerged in the reception room to a surprise: his sister was there with Mayor Wolfgang Vockel to greet him.

A speech from Vockel and a short reply, more homely German fare in the form of meatballs and the evening ended in small talk with the friends and neighbours from this quiet community of 12,000 people who had watched his progress over many years with a great sense of civic pride.

Next day - Friday - brought a trip to Berlin and the first sports competition Bach witnessed as IOC President.

The venue was the Max-Schmeling-Halle, named after the famous boxer, and the occasion, the semi-final of the women's European Volleyball Championship between Germany and Belgium.

Bach was no doubt gratified that the hosts won a close match by three sets to two, after recovering from a two-set deficit. It had evidently occurred to him, however, that his new role sits ill with public displays of sporting patriotism.

He therefore watched with commendable neutrality, applauding outstanding play by both teams.

On Saturday, Bach fulfilled another longstanding engagement with Joachim Gauck, the German Federal President, who had invited him to Schloss Bellevue, his official residence, to help mark the centenary year of the German sport for all movement.

Gauck, who had been the first political leader to congratulate Bach in Buenos Aires, just ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin, took the opportunity to wish him well in person, saying his election was a historic moment for German sport.

It was at this event that archery became the first sport actually practiced by Bach as IOC President.

Then it was back to Frankfurt for an 11pm appearance on the Sportstudio television programme.

Sunday afforded the first opportunity, apart from, perhaps, the flight back from South America, to take stock and reflect upon what the next eight years might now hold in store.

Today, the whirlwind of activity resumes, with the DOSB board meeting at which he will resign the Presidency, with Hans-Peter Krämer set to step in on an interim basis until the body chooses a permanent replacement in December.

Tomorrow night, Bach will fly to Lausanne, where he is set to spend the rest of the week in and around the IOC's lakeside headquarters.

It is expected to take at least this long just to collate the messages of congratulation that have winged in via just about every communications medium the 21st century has to offer, never mind reply to all of them.

Dieter Graumann, head of the German-Jewish community, is said to be the author of one such message; retired tennis star Steffi Graf of another.

Bach has already said that his first official foreign trip as IOC President will be to Olympia, the Movement's cradle, to attend the lighting ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic flame at the end of this month.

Source

September 13 - British Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has said it is her goal to add a Commonwealth Games gold medal to her collection of accolades as the Glasgow 2014 ambassador urged fans to snap up tickets for next year's event before the Monday (September 16) deadline.

The London 2012 star today revealed plans for her return to competitive action from an injury that saw her missing this year's World Athletics Championships by appearing at next year's indoor season before going to Glasgow to claim her first Commonwealth gold to complete "the full set".

However, she also warned against leaving it until the last minute to get for tickets for the event in Scotland, with demand soaring and the clock ticking as the application window enters its final weekend.

"I am really excited about the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow," said former world champion Ennis-Hill, who has a bronze medal from the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

"Having a major championships in Britain so soon after the Olympics is brilliant and to have the support of a crowd made up of all the Home Nations will really help us athletes achieve our best again.

"Don't put it off or wait until the final bell - apply for tickets this weekend and be part of something truly amazing.

"I will never forget the roar of the crowd in London and hope that everyone goes out to buy tickets to add their support for us all once again.

"My goal is to add the Commonwealth gold medal to my Olympic, World and European ones - the full set would be amazing."

The demand for tickets has already outstripped supply in athletics, cycling, diving, swimming, artistic gymnastics, shooting and triathlon, according to Glasgow 2014, who advised that the best opportunities for successful applications are for rugby sevens, hockey and badminton events.

"There has already been incredible demand for tickets and early indications suggest that Glasgow 2014 is shaping up to be a truly historic occasion," explained Glasgow 2014 deputy chief executive Ty Speer.

"Don't miss your chance to apply for tickets and be part of Scotland's biggest sporting and cultural event.

"My advice would be to avoid the final dash for tickets and the likely queues on our website and apply as soon as possible, and before Monday, when we expect demand to reach its absolute peak."

Glasgow 2014 ticket applications will close at 1800 GMT on Monday (September 16).

Source

September 15 - New International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach will tomorrow begin resigning from his other positions, including as head of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and Ghorfa, the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he has told insidethegames.

