The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have expressed their regret at the withdrawal of Nigeria and Sierra Leone from Nanjing 2014 because of the Ebola crisis but claimed they needed to think about the health of competitors from other countries.
Both countries pulled out of the Summer Youth Olympic Games, which are due to start in the Chinese city on Saturday (August 16), last night.
Sierra Leone claim they were advised not to take part by the Chinese Government, while Nigeria withdrew after their athletes were "quarantined, isolated and barred from training alongside athletes from other countries" in Nanjing, according to officials.
Sierra Leone's delegation returned home while in transit and are now back in Freetown.
Nigeria's team are making arrangements to travel home from China.
"The IOC is working closely together with NYOGOC (Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee) and the Chinese authorities to find the right balance - always under the guidance of the World Health Organisation," and IOC spokeswoman told insidethegames.
"We clearly need to balance the safety of all the participants with the rights of the young athletes from the countries affected.
"We regret they could not take part and we understand they are suffering twice, with the outbreak in their country and then not being able to compete.
"Working closely with the NOCs (National Olympic Committees) we will make sure that these young athletes aren't forgotten and we will look into ways to help them get over this disappointment."
More than 1,000 people have died in an Ebola outbreak in West Africa that has touched Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria.
It is not clear whether Guinea and Liberia will also be forced to withdraw.
Carter Flag Bearer at Youth Olympic Games
World junior silver medallist Dylan Carter will be the flag bearer for the Trinidad and Tobago contingent at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Some 4000 athletes from 204 countries from around the world have converged in the southern Chinese city for the second edition of the 15-day quadrennial Games, whose inaugural event was in Singapore in 2010.
Carter will represent the red, white and black in the parade of teams and national sporting organisations (NSOs) at the Nanjing National Sports Center Stadium in front of an expected capacity crowd in the 60,000-seater venue.
Carter, this country's top junior swimmer who competed in his first senior open meet for T&T at the recently concluded Glasgow Commonwealth Games, is spearheading the 11-member T&T YOG team that also includes fellow swimmers David Mc Leod and Johnnya Ferdinand; track and field athletes Jeminise Parris, Kashief King, Aduwelle Wright, Akani Hislop and Chelsea James; beach volleyballers Chelsi Ward and Malika Davidson; and sailor Abigail Affoon.
On the eve of the opening ceremony, all athletes will mingle and mix in the YOG "Let's Get Together Festival" at the Youth Olympic Village square, a welcome session for the athletes, put on by the YOG Cultural and Education Programme (CEP) where the Young Ambassador Jeannette Small will be performing.
Interested persons can follow the progress of the T&T team at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee social media websites, twitter www.ttoc.org and the Games' website www.nanjing2014.org/en
The action at the Games gets underway Sunday with Mc Leod in the Men's 100m backstroke preliminaries and opening round beach volleyball encounters for Ward and Davidson.
Brian Lewis: Follow Elite Athletes rules!
BRIAN LEWIS, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), has issued a call for the stipulations for Elite Athlete Assistance Programme (EAAP) to be adhered to so no other local athlete will go through what national 110-metres hurdles record holder Mikel Thomas has had to endure.
Thomas, based in the United States, has not received funding since May 2013 and was recently evicted from his apartment due to non-payment of rent. The 26-year-old has had to sell his car and is currently using a bicycle to commute in an effort to cut his costs.
On June 7 this year, Newsday exclusively highlighted Thomas’ financial plight. The hurdler was forced to use a fund-raising website to help him purchase a plane ticket back to Trinidad to compete at the National Track and Field Championships.
The University of Kentucky graduate was ranked as high as fourth in the world in 2012 and won gold at the Gugle Games in July this year in Austria.
Thomas’ financial situation seems to have definitely had a negative effect on his form on the track though as he failed to make it past the preliminary round at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month. After registering the 11th fastest time in the world for 2013 (13.19 seconds), this season he has recorded a mere 13.42 seconds, the 30th fastest. Speaking with Newsday on Monday, Lewis lamented Thomas’ plight but still believes the EAAP in its current existence can still work.
