Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: dtool on August 07, 2006, 05:41:28 AM
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SPORTT ... is it working to help the youths?
Would like to know the status of
"The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago"-
Is it working? and who is in charge.
Is it still Gerard Ferriara?
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_sports?id=107500754
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Just hear them mention a football academy at Ato Boldon.
SPORTT company on Spalkman show.
Anyone else listening?
They talking sport in general...not just football.
Home Page
http://www.power102fm.com/
Live Stream
mms://www.power102fm.com/Power102FM
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dah link ent workin for me (the mms link). Wha kinda bogus link yuh givin we here dcs!!! ;D
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Phillips to be paid by SPORTT.
T&T Express Reports.
The process has begun to have the salary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) technical director restored on a regular basis.
Lincoln Phillips had not been paid for five months after his TTFF contract ended, resulting in Football Federation special adviser Jack Warner and other officials pointing blame at Gary Hunt, the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs. Yesterday, however, the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) issued a release which indicated that the process is being put in place to have the matter resolved.
SPORTT also sought to clarify a number of issues raised in an October 27 letter signed by TTFF general secretary Richard Groden in which it was stated that, from the outset, Phillips was hired as technical director by the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago on the recommendation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
SPORTT totally refuted Groden's statement.
"Contrary to statements attributed to TTFF secretary Richard Groden, Lincoln Phillips was initially contracted by the TTFF and not the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago nor the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs for the period June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2007," SPORTT declared.
"A year into his contract with the TTFF, their management indicated that they could no longer pay Mr Phillips' salary and a request was made to the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago by the TTFF to cover the payment of Mr Phillips' salary for the balance of the contract period.
"The Sport Company obliged this request and additional financial disbursements were made to the TTFF to cover Mr Phillips' salary. Initially, payments were made directly to Mr Phillips and after three months, on the request of the TTFF, his payments were made through additional disbursements to the TTFF and the direct payments ceased."
In yesterday's release, SPORTT said in May 2007 the TTFF indicated that Phillips' contract was renewed for a period of one year from June 2, 2007 to June 2, 2008 and a request was made for the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago to disburse funding to cover the payment of his salary.
SPORTT reported that the request was met. Furthermore, the Sport Company said that by correspondence of September 30, 2008, the Sport Company, through its sport services manager, enquired of the status of Phillips' employment with the TTFF, since no new contract or request for funding had been forthcoming.
On October 3, the TTFF responded to this correspondence and indicated that Phillips was to be once again retained by the Football Federation for a period of one year from June 2, 2008-June 2, 2009.
On October 8, the Sport Company then requested a copy of Phillips' contract. A faxed copy was received by SPORTT on October 24. And now that the relevant document has been submitted, SPORTT said that all is in place to have Phillips' salary paid until June 2009.
"It should be noted that Mr Phillips' contract is with the TTFF and the Sport Company covers his salary payments though its disbursements to the TTFF for its development program," SPORTT declared. "Now that the TTFF has indicated in writing of its intention to retain Mr Phillips and has provided SPORTT with a copy of the contract outlining the financial terms of employment, the payment to Mr Phillips through the TTFF can proceed. This funding request is currently being processed by SPORTT."
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Chee Ping: Sportt not to blame
...for Warriors money problem
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Chairman of Sportt Chairman of the Sport Company of T&T (Sportt), Rhett Chee Ping, yesterday cleared his organisation of any blame over short payments to members of the Soca Warriors for playing in the last 13 international matches.
Chee Ping said his organisation was carrying out its duties based on information and figures submitted by the T&TFF and once it is confirmed the players are still being owed, Sportt will be ready to complete payments.
Last Thursday, a number of players went to Sportt to collect their cheques for matches played between July and December. However, the money collected was short of what they expected.
The players blamed the federation for submitting wrong information to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and Sportt without consulting them.
A source close to the situation said the players were trying to contact T&TFF Special Advisor Jack Warner to help resolve the situation. The source said Warner was the only person who could solve the problem as he was key to the decision making within the federation.
The players were even willing to go to Warner’s Ministry of Works and Transport head office on Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain to discuss the matter.
The source noted that once the local football federation made the necessary changes to the figures they submitted for the players who have already their initial payments, Sportt would be willing to fulfil the remaining commitments to the players in terms of payments.
Chee Ping, a former national swimmer and triathlete said the players need to discuss the situation with the T&TFF boss, Oliver Camps and not Warner. “The Sport Company can only go on the recommendation of the T&TFF so it is they who need to be held accountable for any miscalculations.”
Camps could not say much on the matter as the financial tabulations were handled by the Federation’s Accounting Department. “They (Accounts Department) have been closed for the entire week so I will not get anything resolved until next week,” Camps said.
According to the T&TFF boss, documentation for the payment to the technical staff was forwarded to Sportt on Christmas Eve and payments could take another two weeks.
Major concerns surround payments to the technical staff since questions as to whether or not they have signed contracts are being raised.
It is said that only coach Russell Latapy and manager, David Muhammad were issued written contracts by the T&TFF.
“Sportt wants to see the contracts for staff members and then the necessary documentation can be done to start paying their outstanding salaries.” Some members of the staff received $10,000 each in September 2009.
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Chee Ping: Sportt not to blame
...for Warriors money problem
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Camps could not say much on the matter as the financial tabulations were handled by the Federation’s Accounting Department. “They (Accounts Department) have been closed for the entire week so I will not get anything resolved until next week,” Camps said.
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what's new after 20 yrs? its not even laughable anymore
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Chee Ping: Sportt not to blame
...for Warriors money problem
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Camps could not say much on the matter as the financial tabulations were handled by the Federation’s Accounting Department. “They (Accounts Department) have been closed for the entire week so I will not get anything resolved until next week,” Camps said.
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what's new after 20 yrs? its not even laughable anymore
Dog bites man
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Chee Ping: Sportt not to blame
...for Warriors money problem
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Major concerns surround payments to the technical staff since questions as to whether or not they have signed contracts are being raised.
It is said that only coach Russell Latapy and manager, David Muhammad were issued written contracts by the T&TFF.
“Sportt wants to see the contracts for staff members and then the necessary documentation can be done to start paying their outstanding salaries.” Some members of the staff received $10,000 each in September 2009.
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Camps could not say much on the matter as the financial tabulations were handled by the Federation’s Accounting Department. “They (Accounts Department) have been closed for the entire week so I will not get anything resolved until next week,” Camps said.
Is only dis week dey closed? I swear dey close since 2006.
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Camps could not say much on the matter as the financial tabulations were handled by the Federation’s Accounting Department. “They (Accounts Department) have been closed for the entire week so I will not get anything resolved until next week,” Camps said.
Is only dis week dey closed? I swear dey close since 2006.
:beermug:
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Camps could not say much on the matter as the financial tabulations were handled by the Federation’s Accounting Department. “They (Accounts Department) have been closed for the entire week so I will not get anything resolved until next week,” Camps said.
Is only dis week dey closed? I swear dey close since 2006.
*chuckles* Dat Camps fella good eh??.....steups....
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Chee Ping, a former national swimmer and triathlete said the players need to discuss the situation with the T&TFF boss, Oliver Camps and not Warner
Who will then have a discussion with his BOSS Jack Warner..... :devil:
The PLAYERS have to follow the chain of Command..... ;D
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Sportt not properly structured
Saturday, May 14 2011
T&T Newsday Reports.
The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Sportt) was not properly structured to fulfill their mandate. Sportt is now putting the necessary structure in place to enable them to administrate sport in Trinidad and Tobago.
“What is happening with the company is that it is settling itself up properly. For example there was no business development unit for the company and that is important for sport marketing,” said Ashwin Creed, acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, during a sitting of the Joint Select Committee (Group 2) of the Parliament, at the Parliament Chamber, yesterday.
Sportt is now setting up their High Performance Unit as well as their corporate services which consists of human resources, finance, communications and information technology.
“On the facility side, we are now setting up facilities management and to provide the staff in there to deal with projects and engineering and so on.
The whole issue of sport development is being set up properly,” Creed said in response to a question from Joint Select Committee chairman, James Armstrong.
Sportt is patterned from the Australian model and Creed revealed that when the first board was appointed the members were expected to implement the recommendations of the Australian Sport Commission, but this did not happen.
He explained that the current board is attempting to implement the recommendations based on the current infrastructure, systems and procedures.
Currently, De Edge Management is assisting Sportt with their restructuring process.
The original mandate of Sportt was to examine national sporting organisations and sports programmes. This portfolio was expanded to oversee the construction and maintenance of sporting facilities and sporting programmes.
Creed said, “the structure still remains relevant with some minor adjustments because the mandate has changed.”
Chief Executive Officer of Sportt, Errol Ashby disclosed that the “rental policy” was being reviewed following recommendations from a consultant’s report.
He said, “what was in existence did not meet the requirements that the board felt was needed with the level of investment in stadia and other infrastructure and the level of investment the people of TT made in these facilities.”
Ashby stated there were some “hiccups and impediments” in moving forward but Sportt was getting as much done internally and through outsourcing.
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Creed: SporTT not properly set up.
By Kern De Freitas (Express).
The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) is only now being suitably organised to fulfill its mandate, according to acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Ashwin Creed.
Along with members of the SporTT executive, Creed appeared before a joint select committee (JSC) of Parliament at the Red House in Port of Spain on Friday to answer questions into the operations of the company.
