Teenager Monifa Sealy became the first local golfer to benefit from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs’ Elite Athletes Assistance Programme (EAAP) when she received $100,000 in funding yesterday. Sealy, 17, was a member of the two player T&T team that placed sixth at the Women’s Tournament of the Copa Americas Golf Championship in Argentina on the weekend. Martine De Gannes was the other player. The distribution of funds for the 16 athletes was done in a small ceremony by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Gary Hunt at his Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain office. In addition to Sealy, 11 track and field athletes, swimmer Christian Homer and cyclists, Azikiwe Kellar, Ako Kellar and Elisha Greene were all among the recipients of funding from the EAAP which totalled $1,880,000.
The 11 track and field athletes included World Track and Field Championship 400 metres women’s hurdles bronze medallist, Josanne Lucas, 17-year-old Jehue Gordon, a fourth placed finisher in the men’s 400 metres hurdles in Germany; Emmanuel Callender, Reyare Thomas, Ayanna Hutchinson, Charisse Bacchus, Aaron Armstrong, Ayanna Alexander, Keston Bledman, Pilar Mc Shine and Sasha Springer. In his address, Hunt stated that with golf now being recognised as an Olympic sport the MSYA saw the need to expand its funding via the EAAP to the sport locally and added that his Ministry was also looking at adding non-Olympic sports and team sports to the funding. Reflecting on the impact of the EAAP so far Hunt said he was confident that it was having a direct effect of the success of the T&T athletes to date.
However, the Minister was also quick to remind the athletes that the system of evaluation for the EAAP has been revised and upgraded. “The athletes now have to be tested by a specific team of official to ascertain their progress.” Larry Romany, president of the T&T Olympic Committee, said that the EAAP was a special programme that many athletes take for granted, but it was still a pleasure for any organisation to give funding to athletes towards their goals in life. Romany also asked national sporting bodies to follow the path of the National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAA) which he says has a clear pathway from primary school, secondary school, clubs and national teams to the international level.
