Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) hosted a ‘One year to Rio 2016’ acknowledgement at Olympic House in unison with the rest of the world in marking the one-year countdown to Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 5th.

The TTOC used this landmark day to celebrate the road to Rio and  commemorate the athletes that have achieved excellence at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

The proceedings opened with a short video presentation highlighting team TTO’s performance at the recently concluded 2015 Pan American Games. TTOC’s President, Brian Lewis, reinforced the vision of achieving the 10 or more gold medals by the year 2024. “Toronto 2015 and the performances of our athletes started to make some people believe that it (#10Golds24)
may have been possible; that it wasn’t far fetched and unrealistic,” he stated.

“Rio 2016 therefore, in the context of 10 or more Olympic gold medals by the year 2024 is going
to be very important because thereafter comes Tokyo 2020 and then 2024,” he continued.

Toronto 2015 Chef de Mission, Diane Henderson led the Trinidad and Tobago Pan American
Games contingent of 180 athletes and officials in fourteen different sporting disciplines. The
T&T contingent left Toronto with 8 medals, surpassing the medal haul of the Guadalajara
Games in 2011.

In celebration of the one-year mark to the Rio Olympics 2016, the TTOC presented Trinidad
and Tobago’s medalists from the 2015 Pan American Games with their medal bonuses. Of the
13 athletes were Keshorn Walcott, Dan-Neil Telesford and Emmanuel Callender.

The complete list of medal winners include: Cleopatra Borel, Keshorn Walcott, George Bovell
III, Njisane Phillip, Mikel Thomas (Individual medalist), Rondel Sorrillo, Emmanuel Callender,
Keston Bledman Dan-Neil Telesford (4 x 100m Relay team), Renny Quow, Jarrin Solomon,
Machel Cedenio and Emmanuel Mayers (4 x 400m Relay team).

With the conclusion of the Pan American Games, the TTOC moves forward with full force in
preparation for the Olympics in 2016. The games will take place from 5th – 21st August 2016 in
four regions throughout the city.

Thank you to other distinguished guests Olympic gold medalist Hasley Crawford, President of
the National Association of Athletics Administration Ephraim Serette and Senator Elton
Prescott SC for attending.

The TTOC would also like to thank our official partners Guardian Group Limited, National
Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), Toyota, Lisa Communications, ScotiaBank, Adidas, BPTT,
Columbus Communications for their continued support.

Trinidad and Tobago yesterday began their training in Sydney, Australia ahead of the start of the Netball World Cup 2015. Barbados and Jamaica are the other Caribbean nations participating in the tournament which opens on Friday.

The ‘Calypso Girls’ captain Joelisa Cooper said she is excited to be a part of her third Netball World Cup, having represented T&T in 2007 and 2011. “To be representing my country on a whole is very exciting, but this is my third [Netball World Cup] and I am really excited to actually be here and to compete,” Cooper said. “We are stoked to be here and can’t wait until the actual tournament starts and portray what we have more or less been training for.”

Trinidad and Tobago play their opening NWC2015 game against Australia on Friday night at Allphones Arena. Cooper told reporters that her players are excited and ready to face Australia in their opening game. “We’re ready for Friday, our first game is against Australia,” Cooper said. “In all honesty, Australia is the number one, we’ve come to play the best netball for our county and that’s what we are here to do.”

Jamaica begin their campaign against rivals England on Saturday while on the same day Barbados play Australia in their opening match. The youngest player in this year’s netball world cup is Barbados goal attack Sheniqua Thomas, who is 17 while the most capped is T&T’s Rhonda John-Davis with 148 appearances to her name.

Source

Olympic 400 metres bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon, Pan American Games 110m hurdles silver medallist Mikel Thomas and sprint star Michelle-Lee Ahye are among the 34 athletes who will be on show for Trinidad and Tobago at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Senior Track and Field Championships, in San Jose, Costa Rica, this weekend.

The T&T athletes head to Costa Rica today (Wednesday), and will be in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Gordon and Tacuma Sterling are expected to fly the T&T flag in the men’s 400m. Thomas and Ruebin Walters are the country’s representatives in the men’s sprint hurdles. And Ahye, as well as Reyare Thomas, will run in the women’s 100m dash.

Emmanuel Callender faces the starter in the men’s 100m. In the 200m for men, Dan-Neil Telesford and Kyle Greaux will hunt precious metal. The women’s 200m will feature Semoy Hackett and Kamaria Durant.

Jamaal James and Nicholas Landeau have been selected to represent the Red, White and Black in the men’s 800m. Alena Brooks is the lone T&T athlete in the women’s 800m. Three one-lap hurdlers will compete in Costa Rica—Sparkle McKnight and Josanne Lucas in the women’s event, and Emanuel Mayers among the men.

Romona Modeste and Jessica James do battle for T&T in the women’s 400m flat event. And in the women’s 100m hurdles, Deborah John will fly the flag. Ayanna Alexander and Elton Walcott are among the jumpers on the T&T team. Quincy Wilson, Hezekiel Romeo and Shakiel Waithe lead the charge among the throwers.