The 59-year-old was the first leader of the DOSB, which was founded in 2006 by a merger of the Deutscher Sportbund (DSB), and the Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland (NOK).

"I will resign from most of my activities, of course," he told insidethegames.

"On Monday will be the first step when I resign as President of DOSB.

"Then I will also resign from the Presidency of the Arab-German Chamber.

"I will resign from my major professional activities."

Bach had taken the decision to resign from his positions before it was announced that the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, an international organisation dedicated to hunting down Nazis and bringing them to justice, had written to the United Nations to urge him to step down from Ghorfa, which they claim is an anti-Jewish organisation.

But Bach will keep one position, as head of the Michael Weinig AG Company, which is based in his hometown of Tauberbischofsheim in South West Germany, and which manufactures machines and systems for wood processing industry in Germany and internationally.

"But I would like to keep one, this is the chair of the Supervisory Board of a machine-building company in my hometown when I grew up which I have emotional links to and certain responsibility for the employees who want me to continue," he said.

"Before being elected [as President] I asked the Ethics Commission in case of election they would have any concerns if I would continue with this activity and they said, 'No, not at all' because they cannot see any kind of conflict of interests arising."

The DOSB are expected to announce tomorrow the process for replacing Bach.

Source

September 12 - Disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong has returned the Olympic bronze medal he won in the time trial at Sydney 2000, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) confirmed today.

"The 2000 Bronze is back in possession of @usolympics and will be in Switzerland asap to @olympics," Armstrong said on his official Twitter account, in a post that also included a photograph of the medal in question.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) informed Armstrong that he was being stripped of the medal in January this year after the International Cycling Union (UCI) disqualified all of his results, including the seven Tour de France titles the athlete had claimed from 1999-2005, following his public admission to using performance enhancing drugs during his career.

The USOC's chief communications officer Patrick Sandusky confirmed that the medal had been handed back.

"I can confirm that the United States Olympic Committee has received the bronze medal awarded to Lance Armstrong at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney," he said.

"The International Olympic Committee and the USOC had previously requested that the medal be returned.

"The USOC has made arrangements to return the medal to the IOC."

The move comes just days after newly elected IOC President Thomas Bach made comments about the medal.

"What we are lacking - sadly but I hope we can still come to the result - is just getting back the medal," he said on Sunday (September 8) ahead of his election on Tuesday (September 10).

"But legally the case for the IOC is closed."

Similarly to how the UCI did not reallocate the Tour de France titles previously held by Armstrong, the IOC has said it will not award the Olympic bronze medal to the race's fourth place finisher, Abraham Olano of Spain - who, incidentally, recently lost his job as technical director of the Vuelta a España after a French Senate investigation found that his urine samples from the 1998 Tour showed evidence of EPO use.

The Sydney 2000 time trial bronze medal position will be left vacant in Olympic records.

Source

Most of the good in T&T centres around our youth in sport. Let’s look at some of them.

Jehue Gordon
A young man with tremendous pedigree, not just in his family, but also in his education (Queens Royal College). He has always maintained a strong level of humility while personifying a quiet confidence. The fact, that he was able to appreciate the value of home life and homemade education at the University of the West Indies has also demonstrated his thought processes, and his intelligence. The comfort of having persons around you, who you know and trust, is vitally important in any sporting athlete’s growth. I will always remember the disappointment on his face after the 400 metres finals at the London Olympics. But you also sensed that he was determined to bounce back and could do this. And in August at the World Championships, he did just that, cruising into the final with the words “I am having fun,” which translated means, I am feeling very good with my state of mind. I am going to win this. I remember telling him that he would win and he just smiled. He is our future, but we should not put too much pressure on him, he has a very good management and coaching team, filled of high quality individuals, who seek his best interest. This is critical for all young sporting persons.

Darren Michael Bravo
Without question, this youngster is possibly the best batsman in the region, in terms of technique, skill and shot selection. His natural game seems to be molded on test cricket, but he has demonstrated that he can adapt to both one day cricket and T20. It is the best news ever, that before the end of the year, the West Indies will be playing five Tests, two against India and three against New Zealand, both overseas series, as it will give Bravo a great opportunity to continue his progress. We need to allow young Bravo, time to be his own man and establish his own legacy. There is a strong sense of determination and purpose, added to his educational background (Fatima College), and his dedication to training.

