T&T senior men’s team will be aiming to live up to all expectations on the field and on paper at the Concacaf Gold Cup in July after being rated as the number one-ranked team in the Caribbean for this month despite its recent 1–0 loss to Panama at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

The Soca Warriors, coached by Stephen Hart, was ranked 65th in the world by Fifa, top in the Caribbean ahead of Jamaica (75th), Haiti (79th) and Antigua/Barbuda (106th).

T&T is just ahead of Burkina Faso, Bulgaria and Norway and right behind Peru, Australia and Republic of Ireland.

T&T is fifth in Concacaf at the moment, with Costa Rica leading the pack, ranked 15th in the world, followed by Mexico (18th), United States (27th) and Panama (53rd).

Hart said he was not moved by the ranking, saying that his main concern was the team’s readiness for the Gold Cup, which T&T kicks off on July 9 against Guatemala in Chicago.

“Like I said after the Panama game, the important thing for me and for the team is the preparation leading up to the Gold Cup which includes at least three proper international matches and training camps in order us for us to really go in there and compete with the rest of the region,” Hart said.

“Of course the rankings plays its part its part but it’s more important for us to straighten out everything in order for us to really get it right for the Gold Cup and the World Cup qualifiers which are right around the corner.”

Molino maintains ground

after Kaka’s credit

T&T midfielder Kevin Molino is keeping his feet on the ground and his head out of the skies days after receiving a recommendation from Brazilian star Kaka as a good pick for Italian club AC Milan.

Kaka’s comments received widespread coverage in the media as he was recorded as saying in an interview with the Italian magazine Gazzetta dello Sport, “Kevin Molino, he’s from Trinidad, a good forward. He must grow and learn, but he could do well.”

And what did Molino think about the words from one of Brazil’s footballing stars? Well, he’s honoured but not carried away.

“It’s a big deal when someone like Kaka says something like that about you. I was a bit surprised when I saw the report but I know he is someone who likes to encourage you and he wants the best for me and the rest of the team as team-mates. He’s been through it all and now he’s in a state where he can help and inspire. For me, there’s nothing better for my career at the moment,” Molino said.

“He’s been great on the training field and in the dressing room and of course you can see he’s settled in on the field so far in the season. I think we will continue to grow and get better as the matches come along.”

Molino set up Orlando’s opening goal in their 2–0 win over Portland Timbers on the weekend. His firm cross was chested into the goal by Canadian forward Cyle Larin on 30 minutes. Kaka converted a penalty to seal the win and push Orlando to third place in the Eastern Conference.

Stern says football

passion reignited

Former national team forward Stern John says his active role in the T&T Football 7 Academy, which was launched last Saturday in Trincity, has reignited his passion for the game.

John, T&T’s all-time top scorer with 70 goals, has been away from the professional game for just around four years. But now in his role as head coach of the T&T 7s Academy which caters for kids between the ages of 5-17 years old, the former Sunderland striker is once again buzzing round the football pitch.

“I’ve been away from the game for a long time and this has definitely opened my appetite for the game again. I think I’ve found my passion back. I love the game and it’s an honour coming out here to work with the kids and hopefully I can help develop a couple good players for T&T,” John said.

“We got a fantastic response to start the academy Hopefully we can continue encouraging more kids to come out and start learning more about the game and improving their level and to enjoy the game more especially the younger ones, “the ex-Crystal Palace man said.

John will also be sharing the experiences of his playing career with the young players in the academy and providing tips and advice on the game. He intends to work closely on goal finishing with the potential forwards. Goal scoring has proven to be a challenge for T&T national teams, particularly at the youth level and there’s no better forward in T&T colours from which to learn the art of scoring goals.

The former Southampton forward along with his support staff will conduct sessions Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 5-7 pm and Saturday mornings from 8-10 am at the T&T Football 7 Academy base at the Henry Street Recreation Ground in Trincity. Further information on the academy can be obtained by calling 488-7001 or 485-7001.

Chicago boss: Joevin can go places

A week after Joevin Jones made the MLS “Team of the Week” after his goal scoring performance for Chicago Fire, club head coach Frank Yallop says the former W Connection player “has the talent to really go places”.

“I think from day one he has shown his quality,” Yallop told MLSsoccer.com after at Toyota Park on Thursday. “And it’s not just in matches he’s very good, in training too he’s very clean on the ball, engaged in everything we’re trying to do defensively and offensively, and he’s very easily coached. I’m very happy for him, he’s a good kid and he has the talent to really go places.”

