The T&T Boxing Board of Control (TTBBC) in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sport have achieved another first in the history of local boxing after launching an after school boxing programme. This was on Friday at the Success Laventille Secondary School in Laventille. The initiative is a brainchild of the Minister of Sport Anil Roberts, who has mandated the TTBBC to establish boxing in every school and community in T&T and to develop a nursery of boxing stars. The TTBBC plans to carry out this mandate with the installation of gyms throughout the country, which will be funded by the Ministry of Sport. Present at the function were Hamida Baksh, principal of the school, a representative of the Ministry of Education, president of the T&T Amateur Boxing Association (TTABA) Cecil Forde, world champion female boxer Ria Ramnarine, MP for the area Nileung Hypolite, member of the TTBBC Sharma Stroude, special advisor to the TTBBC Boxu Potts and chairman of the TTBBC, Annabelle Davis.
According to Forde, the TTABA is fully endorsing this initiative and plans to work alongside the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Education and the TTBBC to make the programme a success. Children from the community came out in full support and were very thankful for the assistance given by the Ministries and pledged to make full use of the gym that has been given to them. The ribbon was ceremoniously cut to launch the opening of the gym and featured the new faces who will soon occupy the leading amateur boxing rankings locally. The gym was furnished with punching bags, one middle ball, an over head ball, head gear, mittens, bag gloves, punching gloves and hand pads for coaches which were all bought by the Sport Ministry. Also available at the after school programme will be classes in revision and homework daily, in addition to sessions in life skills on Saturday mornings.