Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs (MSYA) Shamfa Cudjoe admits she is troubled by the issues affecting the local cycling fraternity and the recent loss of former coach Erin Hartwell, who has since taken up a job with the China national team. She is also disturbed that the Trinidad and Tobago's Football Association's Home of Football in Couva remains closed after it was inaugurated late last year.
Cudjoe made the comments during a conversation with Isports host Andre Errol Baptiste on I95.5FM on Saturday.
"Cycling has been one of the most promising disciplines as it relates to getting ready for the Tokyo Olympics," Cudjoe said.
"Last year has been a roller coaster year for cycling, we had so many accomplishments. Our athletes have worked so very hard and there seems to be some confusion taking place within the cycling federation and the cycling fraternity and that has been detrimental to cycling in T&T.
"We have lost an outstanding coach in Mr Hartwell (Erin) because from early, we had an opportunity to work with him. We were asking him to stay but he had other matters taking place with his family and then there was confusion within the cycling fraternity that was uncomfortable for Mr Hartwell, causing him to have to leave."
She added, "We would have made arrangements with Hartwell to find a trainer and a suitable training environment which is out in Switzerland. We as Government, through SporTT (Sport Company of T&T) and also the Ministry of Sports, have funded cycling through all the qualifying events up to this point so that their training in Switzerland, we are prepared to foot the bill because we want to see these guys accomplish their very highest but the cycling federation has to check itself over the last year and a half, we have had three presidents.”
Cudjoe said SporTT chairman Douglas Camacho had held meetings with the T&T Cycling Federation (TTCF) and the information which came out of those sessions was disturbing.
"Douglas would have met with the executives and they have not only to ask for advice but to listen as well, because the indiscipline that takes place now between players, who had given Hartwell a really hard time, to members of the fraternity, the executive, I think some of the problems the federation are facing, they would have created themselves,” said Cudjoe.
With regards to the cry for elite funding, Cudjoe said: “That is a strange development because the only cyclist we have for funding before us is Teneil Campbell and that is for grant funding. We have no application for cycling for elite funding in front of us right now."
Asked about funding for the Match Sprint team, which is ranked 10th in the world, the minister said, "They have to submit an application. The only application we have before us, and that is not even for elite funding but for grant funding, is for Teneil Campbell."
Cudjoe also explained the three-step process for funding.
"It goes to their NGB (National Governing Body), which would be the cycling federation, after the cycling federation it goes to the TTOC (T&T Olympic Committee) and from the TTOC to MSYA, so if an application was submitted at the previous level, it is not at the MSYA as yet."
She added, "Once world record-holder Nicholas Paul applies, he shall receive the necessary funding. I know the Director of Sports would have recently met with Nicholas and his manager and explained to them what needs to be done so that the application could be submitted. I know that they are preparing an application for him right now."
The Minister also refuted claims that elite funding has been stopped.
"The elite funding for athletes has not stopped but the last time we distributed funds was around the closing of the fiscal year, around September. We would have given funding to all the applications we had before us at the time, we would have honoured them," Cudjoe revealed.
"People think that because you are an elite athlete, you just sit there and receive the funding. You have to apply, it is something that you have to apply for. If there is no application, we don’t just walk up to you and say 'hey, you are an elite athlete, here is this'. It does not happen that way.
"All athletes, all five cyclists, we have funded up to this point. Every time they left to travel for qualifiers, we have funded, as SporTT and the Ministry of Sports up to now."
<Minister ready to meet with TTFA>
Asked about the public announcement that the T&T Football Association (TTFA) under current president William Wallace will be seeking a meeting with her as Minister of Sports, Cudjoe said: “Football has requested a meeting and we at MSYA and SporTT have no problem meeting with football.
"In terms of funding for football, like any other NGB, qualification for regional and international events or games at the highest level, we support. Football has a responsibility to run its business properly. I know that much of the debt and much of the situation would have been inherited from, not just the last administration but the previous administration. We are talking about years and years of trouble in football. Football has to organise itself and especially reach out to FIFA also in the management of its business."
However, Cudjoe expressed her displeasure over the TTFA closing of the "Home of Football" in Balmain, Couva, following its inauguration in December.
"Another situation that football has on its hands right now is the ‘Home of Football’ that was created to be an income generator," she said.
"Is the current executive of football looking at opening the ‘Home of Football’ so that all the sporting entities that would have made applications and reservations and arrangements to utilise the ‘Home of Football’ and put money in the hands of TTFA? What is the TTFA doing as it relates to that?
"I think these are the kind of questions that they need to look into. I think it is quite unfortunate that here we have made this major investment as Government to provide the land, FIFA would have made the investment to build the facility and now there seems to be some type of discrepancy as it relates to opening and utilising the facility and bringing in some income in order to foot their bills as a football association."
She added, "As I say all of the time, all these associations and NGBs are independent, they are autonomous, Government can only facilitate towards the development of our athletes, towards our sporting disciplines but they do have the responsibility to run their business professionally and to do so well and not just call on Government when funding is needed or when they find themselves in a bind.
"But let us not jump the gun, let us hear what they bring. But of course, I will ask what is happening with the opening and utilising of the ‘Home of Football.”