The 23-year old T&T senior team player also came in for some commendation from his teammates, including captain Jeff Larentowicz, who said: “He’s played two different spots and done really well at both I don’t think it’s easy to go from an attacker to a defender from game to game and he’s done it pretty well. When he’s attacked, he’s set up a goal in San Jose and scored against Toronto, and when he’s defended he’s done really well, so he’s been very good for us.”

“He’s so creative,” forward Harry Shipp added. “He’s a defender but he’s got a much more attacking brain than most defenders do in this league.

Source

National junior cyclist Kollyn St George added another gold medal to her collection, winning the junior women’s 500 metres time trial at the Junior Pan American Cycling Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on Tuesday night.

Sei Daniel also got on the podium for T&T, grabbing bronze in the junior men’s keirin to push T&T’s medal tally to three. St George broke the national junior, national elite and junior Pan American record when she stopped the clock in 35.04 seconds.

Keiana Lester also competed in the time trial, falling just shy of another medal for T&T after placing an agonising fourth. On Monday night Lester and St George won gold in the junior women’s team sprint. In his first outing at the Junior Pan Games, Tyler Cole finished fifth in the junior men’s scratch event.

Up to press time last night, St George and Lester qualified for the quarter-finals of the women’s individual sprint.

St George crushed the national junior and elite records with a time of 11.854, breaking the previous time of 12.235 set in 2013 at the same venue. Lester also went under the previous record, setting a personal best with a time of 12.001 seconds. St. George qualified with the sixth fastest time, while Lester was eighth fastest.

Also competing yesterday were Cole in the men’s omnium, Teniel Campbell in the women’s 2km individual pursuit and Ramon Belmontes in the men’s points race.

Source

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee commenced the 22^nd Sport Administrators course on Tuesday 14^th April 2015 and is scheduled to end on May 2^nd 2015. The course is designed to assist those who work in the Olympic and sport movement throughout Trinidad and Tobago, so that they may operate more effectively.

The modules in the course include: Role and Structure of the IOC, Ethics in Sport and Fair play, Communication, Governance in Sport, Constitution, Strategic Planning, Financial Management and Budgeting, Public Relations, Event Management, Sport Medicine, Marketing, Development Pathway and Sponsorship.

Participants in the 22^nd course represent from different sporting disciplines including: Volleyball, Martial Arts, Squash, Hockey, Table Tennis, Water Polo, Special Olympics and Power Lifting.

The course is held at the TTOC Olympic House.

Tobago athletes made tremendous strides towards recording a 25th successive zonal title at the National Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships, on opening day at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday.

By late afternoon, students from the sister isle were already leading the other zones, having seized a large haul that included 12 gold medals.

Day one started one-and-a-half hours late (10.30 am), due to problems with the sound system. Signal Hill’s Tariq Horsford was among the first to stamp his mark for Tobago. Competing in the Under-16 Boys division, the 15-year-old who just recently broke the Under-18 Boys Javelin record at the Carifta Games sent down a couple of huge throws to win gold by some distance, his best effort going a distance of 66.04 metres.

Another leading Tobagonian was Safiya John, last year’s top female athlete. The Scarborough Secondary student won the Under-16 Girls 80m Hurdles in 12.87 seconds, ahead of Schrese Trim (Signal Hill); later, Safiya added the High Jump with a leap of 1.55m.

Signal Hill’s Asha James also completed a first-day double, though in field action. James won the Girls U-18 Discus with a 24.40m throw, and followed with gold in the Javelin (43.40m).

Other gold medallists for Tobago were Tehealia Kennedy (Girls U-14 Shot Putt), Anya Akili (Girls U-16 100m Hurdles), Kimoi Noray (Girls Under-16 Javelin), Chevelle Mc Pherson (Girls Under-18 Long Jump), Anson Moses (Boys Under-16 100m Hurdles), Omari Benoit (Boys Under-18 High Jump) and Aaron Lewis (Boys under–20 110m Hurdles).