“There is a structure in place that deals with the Elite Athletes Assistance Programme. It is a public document. The Cabinet guidelines on that indicate a criteria. In the main, that has worked for a number of athletes who have met the criteria however there are some athletes who have had some difficulties. Once that system is working how it is supposed to work, athletes who met the criteria ought not to have difficulties,” he said.
Lewis noted though a critical aspect of the process is the National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) involvement and an endorsement by the TTOC before the application goes to Ministry of Sport for determination of the disbursements of funds.
“If it has not come to the NSO or TTOC then we cannot monitor it. That is important. (When) athletes go directly to the Ministry which is not in accord with the Cabinet approved guideline then it would be difficult for the NSO or TTOC to monitor,” he explained. Asked whether the embarrassing situation Thomas has had to go through could dissuade other athletes from choosing to represent this country in the future, Lewis remained optimistic that it would not.
“I don’t think it would. Once there is an understanding of what is the proper process then the Elite Assistance Programme is meant to work and deliver. Once that process is followed and the guidelines are followed I don’t see why there should be issues,” he added. “The environment that we have here in TT has proven (successful) for the athletes that have had to make that choice in the past — whether it be an Ato Boldon, a Njisane Phillip or a Mikel Thomas,” he continued.
In conclusion, Lewis stated that what is important is that the Elite Athletes guidelines and the contributions of the NSOs and TTOC must not be circumvented and all parties must stick to their portfolios. “Overall, I am very confident that we have the platform and foundation to build upon. There are areas that require improvement but we are on course. It doesn’t mean all is well but once there is cooperation of the stakeholders we have a good thing going. I think that some of the problems that occur is when there is a misunderstanding of the roles and responsibilities. I think the Sports Company and Sport Ministry are facilitators and that the NSOs should be allowed to be responsible for administrating managing and governing their respective sports,” he declared.
Commonwealth Sports Ministers call for recognition of sport in post-2015 agenda
GLASGOW, Scotland ----- Commonwealth sports ministers and senior officials have called for “the power of sport” to be recognised as an important driver for social and economic development. They made the call at the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Glasgow this week.
Commonwealth governments also reiterated their collective commitment to combatting match-fixing and other issues affecting integrity in sport, and ensuring good governance and safeguards for children and other vulnerable participants.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, who opened the meeting, said: “We are well aware of the important and transformational part sport plays in the lives of many young people. With over 60 percent of the population of the Commonwealth being under 30 years of age, sport has a unique potential to reach, engage and empower these young people.”
Shona Robison Member of the Scottish Parliament and Cabinet Secretary for the Commonwealth Games and Sport in the Scottish Government, chaired the meeting on behalf of the United Kingdom. The meeting brought together delegations from 45 countries.
Shona Robison said: “We recognise the valuable role of sport in development and peace, as an approach to addressing a range of challenges and delivering significant benefits,” said the national representatives in their Meeting communiqué.
“This work occurs in a wide diversity of cultural and demographic contexts, and contributes to various development goals such health, education, youth empowerment, gender equity, equality and inclusion, social cohesion, economic growth, and community and peace building.”
The call comes as governments globally look to agree a successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals, which expire at the end of 2015. The ministers noted in their statement how sport can support a range of development outcomes and is therefore important to the “successful delivery of the post-2015 development agenda”.
Other attendees at the sports ministers meeting were representatives of overseas territories of member states, as well as observers from organisations including the International Olympic Committee, World Anti-Doping Agency, UNICEF, UNESCO and members of the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport.
During their discussions, ministers commended the governments of Barbados, Rwanda and Sri Lanka for piloting a set of guidelines developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focus on advancing development through sport. The national representatives also applauded the formation of a Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace working group and endorsed its call to give young people a voice in decision making in government sport processes and sporting organisations.
The Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport, a 14-member group of sports policy experts, meeting which met the previous week, had earlier urged member countries to recognise and invest in sport as a key vehicle for improving the lives of citizens.