Nijsane Phillip
After a tremendous performance in the London Olympics, with a fourth place finish in the Match Sprint, Phillips is back in search of his dream. His strong endurance and perseverance speaks volume for him in the future and with the proper guidance and support, he can continue to proudly carry our flag. We must just ensure that we continue to support him, with more action than words, when and as soon as he needs assistance. What gives me strength in his powers, is his mental capacity, which at the moment, is particularly strong.

Kershorn Walcott
A gold medal at the London Olympics, followed by a disappointing finish a year later in the World Championships, needs to be measured carefully with serious discussion and some introspection on what went wrong. Corrective action is important, but not at the expense of eroding Walcott’s self-confidence. And while, there were errors in 2013, these are life lessons and once they can be corrected and he can become fit again and spend more time with his coach, then he is young enough to succeed again. He has the right demeanour and appears to have recognised what may have gone awry, let us hope his handlers do likewise and look at them.

Dylan Carter
When you watch the progress of Dylan Carter, it is both revealing and pleasing. A silver medalist at the World Youth Swimming Championships in Dubai, this 6ft young man, is only a boy with a gracious kindred spirit and friendly happy demeanour, which makes him dangerous to all his opponents now and in the future.” There is nothing but determination in what he does and what he wants to achieve. He has to make a decision on his swimming races soon since he wants to swim “them all.” He wants to enjoy himself and not be limited and this is important. He is definitely one for the future, along with many others who travelled to Dubai, such as Joshua Romany, Kristen Julien, Jonathon Ramkissoon and Tyler Martin. There is a common thread in all of these sporting persons, and that is family—and family support, all of them will acknowledge the support of their parents and close family friends and also their respective coaches, who throughout their formative years and now have given them the training and belief, they can succeed.

Source

In the aftermath of Finance Minister Larry Howai’s budget presentation, many individuals in the sporting fraternity believe that much more could have been done for the future of sports in T&T.

In the brief statement on national sports in Monday’s 2013/14 budget, Howai spoke about the rapid development of the National Aquatic Centre, the National Tennis Centre and the National Cycle Centre. Although satisfied with those goals, the general consensus is that not enough is being done for the next generation of sporting heroes.

Former Soca Warrior and current managing director of Central FC, Brent Sancho, was a bit disappointed.

“Looking at the social issues we have in this country, I would have liked to see more given to the grassroot programmes,” said Sancho.

He believes more immediate funding needs to be allocated to the ground level first, to produce world class athletes.

“We must start from the developmental level, or else we will have nobody to fill these facilities.”

Like Sancho, newly appointed president of the T&T Tennis Association, Kendall Cuffy, believes in developmental programmes.

Although he appreciates the government’s initiative in the National Tennis Centre, he says not enough is being done to nurture future stars.

“We need to start at the grassroot level; this is where world class talent will be discovered,” said Cuffy, who has plans to meet with the Sport Company of T&T (Sportt) to discuss concerns in local tennis, and will propose his developmental ideas.

Brian Lewis, president of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC), is of the opinion that T&T must start taking sports more seriously.

“We need to build sustainability to further assist the sport economy,” Lewis said. “I am a believer that sport needs to get away from the dependency syndrome.”

He gave the example that more can be done to develop sport entrepreneurship.

Njisane Phillip’s stepfather and manager, Phillip Whiteman, is contented with the progress being made with the National Cycle Centre.

“I am happy with the development being made,” he said. He also said the Ministry of Sport has been co-operating with the cycling body.

“The cycling federation has given advice on stuff that can be done to improve the facility (cycle centre) and they have listened.”

Whiteman also believes the centre will develop a new crop of cyclists in T&T.

“I know this (centre) will bring talent, but it needs to be properly maintained.”

Whiteman mentioned this centre should help economic growth in T&T as many cyclists from abroad will continue coming to T&T to compete.

“A lot of people are excited to come to T&T and when people come to T&T we will earn revenue.”

Source

September 11 - Newly-elected International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has made a change in the bidding process for the Games a major priority, he revealed here today.

The German, who was yesterday elected to replace Jacques Rogge as the most powerful man in world sport, wants to encourage more bids from more cities from more countries by relaxing what they ask from each of the candidates in the early stages of the process.

"In our bidding process we are asking too much too early," he told insidethegames.

"We approach potential candidate cities like you would in business with a tender for a franchise.

