Wednesday 19 July, Balmain, Couva
Five National Governing Bodies (NGBs) for sport have received a total of TT $4,240,526.14 to fund their respective national teams in recent and upcoming competitions.
The handover ceremony took place on Wednesday (19th July 2023) at the Ministry of Sport and Community Development. The Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Sport and Community Development, described the event as a “celebration” in the wake of sporting by national athletes and teams in 2023.
The recipients are among the 15 NGBs under the purview of the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT). Head of SporTT’s Sport Development and Performance Unit, Justin Latapy-George, was also on hand to make the symbolic handover in support of administrative expenses and for teams travelling to international and regional competitions. All funding is now disbursed to NGBs via online transfer.
The breakdown of the allocations to the five NGBs is as follows:
- Trinidad and Tobago Netball Association (TTNA) – $1,447,144.14
towards participation of the national senior team at the Netball World Cup in South Africa - Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association (TTGA) – $1,034,691.90
towards hosting of and participation of national athletes at the 66th Annual Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships in Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association (TTBA) – $598,930.09
towards pre-competition training camps in Mexico and Guyana, as well as participation of national athletes at the AMBC PanAm Games Qualifier and AMBC Junior and Youth Continental Championships in Colombia - National Association of Athletics Administration of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) – $713,349.91
towards participation of national athletes at NACAC U18, U23 Championships in Costa Rica and NACAC Age Group Championships in the Dominican Republic - Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union – $446,410.10
towards participation of national teams at RAN Men’s U19 and Senior Women’s 15s Tournament in Jamaica
Minister Cudjoe said national athletes have an opportunity to show what they are worth on the international stage.
“[This funding will support] all the activities that go towards you flying our flag high, representing the red, white and black, providing opportunities for young athletes to showcase their talent, and for the region and the world to know their names and remember that T&T is a force to be reckoned with,” Minister Cudjoe said.
“I must say I’m very pleased by the work of our athletes and the sporting fraternity; we’re seeing some new names coming to the fore,” the Minister added. “[At] the recently concluded CAC Games, some of the new stars got the chance to introduce themselves to the world for the first time and we’re indeed very, very proud.”
In addition to NGB executives, netballers and golfers were also on hand for the presentation, a first for some. The golf athletes—T&T captain Ryan Peters and Jean-Marc Chevrotiere—both expressed their excitement about their debut at the latest edition of the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships.
Peters said although home advantage isn’t a reality in his sport, he is proud to lead the young team on home soil.
The “Calypso Girls”, who travel this week to Cape Town for the Netball World Cup, are also anxious to arrive and acclimatise for what promises to be a tough competition. Alena Brooks, an 800m specialist who made the transition to netball about a year ago, said she is looking forward to the new challenge of representing another sport with a rich history of success.
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