Sport Minister Anil Roberts is of the view that an on-going debate relating the First Citizens Sports Foundation's decision to award the Sportsman of the Year title to London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner Keshorn Walcott and not national swimmer George Bovell III should be put to rest.
While Walcott's performance in the javelin event resulted in this country securing its second gold medal in three-and-a-half decades�a feat that should never go unnoticed�he said there were those in society who believed that Bovell's performance at international swim meets post London 2012 were outstanding enough to catapult him (Bovell) to the podium at the Sports Foundation Awards.
Bovell returned from London medal-less by went onto secure two gold medals in the men's 100 metres individual medley at the FINA/Arena Swimming Short Course World Cup at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Centre in Japan, last November.
One month before, he secured silver at the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2012 meet in Moscow.
"Someone came up to me and said Keshorn (Walcott) should not have won the First Citizens Sportsman of the Year and that George Bovell III should have won it, because throughout the year, he performed so highly, tremendously and the Olympics was just one race," said Roberts.
He added: "Let me tell you something! That one gold medal could win Sportsman of the Year for the next ten years until somebody else wins that; that one race, that one javelin, that one gold medal is the greatest achievement in sport. Nothing else compares. You must understand and put things into perspective and be able to analyse."
Robert was speaking at the start of a four-day sport symposium hosted by The Sport Desk, titled No Pain, No Gain held at the Cascadia Hotel and Conference in St Ann's.
Energy company Atlantic and the Ministry of Sports are the title sponsors of the youth focused event. Other corporate partners include The National gas Company, Toyota, bpTT, RBC Royal Bank and Fan Club, the Sport Company of T&T.
The day's programme featured speakers that included cricket legend Brian Charles Lara, multiple Olympic gold medallist Ato Boldon and motivational speaker Don La Foucade.
Focusing on the concept of the symposium Roberts urged participants to interpret the theme based on their individuality.
"Ato Boldon did not know that he would be the greatest sports analyst on television. He didn't plan to do that. They told him when he was running that he talks too much, but now talking making him so big money. Every report card that I got in Fatima College, every term, was very good, but I talked too much.
"Look where talking made me reach. So if I had listened to them, things might have been different. Listen to all the information you get, apply it in your own way, individual lives and individual positions," said Roberts. (SN)
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