The battle for the position of president at the T&T Cycling Federation's Elections on January 30, has begun to heat up, with incumbent Joseph Roberts seeking to clear the air on a purported $2 million debt the federation has had since 2015.
Robert's lone contender for the top position Rowena Williams, the federation's Racing Secretary, said in a newspaper report last week that if she is elected president, one of her biggest challenge will be to clear an existing $2 million debt which was wracked up at the Pan American Elite Cycling Championship at the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Balmain Couva in 2017.
She admitted that because of the financial uncertainty, among other concerns, the membership has been pleading with her to rescue the sport of cycling.
Williams has also been disenchanted by the sport and has sought comfort in the sport of bodybuilding.
However, Roberts told Guardian Media Sports on Monday that the debt has been significantly reduced. "Yes, we have a debt, and that debt has been declining. Over the last year, I have been able to reduce that debt by some, almost $200, 000. We sent the treasurer to send to all the executive, our management account, and you know management accounts, for the year 2019, our debt was $1.550,440 and in 2020 which is the management account currently, the debt is $1.386, 171 which we have forwarded to the auditors so that we would have audited accounts for the elections on the 30th of January."
According to Roberts who took over the reins of the organisation in 2019 after Larry Roman resigned in December 2019 as president, said: "The federation has done its audited accounts for the last four years. Even up to 2019 when we had an extraordinary meeting, that audited statement was adopted and approved."
In the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has grounded most sporting events, Williams, who was at the helm of the organisation from 2010 and 2014, believes an innovative federation must give its members what they want, which at this time, is a federation that is vibrant and active again.
On January 13, Roberts, a former basketball player, revealed his federation's three-year strategic plan, aimed at dealing with all the issues affecting the federation and the sport, including the debt. "We have a three-year strategic plan, which has been submitted to the executive, which has been submitted to the council, and right now it is being circulated to the membership. In that plan, we have four pillars and one of the pillars is about financial sustainability, which has some strategies in terms of how we plan to get rid of the debt."
The plan is also set to deal with organisational effectiveness, which will focus on looking at the constitution and making it more relevant to the organisation, as well as- financial stability, which will target the channels through which funding for the federation's programmes and projects, will come from.
The membership has submitted nominations for all ten positions that will form the TTFCF executive for the next four years - president, general secretary, three vice presidents, racing secretary and assistant racing secretary, assistant general secretary, treasurer and public relations officer (PRO).