Chasing Tobago were Port-of-Spain and Environs, for whom another Carifta standout, Jeminise Parris (St Francois Girls) easily claimed the U-20 Girls 100m Hurdles in 14.55 seconds. Clement Campbell won the Under-18 Boys Long Jump, his QRC schoolmate Shaquille Singuineau added gold in the Under-18 Boys Shot Putt, and Kobe John (St. Anthony’s) claimed the Boys Under-18 110m Hurdles. The 100-metre finals were run off late yesterday. At the end of a long opening day, Tobago were comfortably ahead with 531.50 points; though Port-of-Spain won more gold medals, North-East were second on 326, six points more than Port of Spain.



100m Winners (Zones):

U-16 Girls: Ayla Stanisclaus (Tobago) 12.10.

U-16 Boys: Sylvan Sylvon (South-East) 11.29.

U-18 Girls: Shikyla Walcott (Victoria) 12.37.

U-18 Boys: Akanni Hislop (Tobago) 10.62.

U-20 Girls: Zakiya De Noon (Tobago) 12.10.

U-20 Boys: Xavier Mulugata (POS) 10.87.

Source

Some of us of a certain age, not just living in the UK or United States but worldwide, grew up inspired by the witty, crazy and often insightful comedy of Monty Python. For many, being at that “certain age” means we are now around the peak of our careers with the power to influence decisions which will last beyond our lifetimes.

A personal Python favourite of mine, is the scene in Life of Brian where members of the “People’s Front of Judea” meet in secret to plot the downfall of the occupying “Roman Imperialist State”. John Cleese bemoans the seemingly rhetorical question “what have they ever given us” only to conclude the list includes “the aqueduct, sanitation, roads, irrigation, medicine, education, wine, public order... and peace”.

The ideal of hosting the Olympic Games has been challenged recently with residents and local authorities questioning the value of the public investment required to enable a city to host arguably the largest event in the world. Why would London and the UK invest £9 billion ($13 billion/€10 billion) for 17 days of competition for the privileged few fans that could afford a ticket?

As someone who has worked and lived through the transformation of London over the last 10 years, from aspiring bid city to one of, if not the, most successful hosts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in history, I have had the pleasure of being able to experience some of the city’s “return on investment” for myself. Of course, the actual staging of an event itself doesn’t automatically provide these benefits, but it does provide the catalyst for lasting political, economic and social change.

So, with due acknowledgement to Messer’s Cleese, Chapman, Gilliam, Idle, Jones and Palin, here is my perspective on the Olympic challenge that “they’ve taken everything we had, not just from us but from our fathers ... and what have they ever given us in return?”...

World-class venues: There are sporting arenas which complement the assets the city already has, including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatic Centre, Indoor Arena, Velodrome and outdoor tracks, White Water Centre, Hockey and Tennis Centre - all managed in a way to balance day to day community access with the ability to host world-class events. There are also visitor attractions, such as Up@The O2 where you can walk over the top of the world’s busiest entertainment arena, and ArcelorMittal Orbit, where you can party at the top of, or even abseil down, the UK’s largest sculpture and business and hospitality venues from the thriving new business cluster that makes up “Tech City” to the International Convention Centre at ExCel London.

Regeneration: Hosting the Olympics has enabled an area of East London, one of most socially deprived in the whole country, to be transformed into 3,000 new homes next to beautiful parkland and Europe’s largest urban retail centre employing 10,000 people. In the coming years, an “Olympicopolis” cultural quarter will be built by the Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London and Sadler’s Wells Theatre. But it also provides investor confidence to finance the development of other areas of London needing transformation, such as the Battersea Power Station site which is now being developed in to 18,000 new homes, a new business district and visitor attraction connected by two new stations and extension to London’s Underground network.

Public transport: Having been an area of concern during the bid for the Games in 2004, London’s transport system is now regarded as reliable after investment in line upgrades, well-connected following the completion of the East London line building capacity between north and south of the river and easy with the introduction of contactless payment systems across underground, train and bus networks. Transport for London’s expertise in managing the network not only kept the city moving during the Games but now means it can manage the impacts of hosting other major events such the Tour de France.

Economic prosperity: London’s international tourism figures have reached record levels, rising 20 per cent in the two years since the Games, driving more money in to the city’s economy. The constant focus on “legacy” from the Games meant organisations such as London & Partners focused on activities to generate future foreign investment and tourism, such as delivering international tourism campaigns to counter any “displacement effect”, and hosting a non-accredited media centre and a unique programme for key business guests hosted by the Mayor, while the Games organisers delivered the event itself.

