Three T&T athletes attend US Women & Girls Sports event

Local track and field athletes Mallia Polo-Chandree, Desiree Harper and Kadisha Francoise are currently representing T&T at the “Empowering Women and Girls through Sports” exchange initiative in the US which started on Monday. Polo-Chandree from Track & Field Academy and Abilene Wildcats club mates, Harper and Francoise, are being accompanied by Track & Field Academy coach Carol Carvalho. In partnership with USA Track and Field and the Oregon Track Club, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is hosting 12 girls and four women coaches from Bahamas, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and T&T for a track and field exchange programme in Washington, DC and Eugene, Oregon, from June 18-28. 

 

During their visit participants will observe US Olympic try-outs and visit the headquarters of sportswear maker Nike, as well as participate in team building activities and sports clinics alongside their American counterparts. The initiative aims to increase the number of women and girls who participate in sports worldwide.  This exchange builds on Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s, vision of “smart power,” which embraces the full range of diplomatic tools to empower women and girls and foster greater understanding.