"We are putting out our conditions, 'You have to do this, you have to do that, here are our conditions, here are the guarantees'.

"This leads to a situation that all the bid books are written by the same people around the world.

"You get the same answers in all the bids and when you have the Q&A in the Session or in the briefing I could give you the answers beforehand."

For the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics there were only three candidate cities - Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo, with the Games being awarded to the Japanese capital.

It was the lowest number of candidates since bidding for the 1988 Games when only Seoul and Nagoya were campaigning at a time when the Olympic Movement was arguably at its lowest ebb because of boycotts and financial problems.

"I would like to try to change the mentality," said Bach.

"I would like to have cities thinking about bidding more as an invitation.

"I want to invite potential candidates to study how the Olympic Games would fit into their long-term city and regional and country development.

"How the Olympic Games could contribute to sustainable development in their environment and not applying just the standards of one part of the world to everybody.

"To allow them to have their own creativity, to have their own way of thinking.

"I think this would lead to the population in the city, in the region, in the country being part of the candidature at the very early stage because they would have a say in how much the Games could serve as a catalyst for 'our development'.

"By this you would allow in more cities and more countries in the world to bid.

"You would get more creativity in the bid and you would get participation of support of the population.

"You have to be sure of operational excellence and this will not be easy to define.

"They at least have to guarantee the offer they make and you have to have minimum standards.

"We are requesting, not to say imposing, too much too early."

Source

Three Trinidad and Tobago cyclists have already qualified for the 2013/14 UCI (International Cycling Union) World Cup season, over five events in all.
Njisane Phillip has sealed his place in the sprint and keirin events. Phillip’s training partner Varun Maharajh is also on that list, as is locally-based professional Team DPS rider Quincy Alexander. Maharajh will compete in the omnium and scratch events, while Alexander qualified for the kilometre time trial.
Alexander’s uncle and manager, Robert Farrier is pleased with the progress the 19-year-old has made since becoming a senior rider last year, but is hopeful he will qualify for the sprints as well.
“We started this whole process last year in qualifying for World Championships,” Farrier told the Express yesterday. “Our main aim is the 2016 Olympics. He did qualify for a non-Olympic event but he is close in terms of points to qualify, so hopefully for the next Grand Prix he will be able to qualify (in the sprints).”
Farrier, a former T&T Cycling Federation president, said that Alexander’s progress is being monitored very closely.
“He did three events for the year, whereas other guys did eight,” he said. “So in terms of that, he’s well up there to be one of the top 40 to qualify for the World Cup. This kid is 19 years old, and the whole staff around him and Team DPS are being careful how we handle him and his events.”
And Farrier noted that the team has been raising their own funds to go to competitions, which he said is “very expensive”. The teenager’s performances are more impressive, he said, given the constraints they have faced.
“Quincy at 18 was Pan Am elite champion, so we know he transitioned very quickly to that level by winning gold in his first elite level (event). I’m not sure he got enough recognition for that with the amount of resources put in it,” he said.

Source

Looking through my video archives these last few weeks, I saw time fly before me. On one tape, Zinedine Zidane has nearly a full head of hair and playing in the colours of Bourdeaux, on another, he is fitted in the black stripes of Juventus and then on yet another, he is the bald maestro of Real Madrid, passing the ball to a Luiz Figo who I had just seen wearing the blue and red of Barcelona.

Patrice Evra, who seems to be wearing the red of Manchester United forever, was on one of those tapes too. But this was a younger man, less filled out and wearing the red and white strip of the French club Monaco as they got to the 2004 Champions League final. And then there was Ronaldo, the original one, slim, speedy, wondrous with the ball at his feet, and winning a Cup Winners Cup for Barca.

There was an assortment of others who I saw—Roberto Donadoni, Didier Deschamps, Frank Rijkaard, Antonio Conte, Roberto Di Matteo, Gianfranco Zola—all of them now men on the sidelines, coaching clubs and countries. But just yesterday, they were the stars of the game, the ones winning and losing the titles.

The footage was a reminder of how quickly life can change on us and how fluid the modern game has become, the top players spanning the range of the top clubs of Europe in a matter of years. The career of the modern-day player is like one of those school bags with numerous compartments, each section representing a spell with a different club.

