AS TT’s Olympic hopefuls return home without a medal for the first time in 29 years, Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecheran is advocating for more emphasis to be place on sports.
Seecheran thanked the athletes for the performances at the just concluded games in Japan.
“Though we may not have gotten the results that we are accustomed to, our athletes did their best, with the resources and support given to them,” he said.
From the United National Congress (UNC) Virtual Report platform on Monday night, Seecheran said from the very first modification of the health regulations last year, “Concessions should have been made for our elite athletes, and para-Olympians, allowing them to continue to use our national stadia and training facilities, for them to peak for these Olympic Games.”
He said this was done in England and Wales, as well as many other countries where athletes were placed in an isolated "bubble" to allow them and their coaches to continue preparation during lockdowns and health restrictions.
“We can only look to the future and hope that sport will be given more emphasis during this administration, as our elite athletes have sacrificed so much to reach a level where they can be competitive on the world stage.”
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, speaking on the same platform, also gave a “well done” to those she described as the incredibly talented athletes who represented the country at the Tokyo Olympics.
She said only few have the honour of representing their country at Olympic games, and in spite of not winning a medal, they persevered.
“The men and women of Team TT were a shining light for all of us during these difficult times. The past year has been a challenging one for our nation, but the passion and pride displayed by our Olympic team gave us hope and brought joy to an entire population who cheered from thousands of miles away.”
Lauding their sacrifice and dedication, she said these qualities and never giving up are what is required to conquer.
“Thank you, Team TT, for espousing the very best values which we can all learn,” she said.
Senator David Nakid, a former professional footballer, said instead of criticising Olympian Ato Boldon, who predicted TT athletes would not win any medals, the administration should have listened to him.
He said Boldon was simply telling the Government and administration that they had not put things in place for athletes to prepare for the global stage.
“Instead of getting vex with Ato, you should have listened to the expert.”
He noted that the Persad-Bissessar administration, under the Sport Ministry headed by Anil Roberts, invested heavily in sports, understanding that it uplift communities, especially those that are disadvantaged.
Nakid also asked for more investment in sports if TT wants to see the desired results.
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