In their communiqué, ministers reaffirmed their request for the sports advisory body to work towards a framework Commonwealth consensus on integrity issues in sport, such as good governance, safeguarding of participants and combatting match-fixing.
The meeting took place as Glasgow city began welcoming visitors for the 20th Commonwealth Games. In this major sporting event, approximately 6,500 athletes from 71 countries and territories will be competing in 17 sports over 11 days from 23 July to 3 August.
Blake, Stewart spike T&T to title
Outside-hitter Simon Blake and opposite Ryan Stewart showed the future of T&T was in safe hands as they tallied 18 points each in a 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-19 defeat of Barbados in the men’s final of the 15th Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (Cazova) Championship at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo on Sunday night.
The win secured a second title in four years for the Gideon Dickson-coached T&T after it lifted the crown for the first time four years ago in Suriname by beating Barbados as well before going under to Bahamas in the 2012 final in St Croix, US Virgin Islands.
Having beaten T&T in four sets in their round-robin Pool B decider earlier in the week, the Barbadians went into the contest as slight favourites, and took the first set.
However, Blake, the “Best Spiker”, “Best Scorer” and eventual tournament “Most Valuable Player” award recipient and Stewart, who had 17 and 12 kills respectively rallied the host to a come-from-behind win in two hours and seven minutes.
Portugal-based middle-blocker Marc-Anthony Honore and USA-based Mikheil Hoyte chipped in with 13 and 12 points respectively while captain, Nolan Tash who was playing in his final Cazova Championship after 20 years in the sport added six.
The locals also outscored their rivals on all key aspects of the match, 47-43 on kills, 18-4 on blocks and 4-1 on aces.
In a very closely fought contest, T&T was also able to take full advantage of an injury to Barbadian captain and setter Alain London, who twisted his left ankle near to his team’s bench with the score 20-15 in the third set.
The lone disappointment for the home team on the night was its 37 errors committed to Barbados’ 28, however it still held firm to avenged the round-robin loss and claim the title, its first on home soil after placing fourth in 1993 and 2002 when its opponent were crowned champions.
The title triumph had a similar feel to 2010 as back then T&T was beaten by Barbados in the preliminary round, before ousting Bahamas in the semifinals and then exacting revenge on the Bajans in the title match.
Shawn Simpson had a team-high 12 points all on kills, Jabari Goodridge 11, and Fabian Cox, nine for the Barbadians who were after their first title since beating T&T in the 2006 decider for its last of its record ten-titles.
Barbados, the record 12-time finalists was also crowned champions from 1992-1996 as well as 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004 while they were also runners-up in 2008 to Martinique before ending third in 2012, its lowest finish ever.
Commenting on the win, veteran Tash said it was a very emotional victory for many reasons.
“Firstly, coming into the tournament we were under a lot of pressure to do well and I don’t think we were looked at as favourites.”
“However, we knew the strength of our team and wanted to take the title on home soil for the first time because with this victory it opens up doors for our team to compete at the higher Norceca level.
“The match was also dedicated to me as this will surely be my last Cazova event and what a way to go out, as champions. I could not have asked for anything better, so thanks to my team-mates and the crowd for their tremendous support.”
Barbadian coach Niles Ludger credited T&T for playing a good match and noted that the level of support by the crowd played a key role on keeping them on a high.
T&T coach Gideon Dickson said his team executed its game plan accordingly to get the win.
“We knew going into the match it would not be easy, but the guys stuck to their task and got the required result.”