Major events: According to international rankings, London is now unanimously recognised as the world’s top host of sporting events, and it has secured a calendar of world-class events for the decade following the 2012 Games. Considered investments in key signature events, such as the 2016 European Swimming Championships, 2017 World Athletics Championships and the 2020 UEFA European Championships, alongside supporting annual international sport such as NFL and ATP Tennis and creating new “city-owned” events such as the RideLondon world-class festival of cycling mean the city will continue to gain significant economic and social benefits in years to come. The city is also extending this expertise and capability to hosting valuable major events in other sectors such as the London Technology Week and London Light Festival.

Inclusivity: The atmosphere generated in London when hosting the Paralympic Games was a game-changer for disability sport. Years of preparation ensured plans were in place to make facilities equally suitable for both able-bodied and disabled athletes and spectators - whether hotel rooms, taxis, underground trains or training facilities. London continues to make disability sport welcome, hosting and broadcasting the inspiring Invictus Games for wounded servicemen and women, international Wheelchair Rugby during the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships for disabled athletes alongside the able-bodied International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships for the first time in the history of the events.

Volunteering: A total of 70,000 Games Makers and 10,000 city “ambassadors” made a lasting impact on everyone who visited the 2012 Games in London. Since then, the Mayor of London, charitable organisations and private sector partners have continued to invest in a programme of volunteering throughout the city, known as Team London, which offers young people opportunities to develop skills and help make their local community a better place to live, whether welcoming tourists on Trafalgar Square or planting bulbs in a local community garden.

Bikes: Since being awarded the rights to stage the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Transport for London have helped more than double the number of cycling trips on London’s roads, introducing the Cycle Hire scheme, which hasd more than million hires per month at its peak. They have improved roads and junctions to make them more cycle-friendly, including a series of “Cycle Superhighways”, and supporting the creation of RideLondon, a weekend festival of cycling on closed roads for over 80,000 cyclists of all abilities, including personally completing the 100 mile challenge alongside 20,000 amateur cyclists.

Okay, apart from world-class venues, regeneration, public transport, economic prosperity, major events, inclusivity, volunteering and bikes, what have the Olympics ever given us?...

Self-esteem: Undoubtedly London is now seen differently by a huge proportion of the worldwide population, not least triggered by the mesmerising Opening Ceremony watched by a global audience of one billion, but also Londoners themselves have grown in confidence as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a survey by the BBC one year on from the 2012 Games, 72 per cent of Londoners believed the Games were a worth the £9 billion public investment and 79 per cent wanted to see it return in their lifetime.

Source

Some of us of a certain age, not just living in the UK or United States but worldwide, grew up inspired by the witty, crazy and often insightful comedy of Monty Python. For many, being at that “certain age” means we are now around the peak of our careers with the power to influence decisions which will last beyond our lifetimes.

A personal Python favourite of mine, is the scene in Life of Brian where members of the “People’s Front of Judea” meet in secret to plot the downfall of the occupying “Roman Imperialist State”. John Cleese bemoans the seemingly rhetorical question “what have they ever given us” only to conclude the list includes “the aqueduct, sanitation, roads, irrigation, medicine, education, wine, public order... and peace”.

The ideal of hosting the Olympic Games has been challenged recently with residents and local authorities questioning the value of the public investment required to enable a city to host arguably the largest event in the world. Why would London and the UK invest £9 billion ($13 billion/€10 billion) for 17 days of competition for the privileged few fans that could afford a ticket?

As someone who has worked and lived through the transformation of London over the last 10 years, from aspiring bid city to one of, if not the, most successful hosts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in history, I have had the pleasure of being able to experience some of the city’s “return on investment” for myself. Of course, the actual staging of an event itself doesn’t automatically provide these benefits, but it does provide the catalyst for lasting political, economic and social change.

So, with due acknowledgement to Messer’s Cleese, Chapman, Gilliam, Idle, Jones and Palin, here is my perspective on the Olympic challenge that “they’ve taken everything we had, not just from us but from our fathers ... and what have they ever given us in return?”...

If the People’s Front of Judea were around today, they would probably be asking, "What have the Olympics ever done for us?" ©Warner Brothers

World-class venues: There are sporting arenas which complement the assets the city already has, including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatic Centre, Indoor Arena, Velodrome and outdoor tracks, White Water Centre, Hockey and Tennis Centre - all managed in a way to balance day to day community access with the ability to host world-class events. There are also visitor attractions, such as Up@The O2 where you can walk over the top of the world’s busiest entertainment arena, and ArcelorMittal Orbit, where you can party at the top of, or even abseil down, the UK’s largest sculpture and business and hospitality venues from the thriving new business cluster that makes up “Tech City” to the International Convention Centre at ExCel London.