Creed was responding to a question posed by JSC chairman James Armstrong to SporTT CEO Errol Ashby regarding the rental policy of SporTT. After Ashby explained that the Sport Company was currently being restructured, Creed supplemented the answer with a further explanation.
"When the company was set up, it was set up to look at national organisations and sports programmes," he explained.
"The company was subsequently given the mandate of overseeing the sports infrastructure construction, so that what is happening now with the company is the company is now setting up itself properly."
Creed added that SporTT was set up with no development unit, no human resources component, and no facility management department.
"The whole question of sport development is now being set up," he said.
He explained further that the mandate of SporTT—which is the implementation arm of the Ministry of Sport—has changed from developing the SporTT policies and working with national sporting organisations (NSOs) to include the construction and oversight of new sport facilities, as well as the upgrading of existing stadiums.
Sebastian Paddington, one of the SporTT directors, told the committee that SporTT is reviewing the projects in the pre-tender, tender, contracting and project management phases of previous projects.
SporTT has already gone through the tender process for the planned national aquatic, cycling and tennis centres in Mucurapo, Mount Hope and Tacarigua, respectively.
Said Paddington: "Our findings were that the procurement procedure was generally along the lines of transparency and accountability, and that has allowed us to continue the process towards the final round of interviews and negotiations. We look to continue where the previous administration left off in those projects."
Ashby reported that SporTT was operating within difficult conditions, having their initial budget of $100 million reduced by $40.2 million.
The Sport Company, he added, must meet the same demands with limited finances.
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With every companies in T&T, you does have to wonder who nominates the board, who invent this company, who put the people in power, who vote for them, what excatly do they do. is all kind company man inventing now...
They only sucking government money and men have big names doing nothing and just collecting.
I really thought Kamla Persad Bissessar would have made a difference in T&T, she is Basdeo Panday Jr. One day she own friends will decieve her, friends and business dont work together, this friend, friend thing eh go wok.
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With every companies in T&T, you does have to wonder who nominates the board, who invent this company, who put the people in power, who vote for them, what excatly do they do. is all kind company man inventing now...
They only sucking government money and men have big names doing nothing and just collecting.
I really thought Kamla Persad Bissessar would have made a difference in T&T, she is Basdeo Panday Jr. One day she own friends will decieve her, friends and business dont work together, this friend, friend thing eh go wok.
Hey, Sam! Every now & then yuh does make a post that does hit the nail right on the head because yuh doh mince yuh words & yuh just made another one just there! :beermug:
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but Creed was apart of the old board,now he saying it not properly structured?so what he was doing before then?
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but Creed was apart of the old board,now he saying it not properly structured?so what he was doing before then?
Same thing could be said for Oliver & the TTFF! :thinking:
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Lesson learned
Ashby hopes SPORTT can improve procedures
By Kern De Freitas.
The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) have accepted their share of the blame for last month's postponement of the 2011 Sagicor Open National Track and Field Championships, and CEO Errol Ashby says that event was a learning experience.
During a briefing on the status of the new Hasely Crawford track, the installation of which made the venue unavailable for the Championships, Ashby told the Express yesterday that bureaucratic red tape and subsequently rain, ruined any chance of the job finishing on time.
"What I can say that we can take blame for, is that we probably should have started a little sooner, but remember this is public procurement," said Ashby. "So sometimes you are ready to go, but the funds have to be released in a certain way, certain documents have to be submitted, so sometimes things weren't in our control."
Where SPORTT fell a bit short, Ashby said, was that the procurement process should have perhaps started a bit earlier to prevent the project's overlap into the rainy season.
With a little more cooperation from the weather, he said the project might have been completed on schedule. Originally earmarked to be concluded in mid-June, the laying of the track was set back by heavy rains, and was only completed this week.
Ashby described the Championships' postponement as "unfortunate", and said there "wasn't the communication" among SPORTT, the National Association for Athletics Administration (NAAA) and the Ministry of Sport.
"…A lot of misconceptions were fuelled because of misinformation and people saying 'ok, we're having our championships, can we have it, or can we have it not.' As an NSO (National Sporting Organisation), (the NAAA) should have had some contingency in place instead of pushing it back."
The Dwight Yorke Stadium, he said, was an alternative venue that could have been considered rather than postponing the event outright.
And Ashby said although it is a common thing to say a lesson has been learned, he is hoping that the operation of SPORTT and future relationships with the Ministry and other stakeholders will prevent such errors in the future.
The track installation—which includes removing the old surface, repairing the sub-base, pouring, installation, treatment, marking and certification—cost taxpayers a shade over $9 million.
And standing on the newly laid surface yesterday, Ashby was "more than pleased" at the finished product.
"I'm ecstatic," the former track athlete-turned lawyer said. "Why? Because this is the first of its kind in this region, this technology. We've gotten a good product, we've gotten value for money, because we paid a little over $9 million for supply and installation of this product."
Ashby said that the previous track lasted only a few years because it was not properly maintained, and this track which has a 15-year warranty and a life expectancy of 20 years must be given better care.
"What we have to do now is treat it properly and care for it, and maintain it as if it's a little child, and get as much out of it as possible as the money we spent for it… Moving forward we have to ensure we care for this track as if there is no more coming. This is it, it have nothing else to get. That's how we have to approach this track."
"The good thing about this track," Ashby added, "is that it is fit for this sort of climate. We can't fall back on the excuse that 'you know Mondo, temperate climate, it will deteriorate.' But a lot of what happened to the track has to do with we misused it. We didn't treat it and care for it they way we should have."
Ashby further said that during his tenure at SPORTT, he wants the Company to set standards in maintaining their facilities so that less money is wasted repairing facilities that become run down.
"When you come onto this track what are the dos and don'ts—from shoes and spikes to how you supposed to treat this. Because if we don't treat it like it's a scarce natural resource, it's going to be deteriorating in two to three years like the previous one."
(http://media.trinidadexpress.com/images/1311396467097s14.jpg)
TRACK TALK: Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) CEO Errol Ashby, left, chats with SPORTT manager of elite athlete development and performance Tobias Ottley yesterday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain. The new track has been completed at the venue, which will host the Hampton International Games today. —Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
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SporTT has no money
By: Andrew Gioannetti (Guardian).
Several major sporting associations and local prominent athletes have voiced concerns that financial assistance previously offered by the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) to their respective federations, have been withdrawn until the next financial cycle which begins in October.
When contacted by the Guardian yesterday, a source within the country’s top football league described the developments as “the Sport Company’s major financial bankruptcy” claiming that many clubs of major sporting disciplines, and their respective federations have been seriously affected by the financial drawbacks.
The source also said that many summer football camps in which SporTT has financed in past years have been suddenly cancelled. The T&T Pro League clubs which benefits from SporTT’s assistance with wage stipend for players includes W Connection, North East Stars, San Juan Jabloteh, Caledonia AIA and St Anns Rangers.
The National Super League has been similarly affected by the “exhaustion of funds” as described by SporTT in a letter to the heads of the T&T Pro League and the National Super League. Richard Piper, National Super League Tournament Co-ordinator said that the league has been “drastically affected”.
According to Piper, SporTT has been unable to assist with expenses for the past two months and the league would have been unable to move on without the assistance of sponsors All Sport. “SporTT has not helped with the stipend for referees and were unable to assist in transport for the clubs travelling to and from Tobago,” said Piper.
Association of T&T (ASATT), there are claims that a meeting with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and SporTT and ASATT was called so that matters within the sports and funding can be discussed. At the meeting, the association was advised to cancel their upcoming Goodwill Swim Meet, an prominent annual swim meet which was scheduled to take place between August 12-14 at the Centre of Excellence Macoya, due to a lack of available funds.
The release acknowledges that the meet may be in crisis, as the association requires funding which was previously promised by SporTT.
Neal Marcano, chairman of the Local Goodwill Organising Committee expressed disappointment at the sudden turn of events, saying that he and his committee may require funding from external sources, to avoid the embarrassment.
“It is very unfortunate that the Government is unable to assist in funding this very important meet. We do hope to get the assistance of corporate T&T to host the event.” Jason Wickham, Public Relations Officer of the ASATT insisted that every effort will be made to allow the meet to continue.
“While it has been suggested that the meet be cancelled, our Association knows the importance of this development meet. Cancellation is an option but an absolute last resort,” said Wickham.
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WWWHHHHHHAAAATTTTT?? ? ??!!!!
:o :o :o
SPORTT, take a big,
SSSSTTTTEEEEEEUUUUPPPPPPSSSS!!!!!!
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let knowledgeable expats run it, these locals are a waste >:(
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WWWHHHHHHAAAATTTTT?? ? ??!!!!
:o :o :o
SPORTT, take a big,
SSSSTTTTEEEEEEUUUUPPPPPPSSSS!!!!!!
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:This is how i like to see the forum,entertainment at it's best,keep it up guys give us the facts.
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let knowledgeable expats run it, these locals are a waste >:(
:bs:
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let knowledgeable expats run it, these locals are a waste >:(
You could talk some real dotishness at times yes!!
How yuh expect expats to run things when they living away in exile!
Also if they come home they still cyah run $hit because they cannot just walk into the TTFF office and ask Scamps & the lot to move aside! Plus LP an expat came home & what much could he do to change the status quo?!!
Scamps was voted back as TTFF President unopposed & unless he drops dead on the job or is forced to resign by the players bonus money case against the TTFF or because FIFA holds him responsible for what when down in T&T in May during his watch, there is not much that expats like yuhself can do other than mouth-off!