If you looked into just one “compartment,” it would be difficult to appreciate the whole package—the full value of a player’s career. For example, studying the periods that Patrick Vieira and Rivaldo spent at AC Milan, would not at all give you a full appreciation of the players they were. You would have had to see them at Arsenal, in the case of Vieira, and Barcelona in the case of Rivaldo to get the real story.

Glimpsing Kenwyne Jones playing for the Soca Warriors this year, one also gets the sense that he too is moving into a different compartment, another phase of his career.

Here is a talented fellow. For his height alone, he was a standout when he played in the Secondary Schools Football League for St Anthony’s College. And he really played—all over the field—from defence to midfield and attack, an above average utility player at that level, whose versatility made him outstanding in a “Tigers” side that swept all titles before them in the 2002 season. In what is still the largest winning score in an InterCol final, Jones got a double playing from midfield as the Tigers picked Naparima College apart 6-0.

That goal-scoring ability would eventually determine the direction his career would take as he moved from hometown team Point Fortin Civic Centre to W Connection and Joe Public in the T&T Pro League and then to England where he has plied his trade with first Southampton, then Sheffield Wednesday in a loan spell, and then with Sunderland and his current club, Stoke City.

The English sides liked Jonesy’s pace, and as his slender frame became more sturdy, he became more of a presence in the penalty box and a real threat in the air. However, Jones’ time in the Premier League has not been as spectacular as probably he would have liked.

The British like their players to “work hard for the team,” which usually means they want to see them  hustling up and down the pitch showing lots of “work rate.” But Jones has not been that type. He is no Carlos Tevez or Wayne Rooney either with or


without the ball. Sometimes he could look ponderous in the box, his first touch not being

the strongest part of his game.

Steve Bruce, his manager at Sunderland, eventually grew tired of waiting for his Trini acquisition to really blossom; so in 2010, Jones shed one set of red stripes for another. Under Tony Pulis, as under Bruce, big Kenwyne had his moments, those little patches where the goals would flow, and then suddenly, they would dry up. So far in 110 appearances for Stoke he has netted just 26 times.

His scoring career with the Soca Warriors has also not been prolific. The baby of the squad that went to the World Cup in 2006, Jones has become the main hope in front of goal in the years since then for a side that has desperately needed penetration. But he has not been able to supply it. However, this year has been different. Quite different.

In the very new season in England, Jones has already scored a hat-trick. And at the CONCACAF Gold Cup back in July, the T&T captain led his side to the quarter-finals, getting two goals himself. It was not the strikes against El Salvador and Honduras that got the attention only. It was also the pace and the energy Jones brought to the T&T attack which caught the eye; the sense of danger he engendered. It was a different Kenwyne Jones people were seeing. That Gold Cup showing evidently was not an optical illusion.

More than once on Monday, I was being asked if I saw the lob with which Jones beat the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper. The questioners were bubbling. Excited. Almost disbelieving. It was almost as if they did not think their captain capable of such invention and delicate touch. Such class. But Jones ended the match with two goals in a 3-1 win, and left the OSN Cup with three in two matches, making it five goals in his last six games for T&T. In the context of his international career, Jones has never been in better touch.

There seems a greater sense of purpose about his work inside and outside the penalty area. A new attitude. Jones’ physical gifts are now being seen to better effect. It is as if there is a different man playing under the dreadlocks compared to the years previous.

Now just shy of 29, maybe at we haven’t seen the full Jones package yet.

Source

September 9 - Olympic Solidarity has decided to take advantage of the bumper increase in television revenues generated by the International Olympic Commission (IOC) in the 2009-2012 Olympic quadrennium to establish a $200 million (£127 million/€151 million) reserve.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, chairman of the Olympic Solidarity Commission and President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), justified the move to IOC members gathered here today by saying: "Nobody knows what will happen in the next four years."

Olympic Solidarity manages the share of IOC broadcasting income belonging to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and redistributes these funds via a variety of programmes.

The rate of growth of the IOC's overall broadcasting income will slow markedly in 2013-2016 after the jump registered in the previous quadrennium.

Sheikh Ahmad told IOC members that the development and assistance budget approved by the Olympic Solidarity Commission for the 2013-2016 quadrennial plan totalled $438 million (£279 million/€330 million).

This represents an increase of around 40 per cent from the previous quadrennial plan.

