Despite a verbal agreement among the three racquet sports in T&T- badminton, table tennis and lawn tennis, the three seem to be on a collision course for the use of the National Racquet Centre (NRC) in Orange Grove, Tacarigua.
Yesterday Navin Gayapersad, vice president of the T&T Badminton Association said they have been experiencing major challenges to use the racquet centre, as the courts have been hugged by the Tennis Association of T&T, known also as (tennistt). The initial agreement, Persad explained, was for badminton to use court two at the centre for it's home and table tennis to be housed at court one.
All the other courts are to be used by the Tennis Association of T&T, which is being headed by businessman Hayden Mitchell.
However, Gayapersad said they can never get to use the facility, because the courts, are either being utilized by tennistt, or they are demanded to move the mats anytime they use it, which has been a challenge for them, both financially and physically.
"We have been attempting to get the venue to prepare our teams for the coming Pan American and Carebaco Championships in July and August respectively, but we have been unable to do so. The court that has been allocated to us, and the one given to table tennis, are both taken away by tennistt for their tournaments, which incidentally are held every week, of late," Gayapersad told Guardian Media Sports yesterday.
According to the badminton vice president, efforts to find a solution to the problem has been hampered by the fact that Mitchell, the tennis president is a director on the Board at SporTT, with responsibility for overseeing facilities. "This we see as a direct conflict of interest because the interests of tennistt are always given priority ahead of any other racquet sport," Gayapersad explained.
He noted, "I think we have been renting at our own home, and I am thinking that maybe we will have to get a piece of land somewhere to build our own facility."
Due to the long distances to get the other facilities across T&T, Gayapersad believes it will be unfair to ask athletes to train at other facilities across T&T because of the huge cost involved in travelling.
When contacted Mitchell said it was unfortunate for such accusations to be levelled against him as there is a clear process for NGBs seeking to use the facility.
"There are meetings every month for bookings which are attended religiously by my secretary Jermille Danclar. For badminton to say tennistt TT gets preferential treatment, they must show that they have submitted requests in time, and they were blocked for tennis."
He also rubbished claims that NGBs were their own court/home at the NRC. "What we agreed on as a group, is for badminton and table tennis to use courts one and two respectively, once there is nothing going on at the facility," Mitchell explained.
He called for NGBs to start putting in the work toward making their sport better and not attack others for doing what they have to do.
Under Mitchell, NRC is being considered as the possible hub of the sport in the region by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Mitchell said the ITF is presently reviewing a development programme which his association submitted to last year.
Meanwhile, the National Junior Badminton Championship will serve off today at 9 am with action in under-11, 13, 15, u-17 and u-19 for both Boys and Girls. This tournament will be held on court one.