Other than that there are many capable folks at home right now who can do just as good a job as any expat but until Scamps can be forced out there is not much they can do other than to stand aside and not invest their hard earnt money into an unaccountable and murky organisation which is equivalent to throwing their money down the drain!
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Ah boy. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.
Especially the fact those youth camps not happening real vexing to me.
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let knowledgeable expats run it, these locals are a waste >:(
Yuh know sometimes it is easier to comment when you're on the outside ..you have no idea what kind of roadblocks Ashby has incurred. I assure you the man is quite competent.
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let knowledgeable expats run it, these locals are a waste >:(
Yuh know sometimes it is easier to comment when you're on the outside ..you have no idea what kind of roadblocks Ashby has incurred. I assure you the man is quite competent.
Maybe so, but somewhere along the line, Ashby comes up against Trinis with no clue! By expats, I assume Controversial means foreign nationals living in T&T such as Terry Fenwick? (I don't mean he thinks Fenwick should be involved, but used his name as an example)
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Maybe so, but somewhere along the line, Ashby comes up against Trinis with no clue! By expats, I assume Controversial means foreign nationals living in T&T such as Terry Fenwick? (I don't mean he thinks Fenwick should be involved, but used his name as an example)
You either don't know Controversial's penchant for talking shit, or yuh trying to be charitable, lol
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let knowledgeable expats run it, these locals are a waste >:(
Yuh know sometimes it is easier to comment when you're on the outside ..you have no idea what kind of roadblocks Ashby has incurred. I assure you the man is quite competent.
Maybe so, but somewhere along the line, Ashby comes up against Trinis with no clue! By expats, I assume Controversial means foreign nationals living in T&T such as Terry Fenwick? (I don't mean he thinks Fenwick should be involved, but used his name as an example)
thats exactly what i meant, some people are dense and dunce enough to think i mean ex pats living abroad ::)
breds you have to spell out everything for people on this board, because they slow
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Maybe so, but somewhere along the line, Ashby comes up against Trinis with no clue! By expats, I assume Controversial means foreign nationals living in T&T such as Terry Fenwick? (I don't mean he thinks Fenwick should be involved, but used his name as an example)
You either don't know Controversial's penchant for talking shit, or yuh trying to be charitable, lol
whats your suggestions and ideas to improve Sport company of T&T, we await your response, minus the ole talk....
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thats exactly what i meant, some people are dense and dunce enough to think i mean ex pats living abroad ::)
People "dense and dunce" because you don't know how to use the English language? You must feel people dotish... there's a difference between "ex-pats" and "foreign nationals", or they didn't cover that in Standard 5 when yuh was in Primary school?
whats your suggestions and ideas to improve Sport company of T&T, we await your response, minus the ole talk....
Ole talk is de only thing coming out your mouth so dat is all yuh getting.
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thats exactly what i meant, some people are dense and dunce enough to think i mean ex pats living abroad ::)
People "dense and dunce" because you don't know how to use the English language? You must feel people dotish... there's a difference between "ex-pats" and "foreign nationals", or they didn't cover that in Standard 5 when yuh was in Primary school?
whats your suggestions and ideas to improve Sport company of T&T, we await your response, minus the ole talk....
Ole talk is de only thing coming out your mouth so dat is all yuh getting.
evading the issue as always, lets hear your input or is that cupboard bear?
i know the difference between foreign national and ex-pat, like i said to you earlier, this is not an essay writing class and i am not presenting a thesis
maybe you should stop proof reading and actually contribute to the thread, what are your suggestions and ideas to improve the sport company of T&T
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Ashby fired as SPORTT CEO
T&T Express
Errol Ashby has been fired with immediate effect as chief executive of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT).
The Express learned yesterday that the former athlete was removed from his post at SPORTT, although neither Minister of Sport Anil Roberts nor SPORTT officials would confirm Ashby's removal.
Calls to both Ashby and SPORTT chairman Rhett Chee Ping up to press time last night went unanswered.
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Dat organization BLIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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Ashby still at SPORTT
By Roger Seepersad
Errol Ashby's fate as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) is still up in the air, but the former athlete could know his fate as early as today, according to a reliable source.
The source, who requested anonymity, told the Express yesterday that SPORTT is in the process of conducting appraisals on employees, and insisted that Ashby was not fired.
"SPORTT have persons on contracts and we put them on six months probation at the end of which we see whether or not you performed in the position according to the job specs. We have already had persons who have resigned from positions after a few months," the source explained.
Asked whether or not Ashby was dismissed as SPORTT CEO, the source said: "He has not been fired."
Asked about Ashby's performance as CEO, the source said there were some positives and some negatives, adding that all would be revealed today.
The source said Ashby was at work yesterday.
The Express also sought clarification from Communications Manager at SPORTT, Adrian Raymond. Raymond said he had not received any information, officially or unofficially, that Ashby was fired.
The Express also contacted Ashby, but the SPORTT CEO said he had no comment.
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Ashby is still at work so that report was totally false.
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Dat organization BLIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
:waiting: :waiting: boy i tell you,just now we will not have anybody to run sports,they getting rid of all the jokers one by one.
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I find Anil Roberts is a very poor Minister. Local sport has suffered under his stewardship. Gary Hunt was much better than him.
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I find Anil Roberts is a very poor Minister. Local sport has suffered under his stewardship. Gary Hunt was much better than him.
:thinking:
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I find Anil Roberts is a very poor Minister. Local sport has suffered under his stewardship. Gary Hunt was much better than him.
:thinking:
Ah done think yuh correck.
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I find Anil Roberts is a very poor Minister. Local sport has suffered under his stewardship. Gary Hunt was much better than him.
:o :o :o :o
WWWWWWHHHHHHAAAATTTTT?? ??!!!!!!
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I find Anil Roberts is a very poor Minister. Local sport has suffered under his stewardship. Gary Hunt was much better than him.
Possibly because he is unqualified for a ministerial portfolio
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I find Anil Roberts is a very poor Minister. Local sport has suffered under his stewardship. Gary Hunt was much better than him.
Possibly because he is unqualified for a ministerial portfolio
Beside being LOUDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD and coachin Bovell what else he qualify for?
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SPORTT’S Errol Ashby Fired.
By Anika Gumbs-Sandiford (Guardian).
Although board members objected to the recruitment of Shoma Persad at the executive level.
Anil Roberts Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts’ preferred choice for the position of executive manager of business development at the Sport Company of T&T (Sportt) has allegedly led to the dismissal of the company’s chief executive officer (CEO).
Errol Ashby was axed on August 19, after he allegedly fell out of favour with the minister for failing to carry out a directive—a directive which board members also expressed concern over. In fact, despite objections from the board that there were no grounds to dismiss Ashby, Roberts, in an interview with Sunday Guardian yesterday insisted the former CEO did not perform as expected and was in breach of his contract for use of a million dollar luxury BMW X3.
The fallout reportedly stemmed from Ashby’s unwillingness to comply with instructions to appoint new recruit Shoma Persad to the lucrative $30,000 monthly executive position.
The position is at present held by Steven Joseph. Promotion to the executive position would have seen Persad, who was hired in mid June as a manager, receiving a $12,500 pay hike on her $17,500 monthly salary and an increase in travelling, housing and telephone perks she now enjoys. Confidential board minutes obtained by Sunday Guardian from the extraordinary board meeting held on August 18, revealed that members objected to the recruitment of Persad at the executive level and unanimously voted against the decision to axe CEO Ashby.
Board director Nisa Dass at the said meeting stated: “The instructions are to terminate the employment of Joseph and put Persad to act in his place.” Dass stressed that the dismissal was geared at “looking for a reason to please the Minister,” the minutes revealed. The directive was further supported by statements made by another board director Matthew Quamina.
Quamina stated: “The reason why this board meeting was being held was because the minister asked the board to terminate the CEO’s contract.” Director Cheemattee Martin objected to the directive stating: “The board was told to install Ashby as CEO and as such, I disagree with what is taking place.”
Also expressing concern was board director Kent Samlal who stated: “I have difficulty with the minister saying that he will find a person for the position of CEO.” Board clears Ashby, but… It was on this basis, according to the board minutes, that vice chairman Dr Chela Lamsee-Ebanks noted there were no grounds to dismiss Ashby given that no prior complaints were ever lodged against him. However, the mounting pressure to dismiss Ashby led to the board exploring whether the CEO was in breach of his contract for use of a luxury BMW.
The board, however, rejected the issue after chairman Rhett Chee Ping, who was on vacation at the time of the specially convened board meeting, communicated via a Skype conference call that he ratified the leasing of the vehicle to Ashby. Chee Ping informed the board that he did not examine the contract in minute detail and was willing to resign over the issue.
The board later agreed that the leasing of the vehicle was not a valid reason to terminate Ashby given that the type of car was not specified in his contract. It was at this point the board first agreed that the termination of the CEO would not be supported. Board members, the minutes revealed, also felt they should not resign because of the decision, but if the minister so desired, he could dismiss them.
Minister attends board meeting, Chee Ping resigns
In an unprecedented move on that said day, Lamsee-Ebanks then informed board members that the minister was on his way to the meeting. Informed of this, Chee Ping openly vented his disapproval over the minister’s attendance at the meeting stating that a “bad precedent” was being set. However, according to the minutes, the minister arrived at the meeting at around 2 pm. Lamsee-Ebanks, the minutes stated, informed Roberts that the board was unable to find any issue with the CEO and they have no reason to terminate his employment.