T&T TEAM

Men—Emmanuel Callender, Mikel Thomas, Dan-Neil Telesford, Kyle Greaux, Lalonde Gordon, Tacuma Sterling, Deverne Charles, Jamaal James, Nicholas Landeau, Ruebin Walters, Emanuel Mayers, Dwaine Herbert, Kyron Blaise, Elton Walcott, Quincy Wilson, Emmanuel Stewart, Hezekiel Romeo, Shakiel Waithe, Steve Waithe

Women—Semoy Hackett, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Reyare Thomas, Kamaria Durant, Romona Modeste, Jessica James, Alena Brooks, Sparkle McKnight, Josanne Lucas, Deborah John, Ayanna Alexander, Deandra Daniel, Jaleesa Williams, Lisa Wickham, Peli Alzola

Officials—Durly Lucas (manager), Lester Osouna (head coach), Arlon Morrison (coach), Ken Barton (coach), Dave Sandy (coach), Paul Voisin (coach), Michelle Alleyne-Pennie (coach), Robin Brereton (coach), Joyce Thomas (coach)

Medical Staff—Anthony Walcott, Jason Pilgrim, Kurlyn Smith-Nicholas

Source

TTOC president urges patience over doping claims

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), Brian Lewis has expressed his confidence in the doping status of local athletes. The TTOC's top man also declared his faith that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) would resolve the recent doping allegations now plaguing the organisation. It has been reported that the recent allegations made by German broadcaster ARD and the Sunday Times newspaper in Britain could lead to a mass reshuffling of results from the Olympics and World Championships for the last decade and more.

Lewis however, has confidence that the IAAF can stay on top of the doping. "We have to wait and see what the investigative process produces," he said. "The IAAF would take the necessary steps, and have a very comprehensive process in place."

According to him, as a part of their push towards 2020, the IAAF has a zero-tolerance policy where doping is concerned. "As difficult as it may seem, it is important in the battle for clean athletes."

The TTOC head was unwilling to see the current situation internationally as a "crisis" however. "I don't see it as a catastrophe. I see it as part of an ongoing effort," he said. "All these matters do, is highlight the efforts to maintain a level playing field. Sports like life, is not immune to negative situations, and the emphasis should be to improve, and to continue to improve."

Local sprinters Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Semoy Hackett have both been in the spotlight for doping in the past two years. But Lewis told the Express that there is unlikely to be cases of more doping allegations locally.

"We emphasise the importance of competing clean and we expect that to continue," he said. "I don't expect any local athletes to figure in the scandals. The NAAA have put in the necessary measures to make sure the athletes are clean."

According to the TTOC boss, an Anti-Doping Agency will be soon established in T&T for Olympic-level sport. "The Ministry of Sport have shown great impetus to move the Anti-Doping Agency forward, and I expect to see it established soon."

In a final statement, he reiterated that all of the local athletes currently competing internationally are competing clean and are making every effort to continue to do so.

Source

AN EXHAUSTED but elated group of Trinidad and Tobago athletes returned home from the 14th Special Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, United States, yesterday, to a cheering group of supporters, including relatives as well as members of the Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago (SOTT).

In total, Trinidad and Tobago amassed 48 medals — 15 gold, nine silver and 24 bronze, at the 2015 edition.

Yesterday afternoon, at the Piarco International Airport, the first of two groups arrived — participants in aquatics, basketball, powerlifting and track and field. One of the athletes who returned home was 18- year-old powerlifter Nicholas McKnight, a resident of San Juan.

McKnight collected four medals at the Games — a silver (male bench press) and three bronze (male dead lift, male combination and male squat lift).

“I gave it my all,” said McKnight yesterday. “I just wanted to come back with something and make my mother proud. And I just went out there and made myself proud, just to do something for mummy.” Admitting it was his first Special Olympic Games, McKnight noted, “I just said to myself I’ll hold my head up, pray to God and go out there and do my best”.

However, he was hard on himself when asked about his overall display.

“The performance was a little low but I made myself do the best that I could,” he said.

Candilla Berment-Harper, head of delegation for the team and the chairperson of the Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago (SOTT), was also pleased with the returns from the TT squad.

“The experience was very good,” she commented. “It was more for the athletes and not for me. This (was) my tenth year taking a team to the World Games. They performed extremely well.” She emphasised,“the experience for them is really something that they will cherish. It helps them to socialise a lot more, it helps them to deal with their peers. They make friends (and) they enjoy themselves.” Asked what memories stood out for her at the Games, Berment-Harper replied, “many moments I would say. You can’t pinpoint one particular (moment). Just the fact that the athletes performed so well, that is our moment.” The TT basketball team finished third at the Games, defeating Japan in the third-place playoff.

Coach Ronald De Silva pointed out, “we came out very successful, (with) the bronze. We could have done better but we had some shooting problems in one of the games, which we lost.

That put us in the bronze medal (match).” But he was satisfied with the efforts shown by his players.

“What I put them through in the last six months, they really delivered and we came out with a medal in the end,” said De Silva. “And they enjoyed it.

“We had a great time. Many of these kids, it’s the first time they have been on a plane, in a different country.” De Silva made a plea for some of his players to be used in either the national men’s league teams or in school teams.

“Many of these athletes we have, they are not included in the ‘normal’ games that we have,” he stated. “I think there are couple of guys on my team that could be put on a second division or a third division, or a school team. Many of them do not get that opportunity, and the ‘normal’ kids really do not understand them.”

Source