The T&T Pro League appears well on course to achieving the objectives set out in government's plan for sports over the next five years.

At least so says Dexter Skeene, Chief Executive Officer of the T&T Pro League, in his feature address to players at the first ever Player Development Seminar at the VIP Lounge of the Hasely Crawford Stadium, yesterday.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert in his budget presentation on Monday stated that Government will develop plans and programmes to encourage many citizens to become involved in sport and recreational activities. He also revealed that T&T will be aiming to be a world class sporting nation by establishing an all encompassing policy to increase the pool of talent from where more world champions will emerge and gain international recognition.

Newly installed Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith wasted no time in familiarising himself with three sporting facilities that are in the final stages of construction during a tour last week.  

Smith, along with permanent secretary Gillian Macintyre as well as staff from the Sports Company of T&T (Sportt), did a comprehensive walk-through of the Aquatic Centre and Cycling Velodrome in Couva and the Tennis Centre in Tacarigua.

T&T captain Kenwyne Jones believes that this country’s senior team could be heading into the start of another World Cup campaign that could help propel this country to a grand international stage as it was in 2006.

 Jones was speaking following the team’s training session at the Maracana Stadium, in Panama City, on Monday evening, as the  “Soca Warriors” prepared for tomorrow’s international friendly with Panama at 9.30 pm (T&T time).

Government’s allocation to sports in yesterday’s national budget  has been welcomed by a number of National Sporting Organisations (NSOs).

Minister of Finance Colm Imbert delivered a $63 billion dollar budget at Tower D of the Waterfront in the midst of severe financial depression caused by the fallen oil and gas prices. However he revealed that his government will implement programmes and policies that will encourage all to take part in sports as a recreation; implement policies to see the emergence of more world champion athletes and ensure they gain international recognition; foster development of sports at schools and encourage competition; establishment of facilities to meet world standards; develop a sport brand for T&T and establish a Sport Institute that will lead among others.

For any number of reasons, people have short memories or their recall may be situational. Context and facts tend to get lost in the telling. Repeating and not taking for granted the message of ten or more Olympic gold medals by the year 2024 is a critical success factor.

T&T Olympic president Brian Lewis has cautioned  national sport organisations that  bullying corporate Trinidad and Tobago and the traditional dependency on government funding are not effective marketing strategies to develop sustainable revenue generation.