The minister, however, then raised discussion regarding the luxury BMW X3 and Ashby’s contract; why some board members were absent and the performances of the CEO and the executive manager. Chee Ping informed the minister and the board of his willingness to resign over the issue of the type of vehicle that was leased to the CEO. However, Samlal suggested that the firm should be contacted to see whether the contract could be terminated. Chee Ping then ended the conference call minutes before the minister left the meeting at 3.12 pm. Within days of the saga unfolding, Chee Ping tendered his resignation.
Ashby axed by second vote… Joseph in limbo
Further perusal of the minutes revealed that on arrival of directors Sebastien Paddington and Anyl Gopeesingh both members were brought up to date on the proceedings. Gopeesingh, however, the minutes indicated, asked for the “real reason” for the CEO to be terminated. Lamsee-Ebanks explained: “The chairman feels that the CEO is performing his duties.”
Quamina said: “The Honourable Minister says the CEO has not been performing.” This then prompted Gopeesingh to ask: “How someone who has just started could be terminated?” Paddington replied: “Persad sent an e-mail indicating her displeasure that the business development executive manager had transferred someone to the department.” Dass, however, pointed out that the executive manager’s position allowed him to make such decisions.
Terminate CEO, or else...
It was at this juncture Lamsee-Ebanks indicted to the board that if Ashby was not terminated then members should be prepared to end their tenure as directors. Paddington also reminded members that they were “political appointees.” The board then took another vote changing their tune and agreed that Ashby would be terminated based on “lack of performance or dishonesty concerning the contents of the contract, as some of the items discussed did not ultimately form part of the contract as agreed.” Directors, however, agreed that there was no evidence of non-performance against Joseph.
Ashby gets the axe
In an interview with Sunday Guardian last week, Ashby said following two job vacancy advertisements in June (executive manager and senior manager) he was informed by board members that Persad was recommended to fill the executive manager post. However, Ashby said based on the particular job specification and work experience, Persad did not meet the requirements. “I was told by board members that Persad was the minister’s pick for executive manger of business development. Subsequently, I had a telephone conversation with the minister informing him that Persad did not meet the criteria based on the requirements listed in the advertisement.
In fact, Persad did not meet the criteria for either of the positions but a decision was taken to hire her as administrative assistant but that position was rejected by the minister. Ashby continued: “The minister outright rejected Persad coming on as an administrative assistant. I accepted his position but insisted that the post required a certain level of experience. The decision was then made to bring Persad on board as manager of business development. Her job title also posed an issue and on request from the minister I changed her title from manager to senior manager. There was no change in salary.”
Ashby said he was uncertain as to what led to his dismissal. He recalled: “I was called in to see the minister on August 17. It was during that meeting the minister raised issue with the type of car I was driving. I referred him to the chairman because he authorised the leasing of the car for me.” Two days later, Ashby said, he was informed by board members that his services were no longer required at Sportt. “I asked for my dismissal letter and was informed that they were giving me the option to resign with two months’ salary as it was in my best interest. I directed the board to a clause in my contract that sets out if we want to divorce, how it should be handled. I subsequently received my dismissal letter on Sunday (August 21). Only the minister can say why I was dismissed.”
Roberts: It’s mischief
Told that the board minutes stated that he gave directives to dismiss Ashby, Roberts said: “I do not attend board meetings. I have meetings with the board like all other ministers to tell them what is the general policy and the direction the company wants to go. The CEO who was the former corporate secretary should have been on probation like all persons who are hired but he failed to include this in his contract that was drafted by himself. “I was not pleased with CEOs performance during his tenure.” Roberts said Ashby’s underperformance and breach of his contract led to his dismissal. “The CEO’s contract states that he is entitled to a vehicle but what appears to have happened is that Ashby and the former chairman, without consultation with the board, decided to purchase a million-dollar vehicle without informing me.
I informed the board that I was not pleased that such a purchase was made without any board oversight and ministerial approval. The BMW X3 is now being traded-in for pick-up vans that will be used to transport employees to the various recreation grounds for maintenance purposes.” Denying that Persad was his pick for executive chairman, Roberts stated: “The minister does not recommend, hire or interview. There is a process at the Sportt company. Vacancies are advertised in the newspaper and people apply. If there is a recommendation that someone is on probation and not performing a gap will exist. Someone below them has to act until an advertisement goes out and the panel goes through the process of vetting resumes and so on.
“Joseph is on probation; his performance is under question and if the board deems that he is to be removed the person immediately below is the senior manager of business development...that person is Ms Persad. Ms Persad would act in that position until advertisements go out to fill that post. This is an absolutely normal situation; I do not know what is the problem.” Persad: I applied for my job
When contacted, Persad confirmed to Sunday Guardian that she was recently employed at Sportt. Not divulging the date she was hired, Persad said: “I am employed as a senior manager at Sportt. I was employed three months ago.”
Asked if she applied to fill the post of executive manager of the business development unit, Persad said: “I applied for (one of) two positions—executive manager and senior manager; I was successful in getting the job as senior manager.” Persad’s resume showed her job experience as working at Kall Co Ltd, T&T from October 2008 to November 2010 as an administrative operations manager, at Herbal Magic Nutrition and Weight Loss Centre, Toronto from September 2007 to August 2008 as an assistant manager and health counsellor, and at Sanofi Pasteur Ltd, Toronto from May 2007 to August 2007 under a student internship.
Chee Ping: I have other commitments
Briefly commenting on the issue, Chee Ping insisted that he resigned to dedicate himself to other work commitments. He said: I was on vacation at the time of the meeting. I spoke to my board members and the issue surrounding Ashby was raised. With regard to Joseph, he is still employed at Sportt.”
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ANIL IS AH CANT!!!!
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I can't see what the problem is.... Persad
Bissessor is obviously extremely experienced in the field of sports management......
"Persad’s resume showed her job experience as working at Kall Co Ltd, T&T from October 2008 to November 2010 as an administrative operations manager, at Herbal Magic Nutrition and Weight Loss Centre, Toronto from September 2007 to August 2008 as an assistant manager and health counsellor, and at Sanofi Pasteur Ltd, Toronto from May 2007 to August 2007 under a student internship." N.B. Kall Co Ltd is a construction company
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A BMW X3 costs US $160K??
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Williams questions ‘Elite’ funding snub
By JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (Newsday).
Sunday, October 2 2011
NATIONAL TENNIS player, Yohansey Williams expressed his disappointment about no local tennis player being included on the Elite Athlete Assistance Programme, managed and distributed by the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT).
Williams felt that the local tennis fraternity and its players, were neglected even though they have continuously attained significant successes at various International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments.
“Trinidad and Tobago has been producing a lot of great tennis players. It’s shocking to know that no one was selected to receive the Elite Athlete Funding. This type of financial assistance can carry tennis and this country a long way on the international stage. I’m not saying that I wanted to receive the funding, but there are other players who have proven themselves on the circuit and are worthy of this aid,” stated Williams.
The multiple national champion reiterated the importance and major impact of tennis players in TT sports. He revealed that tennis is one sport that is continuously growing but is constantly being put on the back-burner.
“We have a host of male and female players who would have probably met the requirements to receive the Elite Funding. Vaughn Wilson is a player of great calibre and has been through a lot for Trinidad and Tobago tennis. He has represented this country on many occasions and was also victorious. Another great male player is Dawoud Kabli. Although he is based abroad, he has a lot of international experience,” explained Williams.
He continued, “With reference to the females there is the great Yolande Leacock, who has achieved a lot on the global circuit. Another player is Breanna Stampfli, who has been representing Trinidad and Tobago in many major ITF tournaments.”
Williams admitted that he himself felt neglected for the local tennis fraternity. The BG TT (British Gas Trinidad and Tobago) Tranquillity Open Tennis winner expressed his concern and wondered if the local players weren’t doing enough to get the needed recognition.
“We are forced to now ask ourselves, are we (players) good enough? Are we worthy of receiving such financial help? Does the victory for Trinidad and Tobago in the Davis Cup this year not mean anything to anyone? What more do we have to do to get the necessary recognition and assistance? If we don’t, why doesn’t someone come out and tell us, so we won’t be wondering why tennis was neglected and continues to be,” said a frsutrated Williams.
The 2011 National Championships Singles runner-up declared that all other regional countries were doing so much more for their tennis development and TT has not shown any concern.
He admitted that countries such as Barbados have injected funding and put a great deal of planning into the sport. Barbados is now number one in the Caribbean for the sport. He urged dedicated and determined persons to stand up for the rights of local tennis players.
“Barbados has done so much for their tennis recently. I have some friends there and their overall game-play has significantly improved due to the government intervention. It just takes one serious person to raise and pursue the issue of tennis in Trinidad and Tobago and we will begin to see even greater results all-round,” Williams asserted.
Williams admitted that he will stay faithful to the sport and continue doing his best at representing this country on the international stage. He also acknowledged the Ministry of Sport and SPORTT for all the assistance that they have provided over the years, but wanted them to become more involved with the players.
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I saw a headline somewhere in the last 24 hours that some body else resigned from the SPORTT company???...didn't get details....
Edit: Found it!!
