The Olympic Caravan Country Tour rolled into Mayaro last Thursday with hundreds of fans greeting Olympic javelin gold medal winner, Keshorn Walcott, at the Mayaro Resource Centre.
Walcott, was the toast of residents of Mayaro and surrounding areas, including Guayaguayare, Mafeking, Newlands, Ortoire and Kernahan, who converged hours before in anticipation of the caravan's arrival. He was accompanied by fellow Olympians Roger Daniel, Mickel Thomas and Machel Cedenio.
The crowd was given more to cheer about when Member of Parliament for Mayaro Winston "Gypsy" Peters announced that an Olympic-size swimming pool was in the pipeline.
Peters said: "Mayaro has always been a rich source of talent and, inspired by the accomplishments of the athletes who represented our nation at the Olympics, it is up to us to ensure that our young people get the very same opportunity to shine.
"I see it as my sacred duty to serve the people of Mayaro and make those opportunities available to them. That is why I want to declare that by 2013, the people of Mayaro, especially the young athletes, will have access to a brand new Olympic-size swimming pool. It is as much for them, as it is for the future glory of Trinidad and Tobago," the minister declared.
Walcott put the occasion into context saying: "Having started off in Princes Town, it's been a long day for all of us, but with the welcome we received from Mayaro, we have all been re-energised.
"It is especially great to see how many kids came out to welcome us because they are the future stars of Mayaro and the nation. The joy on their faces makes this very much worth it for the entire team," he added.
Also on hand to welcome the athletes was chairman of the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation Hazarie Ramdeen, who presented trophies of honour to Walcott for his accomplishment.