Fans of the country's sportsmen and women can expect to have a closer relationship with their heroes in the build up to next year's Olympic Games in Rio, with the signing of an agreement between the T&T Olympic Committee and The Fan Club, retailer of authentic apparel and branded souvenir gift items.
The agreement, signed last week, will allow for The Fan Club to market, distribute and sell T&T Olympic branded merchandise at its three locations in Movietowne, Trincity Mall and Gulf City Mall.

Fans can expect TT Olympic branded t-shirts,  polos, shorts, water bottles, coffee mugs, key chains, pins, jackets and track outfits.

TTOC president Brian Lewis described the initiative as another positive sign tor his organisation, noting that not only will the constituency of Olympic fans be brought closer to their Olympic heroes, but it demonstrated the TTOC's commitment to finding ways to increase its revenue earning capacity.

Lewis said that it was no secret that Trinidad and Tobago fans were passionate, and wanted to identify with the athletes who represented them on the big stage. "Fans have been asking about this initiative for sometime, and we have finally found a partner whom we believe can execute this process in a meaningful way. We know The Fan Club is a place where authentic fan apparel and gift items can be found. And we have no doubt that this relationship will bear fruit."

Director of The Fan Club, Mikhail Singh, noted that the store already had a relationship with the T&T Football Association, and was associated with the sales of Red Steel jerseys for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) earlier this year. "The TTOC is our signature sporting body in Trinidad and Tobago and we are very pleased to be associated with this project. We are hoping that fans can start getting their Olympic merchandise and branded items by November."

CAPTION:
TTOC president Brian Lewis, and The Fan Club director Mikhail Singh, sign the agreement that will see T&T Olympic apparel and souvenir merchandise in The Fan Club's three stores at Movietowne, Gulf City Mall and Trincity Mall.

LONDON -- Rugby is enjoying a rare moment in the limelight in Japan on the back of the nation's breakout performance in the World Cup in England. But the onus is now on people involved in the sport back home to seize a golden opportunity and ensure the country delivers a successful tournament in four years' time.

     The Brave Blossoms bowed out of the Rugby World Cup on a high note, holding off a spirited U.S. team on Sunday to win their final game 28-18. Japan narrowly missed out on the knockout stages, becoming the first team ever to win three pool matches yet fail to progress to the quarter-finals. But the team leaves with their heads held high after what was by far the best showing Japanese rugby has ever produced on the world stage.

Brains and brawn

The dramatic rise of Japanese rugby can be put down to the tireless work of the players and the coaching and support staff.

     For years, there has been preconceived notion of Japanese players being naturally smaller and unable to compete physically with the sport's traditional powerhouses. Head coach Eddie Jones, however, refused to buy into that belief. Having taken the job in 2012, the Australian, who had previously led his home country at the World Cup, immediately began working on strength and conditioning, while at the same time ensuring players spent enough time outside the gym, raising fitness and endurance, traditional strengths of Japanese teams.

     Taking this combined approach to physical training has been made all the more difficult by the limited amount of time the national team spends together. Jones' solutions involved rigorous training regimes supported by cutting-edge sports science.

     Training has been extremely demanding. In addition to up to four practice sessions a day, the players were required to be in the gym at 5:00 a.m. The accepted wisdom in a sport as physical as rugby is to lower the training intensity in the runup to a big game, but Jones insisted the players continue weight training right up to match days.

     "It was the hardest training I have experienced in my rugby career," commented one player.

     Health and nutrition have also been key aspects of Jones' preparations, with the head coach getting the players to wear GPS devices, enabling the coaching staff to monitor the amount of ground each player covered during training sessions. Based on the data, the optimum level of nutrition was calculated for each player five times every day.

     Jones even enlisted the help of a system developer to create an application that recorded and managed daily changes in the players' physical condition. First thing every morning, the players were required to use the app to record over a dozen different aspects of their condition, ranging from their level of exhaustion to the degree of muscle tension. The information was then used by the coaching team to draw up practice plans and make team selections for upcoming matches.

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Incumbent Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee has vowed to seek reelection at the football body’s presidential elections and annual general meeting on 29 November 2015.

Tim Kee, who has over two decades of experience on the TTFA executive, had been evasive about his intentions in recent months. However, the Port of Spain Mayor and PNM Treasurer announced his reelection bid, via a press release, after DIRECTV W Connection Football Club president David John-Williams threw his hat in the ring last week.

“I will stand,” stated Tim Kee, via press release. “I am ready and motivated to go for another term…

“As president I have a duty to serve all members of the association and like I have done during my first term, I will do my best to fulfil that responsibility without fear or favour, without discrimination. And with the sole objective of upholding the statutes and regulations of the TTFA, once given that opportunity for a second term.”

Tim Kee’s decision sets the stage for the first presidential contest in the TTFA for over two decades. In November 2012, Tim Kee was appointed unopposed after challenger Colin Murray withdrew his nomination.

Disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner claimed that he paved the way for Tim Kee’s ascension to the local football throne, although the latter figure denied the assertion.

Tim Kee, who is also a member of the CONCACAF Associated Championships Committee and the FIFA Futsal Committee, is asking football stakeholders for the opportunity to build on the TTFA’s “successes.”

“A new term in office gives the FA the chance to build on our successes,” said Tim Kee, “to fix our shortcomings and to set new milestones to put the game on a stronger footing in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Tim Kee’s presidency has been a mixed bag at best.