Sportt corporate secretary quits
Anika Gumbs-Sandiford
Yet another Sport Company of T&T (Sportt) official has called it a day. Company corporate secretary Maurice Valere tendered his resignation on Tuesday, with immediate effect. Valere was responsible for recording the minutes of the extraordinary meeting of the company’s board held on August 18, when former chief executive officer Errol Ashby was dismissed. Ashby, according to the minutes, was dismissed, despite objections from the board, for failing to carry out directives by Minister of Sports Anil Roberts.
The minister, the minutes recorded, instructed the board to terminate business development manager Steven Joseph and appoint new recruit Shoma Persad to the post. Persad, the minutes stated, was the minister’s pick for the job. The minister has since denied the allegation claiming that Ashby was dismissed for breach of contract as it relates to the acquisition of a BMW X3 for his own use, and also for under performance. Meanwhile, board member Sebastien Paddington was appointed chairman of Sportt on Wednesday at a special board meeting.
Paddington replaces Rhett Chee Ping who resigned following the Ashby saga. Chee Ping admitted to sanctioning the lease of the luxury vehicle. Valere is the third Sportt official to depart the organisation within the last month. In an interview yesterday, former deputy political leader of the Congress of People Robert Mayers warned that new politics may be a figment of the imagination. Briefly commenting on the issue, Mayers said: “The standard of new politics seems to be evasive. I am just looking on.”
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/10/02/sportt-corporate-secretary-quits (http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/10/02/sportt-corporate-secretary-quits)
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Reshmi Shoma is a good girl ,she deserve a chance. People only like mischief and badmind.
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Reshmi Shoma is a good girl ,she deserve a chance. People only like mischief and badmind.
hhhhhhhhmmmmm......how that sounding familiar so?? :thinking:
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Reshmi Shoma is a good girl ,she deserve a chance. People only like mischief and badmind.
hhhhhhhhmmmmm......how that sounding familiar so?? :thinking:
This story will get no traction because of the SoE and Kamla ankles. Is one set of rules for the pnm and another set of rules for the unc et al.
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:bs: :bs:
The more things change, the more.................................! (Add what yuh want)
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Can anyone explain what is purpose of SPORTT and what they have done for the past year?
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Who is I charge of SPORTT and who paying them.
Bunch of f00cking thives
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SPORTT officials visit sporting venues :yawning:
Thursday, August 2 2012
T&T Newsday
OFFICIALS of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) have started to visit sporting venues in municipal corporations to update information related to venues carded for development.
A release from the Ministry of Local Government said this move followed a meeting Local Government Minister Dr Suruj Rambacahan held with representatives of SPORTT on Monday to iron out concerns related to projects that were being undertaken by both entities.
The release quoted Rambachan as saying there was a great deal of duplication in the projects being administered by SPORTT and the ministry in terms of construction, operation and maintenance of high quality sport and recreation facilities in some communities.
“There is a need for collaboration between the organisations for greater collaboration between the organisations to determine which party will execute particular projects and which party will look after the maintenance aspects.”
At the meeting, the release said that SPORTT delivered a presentation of projects already completed and those in train for the rest of 2012 and 2013. Representatives of municipal corporations expressed concern about a number of issues including the absence of projects in some municipalities, and that major grounds where cricket and athletics were played were not identified for development or refurbishment. Estimates provided for undertaking projects, the release said, were also a source of concern.
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Sportt moving in the right direction
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).
The Sport Company of T&T (Sportt) must be commended for realising that sport is big business. For far too long people have missed the boat when coming to perceiving the financial benefits that sport can bring to them and their country as a whole.
The current Sportt has adopted a very aggressive approach to sport tourism, an area that has been untapped and an area that is pregnant with opportunities for growth. Recently when I visited South Africa to cover the Karbonn Smart Champions League, I met Colin Borde a consultant with Sportt.
Borde, a former manager of the national cricket team and current manager of the West Indies ‘A’ team, came on that trip to forge important links within the international sporting fraternity. There he met with officials of the Indian Premier League (IPL), as well as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The result of those meetings will be seen in the very near future as teams from the IPL will be coming to this country to play cricket matches. When this happens it will not only benefit the local cricket players and fans but will also give the country an opportunity to sell itself on the world stage. With millions of eyeballs focused on cricket, it provides an opportunity to show that this country is not only about oil and gas but can provide so much more.
Sportt had sent Borde down there to also take a first look at how international cricket is run. I can attest to the fact that with 35,000 fans coming into the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, there was no chaos. Everything went smoothly and people were walking into the park at a leisurely stroll. There was no fuss and panic as is seen in this country when international cricket comes to the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair. Borde was busy interviewing the security personnel and others at the facility trying to get as much information as he could. With the regional T20 coming to T&T from January 6, the lessons learnt from South Africa will be implemented.
Even more than that Sportt is toying with the idea of bringing in the logistics manager and the marketing manager of the highly successful IPL into T&T before the end of the year to keep a workshop to assist local sports administrators and to show them how it’s done on the international stage. In 2009, when this country first played in the Champions League in India, no official from any of the government bodies accompanied the team to explore opportunities and sell the country. When this country qualified for the football World Cup in Germany in 2006, there were government officials on board but whether they make links is yet to benefit sports in this country.
In this light, I must congratulate Sportt for the initiative in sending Borde to this year’s Champions League. Borde will be meeting with a number of sporting associations to see how what he gathered in South Africa can be implemented here. The first of the associations to benefit from the experience will be the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB). The TTCB had sent executive members Baldath Mahabir, Lalman Kowlesser and Arjoon Ramlal to South Africa to hold discussions with officials there as well and to explore bi-lateral relations. Borde accompanied them in some of the meetings and the feedback is very positive indeed. Look forward to see what comes out of this venture.
Sportt must take a bow for the initiative. We all know that sport has its benefits way beyond the boundary and networking possibilities are endless. When we network, we can assist each other as we develop ourselves as human beings. The national cricketers and some top domestic cricketers from the 1970 to 1990 period have seen the wisdom in networking and it is refreshing to know that they will be hosting an event on November 17 at the Carib Stand of the Queen’s Park Oval, to get together and remember the old days. It will also be an opportunity for the guys to link up again and network. One of the main objectives of hosting the event is for the past cricketers so explore ways in assisting one another. Some of them have fallen ill and others may be able to assist them, as some have gone to become doctors, lawyers, judges and businessmen, just to name a few.
The players will not be playing cricket but cooking food and sharing drinks all in an effort to re-live their glory days and bring men, who played the wonderful game of cricket, together again. Good luck gentlemen and congrats to those with vision.
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What is the difference ?
Is SPoRTT created to just suck money from the Ministry of Sport (MoS) and do their job to while the MoS just sit down a collect.
What is SPoRTT function and how are they doing? Are they just a bunch of crooks with suits.
To many positions in T&T. More boss than horse.
Sports in T&T especially football is really suffering and nobody in T&T seems to care.
White color thieves.
And de biggest crook is them bush indians, meh people shaming meh.
All of them have big wok and position and only studying to thief and drink rum.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar is a blight to T&T.
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SPoRTT is one of many of what is called State Companies or Implementation agencies used to run government business.
I think first created during the Manning era of government (not sure). State companies are used to essentially run the Ministry business without the beurocracy of the Ministry itself. A government ministry requires cabinet and in some cases parliment approval for any position, policy or process change. It makes doing business very problematic. State companies were set up to essentially allow for a more fluid business model with line Ministry and parliament Joint Select Committee overisght. On the flip side it creates opportunities for corruption and in other cases the same inefficienies carry over.
few examples
SPoRTT - Ministry of Sport
UDECOTT - Ministry of Housing (i think)
HDC - Ministry of Housing
GHRS - Ministry of Public Admin
Lake Asphalt - Ministry of Energy
GISL - Ministry of Communications
Maybe someone else more knowledgeable could correct me if I incorrectly pronouced on anything.
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You guys keep thinking Jack was the problem, we have a million crooks in T&T.
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You guys keep thinking Jack was the problem, we have a million crooks in T&T.
For once, I agree with Mr Horner. Jack was a very public figure, most of these guys are hiding in the shadows and probably thiefing a lot more!!
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plus..he IS The KING Crook
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Creed: Sporting bodies must improve fund-raising efforts.
By Kern De Freitas (Express).
National sporting organisations need to put greater emphasis on fund-raising for their respective sports.
That is the sentiment expressed by Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) executive manager of sport development and performance Anthony Creed.
There have been a number of issues surrounding the funding of sporting bodies by the Ministry, the latest being the national women’s hockey team that left T&T yesterday for the Pan American Cup in Mendoza, Argentina. The competition flicks off on Saturday.
The Express reported yesterday that the team had failed to make the $500,000 budget for the trip. They are still $200,000 short.
Yesterday the Express spoke to Creed—brother of Ministry of Sport permanent secretary Ashwin Creed—about the TTHB budget. He gave a breakdown of the funds already provided to the Hockey Board.
“The company had $1.8 million allocated to hockey,” he said. “They have spent $1,962,076. They have exhausted their allocation. The Sports Company can’t take stone and make bread. Plus they got $200,000 from the Ministry of Sports for one of their programmes, which means they got almost $2.2 million.”
The TTHB, he stated, exhausted its allocation by March this year, adding: “Having more money for the allocation, it would have been hard for them to ask for more money.”
Creed told the Express that while 30 per cent of the budget was allocated to player development and a further ten per cent to capacity building, most of the money was actually spent on high performance (international/elite competition).
And Creed, who is also Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president, said the Sports Company was allotted $25.8 million to split among the local sporting bodies.
