“When it comes to sports, however, denying reality isn’t poetic; it’s just dumb. Athletics is one of the few realms in life where the results are definitive. That’s why we watch: The finality is the point. A society that can’t accept losing in sports is not equipped to handle more difficult truths” – Christopher Bean.
Perhaps we are just not good enough! We are just delusional to think otherwise! The skill level of our citizens is not as high as we believe!
After spending 19 days in Paris, France, for the 2024 Olympic Games, I watched not only our team alone but also our competitors, spoke with their journalists, and read some articles on their participation and preparation.
My observations showed that these countries have put in place proper programs that include, but are not limited to, looking after the welfare of the athletes before the Olympics and ensuring they are both physically and mentally prepared, for, in some cases, five to eight years and counting.
This, we know, does not exist in its entirety in T&T, and if it is at all practiced, the time span for such training is far too short to ever have consistent results. However, another important reality may be that those who seek to inspire consistency themselves lack it, from administration to coaching to older athletes. Have we, as a people, set the right example, or have we just allowed everything to flow as it is?
Let me draw to your attention some points that would suggest recalibration is needed in every single aspect of our sports.
1: Apart from Dylan Carter’s family, who spent enormous time, energy, and money on their son, who else was timely in terms of assistance for this young man, and then those that critique the coach, seem to have forgotten that one of our leading swimmers of the past was also on that team, but this selective criticism in swimming is no different from the jealousy that exists in football among coaches. Yes, we should criticise when it is fairly done and transparent, not when it is clouded in fits.
2: Keshorn Walcott has incurred far too many injuries, and therefore, since 2012, not enough resources have been placed in front of him to succeed and overcome this long stretch of injuries. Money alone is not good enough; his support structure from those in authority should have been better; he is rightfully considered a treasure abroad in Europe, but in our beloved country, he is treated as just another medallist (of which I should add we have far too few).
3: Kwesi Browne is a gifted cyclist and should have been allowed more than two months at the UCI school in Switzerland, but again, how can we ask his family to continue to use their own funds and yet still want him to succeed? This young man virtually put his life on the line for T&T, and yet we still don’t seem to appreciate that.
4: Who checked the running shoes of Renny Quow? Because it certainly looks as if it has incurred a lot of wear and tear, and while mistakes happen, this is a case in point for flunking the equipment our athletes will be using. This should be fundamental, and an example of this is that in football, there is someone like “Coxy” to ensure equipment, from socks to boots to outfits, is proper. Is anyone performing that role at the Olympics?
These are all points that suggest that we were not ready for these games. We did not give our most experienced athletes the best chance. We in this country have become too dependent on an athlete and his team going and doing it on their own without the respective associations digging deep and finding ways to overcome obstacles.
We talk a lot, and a lot of us like to hear our own voices and feel proud that we have a forum to express ourselves, but the truth is that all of us let down our athletes by ensuring that those who met the qualification standards remained stuck there and never could surpass them, and we were content with that except when the end result was questioned.
My idea is not to forget the past but to move on aggressively, so I am recommending the following:
Form a committee called the Olympics Resources Committee (ORC), whose responsibilities should be to select 25–30 athletes ahead of the next two Olympics who can medal in 2028 and 2032. We are mainly talking about athletes between the ages of 16 and 22. This ORC must be independent of the various sporting organisations in this country, so there should be one person from that discipline included on the committee, and they need to be held to account.
If during the four-year cycle there is no medal possible, we do not cut them immediately but put them in the group for a five- to eight-year cycle, but if there is no possibility of that, we cut them. This committee would also be entrusted to receive funding, properly prepare a road map by month of the progress or not, and report on it.
Therefore, we need tough people on this committee, which should be no more than 10 in total.
I want to emphasise that our coaches in most administrations are outdated, behind the times in both strategy and foresight, and in need of a reality check. Modern times demand modern thinking and newly introduced adherence to body type and blood tests. Strict regime in terms of diet and adherence to training procedures and the progression therein.
The real problem, though, is that most of what is needed to fix this is already known and has been discussed many times over by the man who knows better than most in this country—Ato Jabari Boldon.
And again, in his selfless way, he is stating that he is willing to contribute in some fashion or form to improve what we have here. We, as a people, need to ensure that the powers that be put aside their petty desires and think country first. Boldon, when I spoke with him on Friday (after our track and field participation was over), was clear, noting that he is willing to work with anyone, even those who may have fallen out with him or those he has spoken of in the past, to ensure our sport follows a different trajectory.
Also, when you view the recently concluded Olympics, many would not be incorrect to ask why some of the so-called non-traditional or new events are not even being attempted in this country. The T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) should be the organisation to start reaching out to various clubs and organisations and have a day explaining the rules and format of the sport. Examples would be: breaking (a form of what many may call break-dancing), climbing (a speed contest climbing on a fake mountain), or even handball, which on the service does not appear complicated. All of these do not appear expensive, and I believe if the TTOC is up to the challenge, there may be some funding that can be sought from the rich International Olympic Committee (IOC). But again, desire is critical.
We do not just want all the "Letters to the Editors" comments on social media or talk that eventually disappear in seven days; this needs to be a matter of urgent attention, and we need to get buy-in from the leading athletes, especially with persons they respect and trust: Walcott, Jereem Richards, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Dylan Carter, Machel Cedenio, Nicholas Paul, and Browne. Let them talk first, together, and listen.
There may be other names, but I have suggested a few, but in my view, no more than 10 people is adequate.
Boldon suggested that people should be fired, and he is correct in that sport is about achievements and attaining goals, which we have not done in eight years. While there are familiar faces both travelling with the team and being around the team, it would appear not to be disturbed by the trauma of being left medalless. However, not all are undeserving, but the price of success is as harsh as that of failure.
It is time for action, and it is time for the will to be strong—not just material change but real change. If you are not up to it, do not have that desire (that word again). Move on or move out!
