High praise for Ministry’s TIP

 The Ministry of Sports came in for high praise when its Talent Identification Programme picked up steam with a demonstration and skills display on Tuesday at the Marabella Boys Anglican School in south Trinidad. The display was enthusiastically received by the primary school students who sacrificed their lunch hour to participate in the short programme organised by special advisor to the T&T Boxing Board Boxu Potts and involving upcoming national female professional boxer Jamila Jones.  Jones, 23, has been conducting the programme twice a week during the lunch break at the school and currently has about 35 youngsters engaged in several forms of physical education activities. The programme is specially designed to engage at risk pupils in a healthy and productive extra-curricular activity but is not specifically a boxing camp because it also opens a door for the budding athlete who possesses a special talent in another sport. “The programme has been introduced in what has been identified as some of the most socially deprived communities in Trinidad and in Tobago and some of the country’s top boxers and qualified coaches have been enlisted to work with the young people to develop their sporting talents,” said Potts on Tuesday.

 

Potts said Jones has a bright future ahead as a female professional boxer and sees her participation in the Talent  Identification Programme as doing something positive for the Marabella community where she grew up. Boxer Jones said that the programme has been welcomed by the parents of the children who have embraced the twice-weekly sessions and actually look forward to putting on their sweat clothes and taking instruction on the basics of the sport. Jones is optimistic that the youngsters will develop a culture of physical activity and keen competitiveness and will be inclined to harness their skills in boxing, cricket or athletics and progress to representing T&T and become an asset to the national community later in life. Potts complimented the Ministry of Sports headed by Anil Roberts, Permanent Secretary Ashwin Creed and the T&T Boxing Board of Control for getting the national programme underway and said it was next headed to Morvant-Laventille and Basilon Street in Port-of-Spain, Siparia as well as in Tobago where it is greatly anticipated.