Source

September 9 - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has today given notice of the imminent launch of a method of monitoring athletes' biological parameters on the basis of urine samples, rather than blood.

The so-called "steroid passport" was announced by WADA President John Fahey at the end of an address to International Olympic Committee (IOC) members here in the Argentine capital.

Fahey said WADA hoped to "have a steroid passport launched before the end of this year to complement the athlete biological passport (ABP)".

The ABP is used to monitor athletes' blood profiles over a period of time, in order to identify surprise changes that might be the result of doping.

The ability to achieve similar ends using urine samples is regarded as a significant step forward, not least because the procedure needed to extract the samples is less invasive.

WADA is currently gearing up for the World Conference on Doping in Sport to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 12 until 15.

The gathering is expected to bring confirmation of a doubling - from two to four years - in the length of ban for athletes who fail drug tests for the first time.

Fahey's six-year terms as WADA President is soon to end.

The Australian is to be replaced by Sir Craig Reedie, the 72-year-old Scot who is an IOC vice-president and former chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA).

Source

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) has extended congratulations to Thomas Bach the new president of the International Olympic Committee(IOC).

Earlier today at the 125th IOC General Assembly in Buenos Aires the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members  elected Thomas Bach to take over from Jacques Rogge.

A former IOC vice-president Bach was the favourite to win the presidential campaign ahead of his fellow IOC vice-president Ng Ser Miang, Puerto Rican banker Richard Carrion, Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka, International Boxing Association president Ching-Kuo Wu and Swiss lawyer Denis Oswald.

The 59-year-old German is a former Olympic fencer, and became an IOC member in 1991 ahead of joining its executive board in 1996 and becoming vice-president in 2000.

Away from the IOC, Bach also served as a supervisory board member of the FIFA 2006 World Cup organising committee; chairman of the board of trustees of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 organising committee; and is the founding president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB).

CK Wu was knocked out in the first round of voting. Bach won 49 votes in the second round ahead of Carrion (29), Ng (6), Oswald (5) and Bubka (4).

Bach said following the announcement: "First of all, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all of my friends and colleagues who voted for me. I would also like to thank my fellow candidates who I greatly respect. I know about the great responsibility of an IOC president and this makes me feel humble.

“I want to lead the IOC through the motto ‘unity in diversity’. You should know that my door, my ears and my heart is always open to you. Dear Jacques, I want to personally thank you very much for the confidence you have placed in me during your 12 years of presidency.”

September 9 - Former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Dick Pound could be set for a return to frontline sports politics after putting himself forward as a late candidate to stand for election to the ruling Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) here tomorrow.

The 71-year-old Canadian is one of three candidates chasing two places that will serve under the new President, who is also due to be elected tomorrow.

Pound will face American Anita DeFrantz and Malaysia's Prince Tunku Imran.

One of the spots has been created by one of the six Presidential candidates, Singapore's Ser Miang Ng, being forced to step down following eight years on the Executive Board, the last four of which have been as vice-president.

His vice-president's position will be taken by Australian John Coates, who is standing unopposed and whose promotion has created the other spot on the Executive Board.

Pound and DeFrantz both stood unsuccessfully against Jacques Rogge when he was elected as President to replace Juan Antonio Samaranch in Moscow 12 years ago.

If he is successful it will be Pound's third spell on the Executive Board, having between 1983 and 1991 and 1992 to 2000, the last four years of which he was also vice-president.

The Montreal lawyer has largely stayed in the shadows of IOC politics since stepping down as head of the Marketing Commission in 2005, although he remained in the public spotlight as the controversial chief of WADA, a post he held between 1999 and 2008.

DeFrantz, 61,served as an Executive Board meeting between 1992 and 2001, the last four as vice-president.

But she is coming into the election having last week lost her position as vice-president of the International Rowing Federation after 20 years.

The final candidate is Tunku, 65, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation and former head of the World Squash Federation.

The 62-year-old Coates, meanwhile, will be only the second Australian to hold such a prestigious position within the IOC, following Kevan Gosper, who held the role twice, first between 1990 and 1994 and then again 1995 to 1999.

He has been a member of the IOC Executive Board since 2009.

"I am truly honoured that none of my colleagues have chosen to stand against me and looking forward to supporting our new President and ultimately the athletes we represent," said Coates, President of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) since 1990.

