TRINIDAD and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath and former West Indies player Samuel Badree are will be among those to be honoured for their contributions to sport at the 2023 National Awards Ceremony at President's House in St Ann's on Sunday.
Both Badree and Bassarath will receive the Hummingbird medal Gold. Meantime, Carl Birjah, George Leacock and Calvin Inlalsingh (posthumously) will also receive awards for their various achievements and endeavours in the field of sport. Both Leacock and Inlalsingh will receive the Chaconia Medal Silver award. Birjah will receive the HummingBird Medal Silver award.
Bassarath is being recognised for his work in cricket administration. In March 2023, Bassarath was appointed as Cricket West Indies' (CWI) vice-president, becoming the first TT administrator to serve in the role. On Friday, TT was announced as one of seven Caribbean countries which will host matches at next year's International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's T20 Cricket World Cup.
Badree, who is being honoured for his work in the fields of sport and education, was a member of West Indies' T20 World Cup winning teams in 2012 and 2016. Badree, 42, was renowned as a T20 specialist and represented the WI team in 52 T20 internationals from 2012 to 2018. An economical leg-spinner at his very best, Badree has since made the transition to a cricket commentator and is now a staple at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) tournaments. He has also been an educator for over two decades and is the chairman of Badree's Academy of Sport Education.
Like Bassarath, Birjah is also being honoured for his longserving role as a cricket administrator in TT. A former secretary of the south zone cricket council of the TTCB, Birjah continues to serve in a voluntary capacity and is seen as one of the driving forces behind the sport in south Trinidad.
Leacock, who is the owner and managing director at Tobago's Radio Tambrin, is being recognised for his contributions to both the sporting and media fraternity. He has been instrumental in the execution of both sporting and cultural events in Tobago, and was influential in the opening of the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago. The stadium was one of several venues used as TT hosted the 2001 Fifa Under-17 World Cup. More recently, Leacock headed the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) appointed local organisation committee which was responsible for the execution of the Tobago leg of the August 4-11 Commonwealth Youth Games.
Inlalsingh is being honoured for his work in the fields of medicine, sport and philanthropy. He served as the chairman of the TT Boxing Board of Control from 1993 to 1996 and also chaired the medical advisory committee of the World Boxing Association. Inlalsingh served as TT's team doctor at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also operated in that capacity at the Commonwealth Games and the Pan American Games. In March 2023, Inlalsingh passed away at the age of 86.
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