Honour roll:
Best Spiker: Kevin Sporkslede (Suriname)
Best Spiker: Simon Blake (T&T)
Best Opposite: Shawn Simpson (Barbados)
Best Receiver: Renaldo Mota (Curacao)
Best Digger: Ricardo Chong (Jamaica)
Best Blocker: Byron Ferguson (Bahamas)
Best Blocker: Rachid Isenia (Curacao)
Best Setter: Giandro Tokaay (Curacao)
Best Libero: Ryan Mahadeo (T&T)
Best Server: Ryck Mc Kenzie-Webb (Jamaica)
Best Scorer: Simon Blake (T&T)
Most Valuable Player: Simon Blake (T&T)
Lessons for Future Social Sports Programmes
A review of the literature such as Coalter 1996, Coakley 2002, Nichols 2007, and Robbins 1996 et al points to several important factors that must be present for social sports programmes to have a positive impact on anti-social behaviour as well as aiding community development. These factors provide a framework to assess and evaluate the LifeSport Programme and Hoop of Life.
There is no doubting that the biggest losers of the cancellation of the well-intended LifeSport Programme have been taxpayers and the targeted group of young men. The Central Audit Committee report into the operation Ministry of Sport’s LifeSport Programme has stressed several financial and managerial discrepancies which must be addressed by the relevant authorities in a timely manner. The report findings point to grave wastage of scare financial resources. The young men who were in the programme must feel as though the carpet has been pulled from under their feet. It is difficult not to surmise that this is yet another example of where economically and socially disadvantaged persons are made to pay a heavy price for wanton mismanagement by those given the responsibility to deliver important social services to the public.
Conceptualising and theorising how social sporting programmes are to operate is critical not only to meeting their desired outcomes but equally important for identifying the correct tools to evaluate their effectiveness. Proper planning minimises the possibilities of wastage of financial resources whether private or public. It is very mindboggling that both the LifeSport Programme and the Hoop of Life were aimed to addressing the concerns of youth at risk yet still operated out of different ministries! Additionally, were there other ways in which these programmes could have be organized so as to utilise existing sporting structures such as the national basketball structure in the case of the Hoop of Life to yield greater success both in terms of the desired effects as well as the management of funds?
Research has shown that when emphasis is placed on developing skills and building social interaction as opposed to focusing on competition and aggression, there is a greater probability that sports can be effective in reducing youth crime and violence. Therefore, one has to ask the question as to whether or not the Hoop of Life basketball competition is being fully effective as it is a case of the winner gets the most. The winner gets $1.5millions dollars, 2nd place $500,000 and 3rd place $250, 000 and 4th $100.000. What happens to the other 56 teams? As a result of this the gaps between the communities would only widen and thereby defeat the purpose of the objectives of the programme.
A critical factor highlighted for the success of many social programmes have been where coaches, mentors, and role models have been trained in conflict resolution, dealing with sensitive issues relating to youth and ensuring that the goals of the programme are always pursued. It will be interesting to find out whether or not the coaches, mentors etc that have been used in the various social sporting programmes were trained as to how to effectively interact with the targeted audience. It is important to note that former national players and or just carrying the title of coach does not necessarily indicate that these persons can deal with the social and psychological issues that may be related to youth. Additionally, not all successful sports personnel may be good role models for those persons who are striving to correct deviant behaviour.
Social sporting programmes have shown to be effective when parents, schools and community members are part of either the decision making process and or the implementation process. This will however, depend on the size of the programme. Getting established sporting organisations for instance sporting clubs in communities to be part of the programme may provide a good starting point for the programme being effective. Additionally, it may serve to minimise some of the negative stigma that is attached to state programmes if they stand alone.
It is also very important to acknowledge that “one size fits all” approaches may not necessarily work. What may be good for one community may not necessarily work in another. If communities are to be hooked into the various programmes they have to be part of the decision making process. The youth have to have a say or else they will feel marginalised and see the programme as yet another way for adults to tell what is good for them!
As we move into the future, it is important that politicians, technocrats and whoever else end up making public decisions take into consideration the following issues. Firstly, social sporting programmes must be developed on evidence and possible solutions are practical. Secondly, programmes should be sustainable.
This is problematic when the state is the main benefactor, for when the government changes there is no guarantee the programme will continue and thirdly, rigorous evaluations must be undertaken to identify that factors that influence crime reduction, pro-social behaviour and change in young people.