"I thank my senior IOC colleague, Kevan Gosper and my AOC Executive for the encouragement and support they have given me. Kevan is the only other Australian to have held the position and his support and continuing wise counsel means a great deal to me."

If Germany's Thomas Bach, one of the IOC's four other vice-presidents, or Executive Board members Taiwan's C K Wu or Ukraine's Sergey Bubka are elected as President then their position will be filled at the next IOC Session in Sochi next February.

The other candidates are Puerto Rico's Richard Carrion and Switzerland's Denis Oswald.

Source

September 8 - Marius Vizer has been formally elected here as the new President of the SportAccord International Convention.

Vizer was chosen as the new President of SportAccord at St Petersburg in May, replacing Dutchman Hein Verbruggen, who had held the role since 2004.

Verbruggen was also President of the SportAccord International Convention, an event organised jointly by SportAccord, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AWOIF).

Vizer will now also take over that position following a meeting here today of the ruling Executive Committee, which comprised of ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and AWOIF President René Fasel, as well as Vizer and Arkady Rotenberg, who were representing SportAccord.

Vizer's appointment could mean that the Convention, an annual six-day gathering of 2,000 of the most influential people in world sport which is due next year to be held in Belek, Turkey, from April 6 until 11, becomes bigger and assume an even greater position of importance on the calendar.

"First of all I thank very much to my colleagues for the support and the trust," said Vizer, who is also head of the International Judo Federation.

"At the same time, I feel a serious responsibility to develop the present assets according to the new vision and dynamic strategy.

"I hope that together with the management of the present Executive Committee, we can bring more value to the Convention, more revenues and an increased number and quality of the services to our members and stakeholders."

Source

T&T’s Calypso Netballers will continue preparations for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, by participating in a four-nation series involving England, Wales and hosts South Africa.

The event will take place from October 20-25 at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa.

England are currently ranked third in the world, South Africa are sixth, Wales eight and T&T, ninth.

Details have yet to be released, though it appears each team will play each other twice. It will follow South Africa’s three-test September tour of England where the Proteas will face the all ANZ Championship backline of Geva Mentor, Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Jade Clarke.

Meanwhile, T&T was placed in a tough six-team Pool B for the Commonwealth Games when the draw was made in Glasgow, yesterday.

T&T will come up against World Champions Australia, England, South Africa, Wales and neighbours Barbados while New Zealand, Jamaica, Malawi, Scotland, Northern Ireland and St Lucia will compete in Pool A.

Also in the news, national under-21 netball team goal shoot Samantha Wallace was highlighted for a solid performance at the Seventh International Netball Federation World Youth (Under-21) Championship in Scotland.

Wallace was named in the top ten players by Web site Netballscoop.com which described her as a star for the future. In addition to Wallace, the other players singled out were Chelsea Lewis (Wales), Lisa-Marie Wiese (South Africa), Natalie Haythornthwaite (England), Khadijah Williams (Jamaica), Raijieli Daveua (Fiji), Shamera Sterling (Jamaica), Shonica Warton (Barbados), Thristina Harwood (Jamaica) and her compatriot Vangalee Williams (Jamaica).

The article read: “One of the best players of the tournament without a doubt, Wallace is a magnificent athlete who can play at both ends of the court and at goal attack, goal shooter and goal keeper. Wallace has missed selection in the senior side the last few years in favour of goal shooters who are tipping 40. This is unacceptable.

“Wallace can play at goal attack, with a taller more senior player behind her at shooter. The senior team could also use her at goal defence. For the fledgling “Calypso Girls”, Wallace is the way of the future. If not Samantha, you are welcome to move to Australia.”

Source

T&T’s Jehue Gordon, the reigning World 400m men’s hurdles IAAF World champion will look to end his season with another gold medal performance when he lines up in a star-studded field in the IAAF Diamond League Grand Prix in Brussels, Belgium at the Belgacom Van Damme Memorial, today.

At last month’s World Championship in Russia, Gordon produced a strong finish to pip American Michael Tinsley for the gold medal by a hundredth of a second while Serbian Emir Bekric was third in 48.05.

Tinsley, who led into the straight, before being caught by Gordon, is also in the field.

The other finishers were Cuban Omar Cisneros (48.12), Dominican Republic’s Olympic champion Felix Sanchez (48.22), Puerto Rican, Javier Culson (48.38), Senegal’s Mamadou Kasse Hanne (48.68) and T&T-born American, Kerron Clement (49.08).