The “Women Soca Warriors” came within a whisker of a historic place at the Canada 2015 Women’s World Cup. And the National Senior Men’s Team ended a six-year absence from the CONCACAF Gold Cup to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the 2013 and 2015 editions.

However, the TTFA continued to be plagued by charges of incompetence and mismanagement with a mysterious alleged licensing fee for an Argentina friendly, a controversial fundraiser for deceased ex-World Youth Cup player Akeem Adams, an aborted 2014 Caribbean Cup players strike, a shocking pre-CONCACAF Women’s Championship training camp, claims of dishonesty and dictatorial behaviour by his own executive committee members and a persistent failure to raise private sector funding among the public embarrassments.

Earlier this year, FIFA froze funding to the TTFA due to its failure to presented audited accounting books to the governing body.

Tim Kee, who fulfilled his promise of an updated constitution for the TTFA earlier this year, will let football’s stakeholders decide if he is the best man for the job on November 29.

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Champion 400m hurdler Jehue Gordon achieved another milestone on Saturday with the launch of a cologne appropriately titled Ambition by Jehue.

Germany company Symrise designed the fragrance which was unveiled at the residence of cricketer Brian Lara on Chancellor Hill.

The signature move by the visibly nervous athlete, when unveiling the fantastic scent, represented a paradigm shift in the way the business of sport locally and regionally was viewed, causing a possible rethink of how success was measured.

Before Gordon could unveil the fragrance, however, he had to admit an earlier failing that ultimately guided him back to this crucial and practical move.  

“The idea to develop my personal brand did not occur over night. Mr Edward Skinner, my local manager tossed the idea at me approximately one year ago, and I quickly rejected it. I didn’t think it would have been possible for me to embark on such a course at such an early point in my career. Mr Skinner on the other hand, had a totally different view and was very persistent. He consistently reminded me that I needed to be the ‘trailblazer’ and to set the tone and standard in the sports world thereby leaving behind a legacy. Having an enthusiastic personality and given that I value and believe in creativity and innovation, Mr. Skinner was able to finally convince me and I was up for the challenge. Resulting from just an idea, Ambition by Jehue was born,” he said.

Gordon said, “Many people may ask why a cologne? The answer is a very simple one. When the idea was pitched for me to develop a personal brand I was absolutely sure that I wanted my brand to be a true reflection of me; my passion, my zeal for sport and my ambition to be successful in all aspects of life. Additionally, having travelled to various countries I always made time for that one special place: Duty Free. Yes, I am very fond of signature colognes so much so that the exciting opportunity of having my very own could not be overlooked. Not only would it be convenient for me to have my own cologne, but I want when people buy this product that they understand it’s significance: that it represents the fuel in me, the sacrifices I’ve made, the obstacles I have overcome, the energy and determination that I put into each day to achieve my goals.”

The launch was attended by Brian Lewis, president of the T&T Olympic Committee, Ephraim Serrette, president of the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) Olympic gold medalists Hasely Crawford and Keshorn Walcott, and West Indies cricketers Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.

Having recently completed his degree in Sports Management, specialising in human resources and marketing and graduating with First Class honours at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Gordon said he gained a plethora of knowledge that motivated him further to put this business idea into motion.

As an athlete, a graduate, and a young leader, Gordon developed a greater appreciation for knowing and valuing one’s self, setting goals, and planning as he aimed to build important foundations. And, when put into action, he said, dreams come true. He urged fellow sportsmen and women to work hard, persevere and more importantly be flexible.

“Do not remain subjected to just being an athlete. Never be afraid to step out of the box. The willingness to take risks is critical to achieving success and as such, it is therefore imperative that you surpass your own limits, never quit and think of different ways to win. To live the life you have always dreamed of, you must be fuelled by your ambition and work hard. Having talent means nothing if you have no ambition behind it to work assiduously,” Gordon said.

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A proposal to enforce good governance following the problems experienced by local football officials was a leading item on the agenda at the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) General Assembly in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Caribbean officials have been at the centre of scandals at the heart of football's world governing body in recent years, with Cayman Island's FIFA vice-present Jeffrey Webb among those arrested by Swiss police acting at the request of the United States Department of Justice on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy during May's FIFA Congress in Zurich.

Another former FIFA vice-president, Trinidad and Tobago's Jack Warner, was also banned for life from taking part in football-related activity last month after he was found to be a "key player" in illegal money making schemes.

This followed a string of controversies surrounding the official in the past.

It was Warner's compatriot in Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee President Brian Lewis who raised the need for a Good Governance Code during the 13th General Assembly of the regional 20-member body.

The recommendation was approved and work is now expected to "commence immediately on this aspect of CANOC’s advancement as a world leader in sport administration".

“There is a definite inclination to ensure that CANOC plays a leading role in the application of good governance philosophy, principles and practices in sport," said Keith Joseph, the body's general secretary, who is also secretary general of the Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Olympic Committee.

"Given the international focus placed on FIFA and the startling revelations emerging from the investigations it is important that we in the Caribbean take the necessary steps to ensure that CANOC as an organisation and each individual National Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Association affiliated become exemplars of good governance."

This marks the first concrete example of a body in the Olymic Movement specifically citing problems within in FIFA as a reason for governance changes.

There remain concerns, however, about whether the situation will blight the reputation of other sports and bodies, with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach having earlier this month warned FIFA must act "swiftly to regain credibility"

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Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee member National Sport Organisations will meet Professor Leigh Robinson and other members of the  TTOC Good Governance Commission   the week of 2 -7 November.