In its budget submitted to SPORTT, hockey requested $10.8 million, while other requests were as follows: cycling ($5 million), track and field ($8.7 million), volleyball ($6.2 million) and cricket ($12 million).
The sums they actually got were $1.8 million (hockey), $1.3 million (cycling), $2.8 million (track and field) and $3.1 million (cricket).
Creed compared T&T’s government funding to Jamaica’s, stating that the latter was given the equivalent of TT$12 million to divvy up between 42 national sporting organisations. That figure is actually $12.58 million, and was earmarked for supporting development programmes, administrative expenses, training of athletes and administrators, and for participation in national and international competitions.
“The NAAA (National Association of Athletics Administrations) (and) cricket (are) making efforts to get their (corporate) support, but I have no idea what other sponsorships the hockey board (is getting).”
The Hockey Board, however, is not disputing the funds received. Its bone of contention is the money spent on the World Hockey League hosted in T&T last November, an issue raised publicly during the Men’s Pan American Cup last month in Canada, where the T&T stickmen won bronze.
Camacho repeated the claim that the Hockey Board had agreed with the Ministry of Sport to host the World League first round on the basis that the event—a new format of qualifiers introduced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH)—which had not initially been budgeted for would not come out of hockey’s allocation.
The event came off, but the hockey board, Camacho said, was never reimbursed.
“They keep saying hockey has utilised their allocation...but they keep counting the funds from the League,” the former T&T Olympic Committee (T&TOC) president stressed. “If they don’t count that, we wouldn’t be over budget.
“We weren’t prepared to participate and host the competition unless the support was separate and apart from the initial allocation,” he said, adding that the TTHB had agreed to host the event as it falls in line with government’s sports tourism policy.
That, Camacho said, is the reason for the “disconnect” between the Ministry and the Board.
The T&T stickwomen (world ranked 26th) face World No. 2 Argentina, Canada (ranked 23rd) and Guyana (56th) in Pool A for a place in the Pan Am Cup semifinals. The winners of the tournament will compete at the FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands next year.
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SporTT no ATM card
September 28, 2013
Vinode Mamchan
T&T Guardian.
There is an old saying which suggests it is better to teach a man to fish, rather than give him a fish. The rationale behind this is that when you teach a man a skill he can take care of himself rather than suffer when the provider stops feeding the habit. Over the past few weeks, I have been delving into the situation and conditions under which national governing bodies (NGB) get their funding from the government of T&T. I decided to do this because recent reports that a national Under-15 football team did not attend a tournament and the national hockey team didn’t receive assistance from Sportt for their last tournament in Canada. I grew really frustrated and fed-up of the same thing over and over. T&T is striving to get to first world status and having tall buildings in the nation's capital would not save the shame when we fail to show at international tournaments.
What on God’s green earth were those officials at Sportt doing? Were they sitting on their laurels while the country faced embarrassment. I had to get answers and asked for a meeting with anyone who would have given me some answers. Adrian Raymond, the communications and marketing manager, was contacted and he decided to bring the top brass to talk with me. Present at the meeting were the CEO John Mollenthiel, Raymond Anthony Creed the man charged with the responsibility of dishing out funding. There were two other well informed officials of Sportt at the meeting as well. During this meeting, evidence was provided to me that left me stunned. Here it is some NGBs are running to the media to tell the population that they are not getting this, that and the other. What I realised is that these NGBs are seeing the Sportt as a bank and are making fundamental errors in drawing down their funds.
While they should take blame for not having their funds on time, they apportion blame to Sportt and the ministry of Sport. NGBs must comply with the rules and work together with Sportt to get smooth funding. Sportt has to account to the ministry of sport and cabinet when they disburse money. The NGBs must take into consideration that if they don’t grow the sport then what is the use giving them money. What many of the NGBs come to Sportt for is tickets and accommodation money and there is an abuse as far as this is concerned. More often than not it is a case of “trips for the boys” at the cost of the taxpayers dollars.
NGBs must understand that Sportt dollars are for development and not to waste on partners. Many NGBs go to the Sportt and ministry of sports as if they are walking into an ABM booth. They need to take page out of the operations of the T&T Cricket Board. They have used the sport to attract investors, so it they need to send a team abroad and Sportt has to look for the money, they can fund their own expenses and then allow Sportt time to find the money, which is then reimbursed to them. It is high time that officials make a conscious effort to assist themselves and use an assistance rather than a bank.
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Did this author seek info from the NGBs before coming to his conclusions?
Is this A paid journalist or a letter to the editor because the burden of investigative responsibility if you want to call it that is different.
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Did this author seek info from the NGBs before coming to his conclusions?
Is this A paid journalist or a letter to the editor because the burden of investigative responsibility if you want to call it that is different.
Dat article was ah waste of time, because he eh relly say nutten. If he did come out wit specific examples, dat would be another story.
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Did this author seek info from the NGBs before coming to his conclusions?
Is this A paid journalist or a letter to the editor because the burden of investigative responsibility if you want to call it that is different.
Dat article was ah waste of time, because he eh relly say nutten. If he did come out wit specific examples, dat would be another story.
Nah ah think that was a high school blogger...definitely not a professional journalist
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Did this author seek info from the NGBs before coming to his conclusions?
Is this A paid journalist or a letter to the editor because the burden of investigative responsibility if you want to call it that is different.
Vinode Mamchan is a journalist working for the Guardian.
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‘THIS SERIOUS’
By Andre Bagoo (Newsday).
Tuesday, December 16 2014
A SPECIAL investigation by the Office of the Auditor General has found escalating costs to the tune of $557 million in relation to three highly-touted national sporting facilities currently being managed by the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Sportt).
Minister of Sport Dr Rupert Griffith yesterday described the findings of the special audit as “serious” and “important” as he convened the first of a series of meetings with ministry and company officials on the matter.
Sunday Newsday reported on the findings of the special audit, which was tabled in the Senate last Tuesday.
The Auditor General found hundreds of millions being paid for sporting facilities which are still incomplete; escalating costs; unjustified expenses for high-capital projects; wasted millions on recreation grounds; duplication and a history of expensive litigation relating to staff.
In relation to costs, the Auditor General’s special report examined three national facilities in cycling, swimming and tennis. The cost for these facilities moved from $120 million in 2007 to $677 million in 2013.
The Report states, “In October 2007, more than six and a half years ago, initial approval was granted for the development and construction of three national facilities in cycling, swimming and tennis to be located in Mucurapo, Mount Hope and Tacarigua respectively. These facilities had a total estimated cost of $120 million with an expected two-year completion date in 2009. This period elapsed and construction work on the facilities did not commence.”
The Report noted that in May 2013, more than six and a half years later, another approval was granted for the same facilities at a total estimated cost in excess of $677 million, an increase of $557 million, equivalent to 464 percent more than the 2007 estimated cost.
“The initial locations of the cycling and swimming centres were changed to Couva,” the Report, dated November 28, 2014, states. “At the time of this Report, construction is underway in Couva, although the land acquisition aspect has not been finalised. Construction works on all three facilities are on-going with an expected completion date of May 2015.”
The Report further states, “Sportt’s delay in the implementation of construction projects and changes in locations of projects resulted in increased estimated costs.”
The cost escalations are likely to evoke comparisons with other controversial sporting projects such as the ill-fated Brian Lara Stadium at Tarouba which has moved from $277 million to in excess of $1.1 billion. The aquatic centre, like the Tarouba facility, is also due to be named after one of the nation’s outstanding sportsmen, swimmer George Bovell III.
SCG (International) Caribbean has been identified as the main contractor at work on the velodrome and aquatic centres, though a local sub-contractor, Universal Projects Limited, has also been associated with them.
The Report also said the auditors were unable to find a clear “rationale” for these “high expenditure” projects based on their review.
“The Ministry of Sport, in justifying the development and construction of the three national facilities, highlights the need to develop, on an incremental scale, potential athletes for competitions at the national and international levels. Neither the Ministry of Sport nor Sportt was able to provide a ‘Sport for All’ rationale for selecting high expenditure national facility projects in cycling, swimming and tennis,” the Report states. “Measures are not in place to collect or analyse data related to membership and participation from the national sporting organisations for each of these three and other disciplines. Additionally, Sportt does not have performance indicators to measure potential growth in these sporting disciplines to inform the construction of these projects.”
Contacted yesterday, Griffith said the ministry was in the process of reviewing the findings.
“The report is a serious report one which we need to take note of,” the minister told Newsday. “Certain recommendations that were made we are going to consider them. Another meeting is planned to allow us to drill down further into the report.”
Griffith said the ministry began a process of reviewing the report since it was tabled in the Senate.
“We began reviewing the report since last week,” Griffith said. “We have met today – this morning (yesterday)– over it. Most of the activity described in the report relates to the pre-2010 period. The Auditor General’s Report is an important report by any standards. There are about 15 or 16 recommendations in it that the ministry and the Sport company will take on board. I have met with department heads and the permanent secretary as well as officials of Sportt.”
At a topping-off ceremony for the cycling facility on May 26, then Sport Minister Anil Roberts remarked, “it is the beginning of the dawn of a new era for Trinidad and Tobago where sport is now an industry. We shall create job opportunities and a sustainable future for our citizens. Sport tourism is around the corner and these facilities will be the benchmark.”
The Auditor General also found that a total of $411 million was spent from 2009 to 2013 on sporting facilities meant to provide “sport for all”, but that purported goal has not been achieved. The auditors also said Sportt is now managing $2.3 billion in projects, but has no sound means of measuring progress on its objectives, gaps in records and has committed reporting breaches.