Today’s event will comprise almost the same field with only Bekric and Clement the two absent athletes and their lanes being filled by hometown entrant Stef Vanhaeren and USA’s Justin Gayman and the ninth competitor, Great Britain’s Rhys Williams.

In addition to Tinsley, other serious challenges to Gordon today could come from Felix Sanchez and Cisneros, who came close to securing Cuba’s first medal in the event in Moscow and Diamond League leader, Culson with 13 points, four more than Tinsley.

Local sprinter Keston Bledman will have a much harder task of medalling as he will be the underdog in the men’s 100m final, which is spear-headed by Jamaican Olympic and World champion, Usain Bolt, who is expected to be the headline performer.

The 25-year-old Bledman will enter the race high on confidence following back to back wins in Europe over the last week.

First he won the men 100m final at the Flame Games in Amsterdan, Holland in 10.11 while he top the field at the palio Citta della Quercia Meet in Rovereto, Italy in 10.04, a new meet record. It was his second best time of the season, just off his 10.02 clocking in the heats at the World Championships.

Apart from Bledman, St Kitts/Nevis veteran, Kim Collins, France’s Jimmy Vicaut, England’s James Dasaolu, USA’s Justin Gatlin and Michael Rodgers and Jamaicans, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Nesta Carter will all be hoping to upset Bolt.

Bailey-Cole is also coming off a recent win at the ISTAF Athletics Meeting in Berlin, Germany in 10.04 well ahead of Collins, who crossed the line in 10.15.

However, to date, Bolt has won four times in Brussels and three of those victories have been in the 100m making him the overwhelming favourite.

Two years ago he set a meeting record of 9.76, bettering by 0.01 his own meeting record from three years prior which was run into a -1.3m/s headwind.

This year Bolt will be up against five other 100m finalists from Moscow, including silver medallist Justin Gatlin (USA) and bronze medallist Nesta Carter (Jamaica).

Overall, no less than 59 medallists from the recent IAAF World Championships in Moscow will take part in Brussels and nine events will feature the gold, silver and bronze medallists from the Russian capital.

Source

There is enough talent in Trinidad and Tobago swimming to field a 4x100 metres freestyle team.
So said Minister of Sport Anil Roberts at Piarco International Airport’s VIP Lounge late on Tuesday night as he welcomed back T&T’s swim team—inclusive of 50-metres butterfly silver medallist Dylan Carter—from the fourth FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Roberts, also a swim coach who has worked with Olympics and World Championships bronze medallist George Bovell—T&T’s most successful swimmer—paid tribute to Carter and the rest of the team for their performances.
The team also included girls Tyla Martin and Kristin Julien, and boys Joshua Romany and Jonathan Ramkissoon. Dean Romany served as manager, with Franz Huggins as head coach, June Durham as physiotherapist, and Jacqueline Pantin-Romany, chaperone.
The minister would like to see a relay team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 CAC Games and 2016 Olympics, and named Joshua Romany, Caryle Blondell and George Bovell would make a good team, along with Joshua McLeod.
“There’s a new era in swimming and you all have just seen it,” said Roberts. “Take many pictures get to know him, because he’s a humble young man who is generally beautiful to talk to, very intelligent, understand what the sport is about…and has worked hard.”
Roberts also predicted that Carter, who swims several different strokes and distances, could medal at the next years Commonwealth Games, after his “fast times” of 55.37 seconds (100m backstroke), and 23.98 (50m butterfly) at the junior “Worlds”.
“He is going to have some hard decisions next year as we got Commonwealth Games and CAC Games,” said Roberts. “Already he is looking well-ranked in the 100 backstrokes. I believe already he is in the top six in the Commonwealth Games. If he can get down to 54.74 he’ll be on the podium, so that is a very short way away.”
In his brief address, Carter told the gathering of family, supporters, officials and media that he was pleasantly surprised by their support.
“It means so much to me that you all came out at this late time and all the way out to the airport to see me come home; it’s really special to me. I didn’t really expect this,” the swimmer said.
“I don’t have much to say, just thank you all for the support, I was getting all the support over there and it really, really helped. The whole team was great, everybody back home was great. I’m just really happy to be home and to see everybody again.”

Source