Regeneration: Hosting the Olympics has enabled an area of East London, one of most socially deprived in the whole country, to be transformed into 3,000 new homes next to beautiful parkland and Europe’s largest urban retail centre employing 10,000 people. In the coming years, an “Olympicopolis” cultural quarter will be built by the Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London and Sadler’s Wells Theatre. But it also provides investor confidence to finance the development of other areas of London needing transformation, such as the Battersea Power Station site which is now being developed in to 18,000 new homes, a new business district and visitor attraction connected by two new stations and extension to London’s Underground network.

Public transport: Having been an area of concern during the bid for the Games in 2004, London’s transport system is now regarded as reliable after investment in line upgrades, well-connected following the completion of the East London line building capacity between north and south of the river and easy with the introduction of contactless payment systems across underground, train and bus networks. Transport for London’s expertise in managing the network not only kept the city moving during the Games but now means it can manage the impacts of hosting other major events such the Tour de France.

London 2012 has left the British capital with several world-class venues, including the Velodrome ©Getty Images

Economic prosperity: London’s international tourism figures have reached record levels, rising 20 per cent in the two years since the Games, driving more money in to the city’s economy. The constant focus on “legacy” from the Games meant organisations such as London & Partners focused on activities to generate future foreign investment and tourism, such as delivering international tourism campaigns to counter any “displacement effect”, and hosting a non-accredited media centre and a unique programme for key business guests hosted by the Mayor, while the Games organisers delivered the event itself.

Major events: According to international rankings, London is now unanimously recognised as the world’s top host of sporting events, and it has secured a calendar of world-class events for the decade following the 2012 Games. Considered investments in key signature events, such as the 2016 European Swimming Championships, 2017 World Athletics Championships and the 2020 UEFA European Championships, alongside supporting annual international sport such as NFL and ATP Tennis and creating new “city-owned” events such as the RideLondon world-class festival of cycling mean the city will continue to gain significant economic and social benefits in years to come. The city is also extending this expertise and capability to hosting valuable major events in other sectors such as the London Technology Week and London Light Festival.

Inclusivity: The atmosphere generated in London when hosting the Paralympic Games was a game-changer for disability sport. Years of preparation ensured plans were in place to make facilities equally suitable for both able-bodied and disabled athletes and spectators - whether hotel rooms, taxis, underground trains or training facilities. London continues to make disability sport welcome, hosting and broadcasting the inspiring Invictus Games for wounded servicemen and women, international Wheelchair Rugby during the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships for disabled athletes alongside the able-bodied International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships for the first time in the history of the events.

Volunteering: A total of 70,000 Games Makers and 10,000 city “ambassadors” made a lasting impact on everyone who visited the 2012 Games in London. Since then, the Mayor of London, charitable organisations and private sector partners have continued to invest in a programme of volunteering throughout the city, known as Team London, which offers young people opportunities to develop skills and help make their local community a better place to live, whether welcoming tourists on Trafalgar Square or planting bulbs in a local community garden.

A programme of volunteering has been set-up in London since the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to capitalise on the enthusiasm of people who want to get involved ©Mayor of London

Bikes: Since being awarded the rights to stage the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Transport for London have helped more than double the number of cycling trips on London’s roads, introducing the Cycle Hire scheme, which hasd more than million hires per month at its peak. They have improved roads and junctions to make them more cycle-friendly, including a series of “Cycle Superhighways”, and supporting the creation of RideLondon, a weekend festival of cycling on closed roads for over 80,000 cyclists of all abilities, including personally completing the 100 mile challenge alongside 20,000 amateur cyclists.

Okay, apart from world-class venues, regeneration, public transport, economic prosperity, major events, inclusivity, volunteering and bikes, what have the Olympics ever given us?...

Self-esteem: Undoubtedly London is now seen differently by a huge proportion of the worldwide population, not least triggered by the mesmerising Opening Ceremony watched by a global audience of one billion, but also Londoners themselves have grown in confidence as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a survey by the BBC one year on from the 2012 Games, 72 per cent of Londoners believed the Games were a worth the £9 billion public investment and 79 per cent wanted to see it return in their lifetime.