The Report also examines the development and construction of three multi-purpose facilities planned. It notes that in April 2005, approval was granted for the development and construction of three multi-purpose facilities at a total cost of $51 million.
“Almost six years later, Sportt had failed to commence work on these facilities,” the Report states. In March 2011, another approval was given for Sportt to undertake work on the same facilities as an increased estimated cost of $165 million, an increase of $114 million, equivalent to 223.5 percent of the 2005 estimated cost.
The initial approved locations for the facilities were changed from the north and east regions (Arima, Diego Martin and Sangre Grande) to the Central and South regions (Charlieville, Couva and Fyzabad). At the same time, “contrary to approved changed locations, Sportt has spent $18.6 million to develop multi-purpose facilities instead in Aranjuez, Jerningham Junction and Sangre Grande.” Work is yet to commence on the approved locations.
A similar story emerged from the review of regional recreation grounds and the programme to upgrade local corporation grounds. A total of $103 million was spent by September 2013. Of 104 local corporation grounds planned, 42 were completed at a cost of $68 million, while no regional recreation grounds have been completed.
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Anybody know if SCG International has any ties to the PP government? I also find it curious that the development sites have been moved to Couva, aka the PP's prime stomping ground.
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Anybody know if SCG International has any ties to the PP government? I also find it curious that the development sites have been moved to Couva, aka the PP's prime stomping ground.
Dude, you too smart for yourself, oui. Funny thing when these three projects were proposed. I thought that they should have all been built at mt. Hope and not scatter all over the country. At least , in the future, if TT wanted to host CAC or other regional games, the closeness of these facilities would cut down on travel for the athletes. You know we have the "best" transport system in the world. When Couva was chosen, we know it was constituency politics. Jack and Anil were still in good grace in the coalition. But I said to myself, it make sense, because Ato B stadium close by. So TF, swimming, cycling, tennis are all in a "geographic central" area of the country. There is more space for parking, and development. So I was not too critical. But that cost of 120 mil for the 3 facilities was highly suspicious. But I did not say anything because I thought they had learned from the Lara stadium fiasco and would have shown Patos and PNM a thing or 3 about good governance. But the perception is so different when you are in the driver,s seat.
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Deeks SporTT in such a mess it not even funny. Just reading some of these old threads is only now I really starting to connect the dots as it pertains to dysfunction within (atop) this government agency. Is how many Directors/CEOs/Chief cooks this agency has had in just the past seven years?? Is like everybody roll in long enough to sign off on a couple contracts, collect whatever kickbacks from the contractor... then roll out. I remember when folks on here used to kill Gary Hunt... sometimes yuh have to heed the old saying "be careful what you wish for..."
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Anybody know if SCG International has any ties to the PP government? I also find it curious that the development sites have been moved to Couva, aka the PP's prime stomping ground.
Am I mistaken or was that the same group that was funding Central FC at one time, if not still?
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Anybody know if SCG International has any ties to the PP government? I also find it curious that the development sites have been moved to Couva, aka the PP's prime stomping ground.
Am I mistaken or was that the same group that was funding Central FC at one time, if not still?
Nah that's SIS... Krishna Lalla's company. Briefly thought the same when I first saw the name though.
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“At the time of this Report, construction is underway in Couva, although the land acquisition aspect has not been finalised."
???
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Anybody know if SCG International has any ties to the PP government? I also find it curious that the development sites have been moved to Couva, aka the PP's prime stomping ground.
Am I mistaken or was that the same group that was funding Central FC at one time, if not still?
Nah that's SIS... Krishna Lalla's company. Briefly thought the same when I first saw the name though.
It's definitely not SIS,....however, they have lots of companies with different names so, who knows?
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Anybody know if SCG International has any ties to the PP government? I also find it curious that the development sites have been moved to Couva, aka the PP's prime stomping ground.
The initial approved locations for the facilities were changed from the north and east regions (Arima, Diego Martin and Sangre Grande) to the Central and South regions (Charlieville, Couva and Fyzabad).
There's a saying I heard by a former U.S. president.......once is happenstance, twice is circumstance, three times it's war!!
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Time for sporting overhaul in T&T.
By Andre Baptise (Guardian).
Sport in T&T needs to be overhauled. Who can and who will do it?
No one has faith in the Ministry of Sports or the Sports Company, because of their previous administrative records.
Meanwhile, as everyone awaits a saviour, this country continues to fall behind most of the Caribbean, not only in terms of success or medals, but rather in terms of integrity and care.
And it is these simple words, integrity and care that appears to be destroying sport and nobody is interested in correcting the situation.
The Olympic Committee (TTOC) is one organisation, that has maintained its independence and its status during this malaise but the problem is that many of the sporting organisations are either too ashamed or afraid to ask TTOC for assistance.
This though is wrong but in this country, false pride and deceit seem to make good bedfellows.
If one examines the current problems in sport, they can all be solved with both dialogue and constructive work ethics, which are not adhered to by most administrators.
The constant cry of working for “free” as an excuse is wrong, and should not be encouraged, in fact anyone who seeks to say this, should either be FIRED immediately or asked to RESIGN immediately.
In football, the lack of trust in the previous administration still haunts the current team and cannot easily be eroded because of the similarity of faces on the various committees, while a complete sweep is never good.
Football needs to be able to breathe again, so if the current administration cannot regain the faith of the public, they must remove themselves. As it stands, to continue is a recipe for disaster and failure, especially as prospective sponsors will look elsewhere.
In cricket, the problem is one of expertise. We do not have the correct persons in the important areas such as development and selection.
When one examines the current state of our cricket at the four-day level, it looks terrible and the results this season have done nothing to change the feeling that a new selection committee is needed. There are some that suggest the coaches and management are not on the same page, and that has brought about a lot of disharmony.
In horseracing, there is a belief that with no Betting Levy Board in place and with a weak Racing Authority, there is not much hope for improvement.
Whether or not the powers that be have grown tired of horseracing nobody knows, but there is a general feeling that horseracing has lost its way and is only surviving based on the love for the sport from many of those involved.
How long this can continue, no one knows because there is a growing belief that favouritism still obtains in some of the judgments in this sport, particularly surrounding trainers and owners.
In swimming, there has and always will be the claim of nepotism, and while many of the officials in this sport primarily are on hand because of a family interest, this one must believe should not so influence a sport that persons could lose objectively in their decision making which could adversely affect young talented swimmers.
It is sad because this is a sport, which may have the greatest potential for success in all areas, as we have some very talented young swimmers, who need encouragement and motivation.
While some have suggested that a change in leadership may be the catalyst for the rise of swimming again in the society.
In basketball, despite the Hoop of Life tournament, at a national level basketball is at its lowest point, with no apparent approval possible in the near future.
T&T has lost its edge as one of the best basketball teams in the region, despite the abundance of talent in this country.
In sambo, while this sport continues to grow, it is not being supported.
There are so many sports under pressure in this country from a lack of accountability and transparency that it is becoming normal to read or listen every day from one contentious issue to another.
Even golf and gymnastics, which in the past, seemed oblivious to complaints, have found themselves in the news for the wrong reasons.
In the past, the TTOC has attempted to enhance the administrative strength of sporting organisations by specific management training courses, whether this is still ongoing or not has to be questioned given the lack of skill of many of the sporting organisations.
There are two sporting fraternities that have their house in order, athletics under the National Association of Athletics Administrators (NAAA) and its president Ephraim Serrette and netball under the Netball Association and its president Dr Patricia Butcher.
It is no surprise that these sporting organisations are working, given the professionalism of their presidents.
Somebody needs to care about sports again in 2015, as 2014 was not a good year for sports, with too much scandals and problems claims of irregularities.
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Ministry orders review of SPORTT audit
By ANDRE BAGOO (Newsday).
MINISTER of Communications Vasant Bharath yesterday described findings of a special audit by the Office of the Auditor General into the operations of the Sports Company (SPoRTT) as “alarming”, as Minister of Finance Larry Howai announced a ministerial review of the report’s findings.
In a statement to Newsday, Bharath who also serves as a Minister in the Ministry of Finance said, “The Ministry of Sport has stated that many of the findings relate to issues that occurred pre- 2010. Alarming as they are, the Report of the findings needs to be fully investigated as the Minister has committed to do.”
Speaking with reporters during a break in yesterday’s sitting of the Senate, Howai said the Permanent Secretary and a director at the Ministry of Finance and the Economy are among several officials whom he will ask to review the findings of the Auditor General’s Report, which was tabled in the Senate last Tuesday.
In relation to the Ministry of Finance and the Economy the Report states Sportt failed to report several litigation matters it became embroiled in after a cull of staff in 2011. “Sportt is required to inform the Ministry of Finance of all litigation proceedings on a quarterly basis, in accordance with the State Enterprises Performance Monitoring Manual,” the Report, dated November 28, states.
“Sportt informed the Ministry of Finance of all litigation proceedings only from April 2014. Prior to April 2014, Sportt failed to comply with the litigation requirements of the State Enterprises Performance Monitoring Manual.”
Of the litigation matters the Report further states, “Sportt’s dismissal of staff resulted in litigation that is on-going. Sportt has paid compensation in excess of $2.5 million for nine settled cases and, in financial year 2014, has provided a further $4 million to cover future costs. Whilst the cost for legal representation in one of the settled cases was over $137,000, Sportt has not established accurate costs for the remaining cases.” Howai said none of these matters reached the Ministry of Finance and his review will seek to ascertain what transpired.
“Those never came to us,” the Minister told reporters at the Sir Ellis Clarke Hall of the Parliament. “We were not aware of all the details as I understand it. These things happened sometime ago and I am now in the process of trying to find out what the details are...and how we would want to deal with it. Most of the people would have changed out since that time.”
Howai said the review process will involve ministry officials drawing up recommendations after their own meetings and queries with officials at the Ministry of Sport and Sportt.
“It will probably take some while,” he said.
The Auditor General found hundreds of millions being paid for sporting facilities which are still incomplete; escalating costs; unjustified expenses for high-capital projects; wasted millions on recreation grounds; duplication and a history of expensive litigation relating to staff. In relation to costs, the Auditor General’s special report examined three national facilities in cycling, swimming and tennis. The cost for these facilities moved from $120 million in 2007 to $677 million in 2013, an increase of $557 million.
The Auditor General remarked, “The slow rate of progress, in all instances, has significantly increased estimated costs.” The Report further stated, “Our overall conclusion is that Sportt is not giving sufficient attention to financial planning and risk management in the development and implementation of important projects, which has impacted the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of delivery of sporting facilities.”
In relation to cost escalations, Howai said, “With respect to the building, the thing is that one of the challenges we face is trying to determine the timing of construction of things, for example the overpass was built a few years ago.
If we had built that in 1981, presumably it would have been significantly less than the cost of building it now. I think that one of the things we have to consider is while we want to be careful about our debt load and how much we take on, the more we defer projects the longer it takes and the more costly they become.”
On the overall question of Sportt’s efficiency the Minister of Finance said there were some issues such as changes in design briefs for projects. On Monday Minister of Sport Dr Rupert Griffith convened a meeting of ministry and company officials to discuss the report, the first of several meetings planned.
“The report is a serious report, one which we need to take note of,” the minister said.
“Certain recommendations that were made we are going to consider them. Another meeting is planned to allow us to drill down further into the report.”
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Chinese delegation tours sport facilities
T&T Express Reports.
The General Administration of Sport of the People’s Republic of China paid a courtesy call on Sport Minister Dr Rupert Griffith, Minister of Sport, and his Executive team from the Ministry of Sport and Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago. A part of this visit also includes a tour of the following mega sporting facilities which are being constructed by SporTT, namely the National Aquatic Centre, National Cycle Centre and National Tennis Centre.
The delegation, headed by Jin Hua Sheng, General Director, Human Resources Development Centre, General Administration of Sport, are here in Trinidad on an exchange visit to discuss bilateral exchanges and cooperation in sport and other areas.
The Ministry of Sport will participate in an exchange and cooperation programme with the People’s Republic of China, to strengthen collaboration in sporting excellence, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Sport and the General Administration of Sport of the People’s Republic of China.
This (MOU) was signed in China, in February 2014. The objective of this initiative is to raise the standard of performance of Athletes, while maximising Athlete and Coach Development Programmes in specific sporting disciplines. It is also anticipated that through this MOU, there will be increased opportunities to more nationals, as the Ministry strives to promote ‘Sport for All’.
In this regard, the Ministry of Sport will recruit 24 Chinese coaches in the first quarter of 2015 in exchange for 24 scholarships offered by the People’s Republic of China in the area of Sports Science.
These Coaches will be qualified in the area of development and high performance in the following disciplines: table tennis, archery, gymnastics (rhythmic), badminton, shooting, swimming, synchronised Swimming and diving.
Scholarships, student and athlete exchange programmes will also target the differently-abled for the specialised training of nationals in Sport for Development, Physical Education and Sport, Sport Science and Sport Medicine.
The Scholarship Allocation includes: Sport for Development (three scholarships), physical education and sport (five scholarships), sport science (six scholarships) and sport medicine (10 scholarships).
Some of the sub-speciality areas for the above-mentioned programmes are sport facility management, sport tourism, physical education and sports training, sport and exercise nutrition, biomechanics/performance analysis, sport and exercise science – physiology, sport and exercise medicine, rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy and applied sport psychology.
Minister Griffith indicated that “he was excited about the whole bilateral agreement and is happy that as a country, we have reached this stage.”
He further stated that he “has taken note of the amount of countries that the General Administration of Sport of the People’s Republic of China have assisted and are convinced that the benefit will be great to Trinidad and Tobago in the whole collaborative effort.”
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sport facility management
This is so important for TT.
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sport facility management
This is so important for TT.
Facility management in general. Here's a freebie: anyone investing in a power-washing business for high rise buildings would do well ... buh lehwe doh start that high ... they should head straight to 72-74 South Quay and start.
Might even be a useful component of community service.
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Cricket chief backs SPORTT audit
By STEPHON NICHOLAS
Tuesday, December 23 2014
PRESIDENT of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) Azim Bassarath has added his voice to the call recently made by Communications Minister Vasant Bharath for a ministerial review of the special audit into the Sports Company.
He did so in a fiery speech delivered at an end-of-year function of the Christian Conquerors Sports Club of Rio Claro on the weekend where he reiterated the need for action to be taken against the former board of SPORTT.
Bharath had described the findings of a special audit by the Office of the Auditor General into the operations of SPORTT as “alarming.” Finance Minister Larry Howai has since ordered a ministerial review of the report’s findings.
Bassarath said that while hundreds of millions of dollars were misspent by SPORTT, cricket has been the biggest loser as more than $23 million pledged to the national organisation over the past four years, has been withheld which has seriously affected the youth development programmes.
He called on Government to pay keen attention to the quality of individuals that are recommended for positions as it relates to sports, pointing out that local cricket is a major success story which has put T&T on the international map.
Bassarath said despite the tough challenges they face, the board has applied prudent financial strategies and forged valuable partnerships with corporate TT to ensure that the young people all over get a fair shot at maximising their potential on the cricket field.
Bassarath said he was happy that Minister Howai has ordered the review process which will involve ministry officials drawing up recommendations after their own meetings and queries with officials at the Ministry of Sport and SPORTT. He said the Auditor General found hundreds of millions being paid for sporting facilities which are still incomplete; escalating costs; unjustified expenses for high-capital projects; wasted millions on recreation grounds; duplication and a history of expensive litigation relating to staff.
In relation to costs, the Auditor General’s special report examined three national facilities in cycling, swimming and tennis. The cost for these facilities moved from $120 million in 2007 to $677 million in 2013, an increase of $557 million. Bassarath said that it was telling that the Auditor General’s overall conclusion is that SPORTT is not giving sufficient attention to financial planning and risk management in the development and implementation of important projects, which has impacted the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of delivery of sporting facilities.
Bassarath later gave his audience an update on his board’s recent meeting with Minister of Sport Rupert Griffith.
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Achieving value for sporting facilities.
Anand Rampersad (Guardian).
According to the National Sport Policy (2002), “Because of the known health, social and economic benefits which can be derived from participating in sport, it can be deemed as important as any other activity or field of endeavour to the total development of the individual and the society. Regular involvement in sport and physical activity are fundamental to good health and wellness at all stages of life. Sport provides an important environment for the education and socialization of all citizens as well as valuable opportunities for personal enjoyment, social contacts and integration.” .
Therefore, the availability of quality sporting facilities is critical for sport to contribute to the well-being of individuals, communities and the sporting community.
In recent years there has been the construction of football and athletics stadia, multi-sport indoor facilities, upgrades of recreational grounds, the renovation of pavilions, the installation of floodlights, the provision of recreational items such as swings, slides etc and the creation of paved walking and jogging pathways. In 2015, the national cycling centre, aquatic centre and tennis centre are to be added to the list of available facilities.
However, some of these facilities have become eyesores and are blatant examples of wastage of taxpayers’ monies. The Brian Lara Stadium is already nine (9) years late to its projected opening!! A third ICC World Cup (2007, 2011 and 2015) will be staged and the facility is still not yet ready!! Walker Park is in a dilapidated state.
It is common to see many sporting and recreational facilities unused whether day and or night by the general public. The challenge is getting the general public to use the facilities frequently and in great numbers. How can this be achieved? There may not be a one size fit all answer. For instance, urban lifestyles may be different from rural areas and as such the approach taken would have to be different.
Sport New Zealand has established a national Sporting Facilities Framework to get the best value from its sporting facilities. In England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have partnered with Sport England identifying five (5) areas toward creating a sporting habit for life as part of its youth sport strategy. These include: competitive sport in schools; improving links between schools and community sports clubs; working with the sport’s governing bodies focusing on youth; investing in facilities and working with communities and the voluntary sector.
In T&T, lessons can be learnt from the approaches undertaken in England and New Zealand. Firstly, there must be a strategic plan with an efficiently functioning management system. Such a system would include all the major stakeholders’ such as the Ministry of Sport, SPORTT, Ministries of Local Government, Community Development, Gender and Youth and Education; National Sporting Associations and community representatives. This integrative framework should provide critical information about various communities based on age, gender, religion, persons with physical disabilities, number of schools and usage of facilities and type of existing sporting activities.
Secondly, it has to be sociologically understood that the provision of sporting facilities will not automatically result in their use. And in some instances if the facilities are used it may not be for the intended purpose. This was the case during the NAR regime (1986-91) when basketball courts were laid in several communities. In central Trinidad many of the courts were used to play windball cricket or small goal. In other words it is important to have discussions with the communities. Not only is it important to listen to the voice of the people but it also empowers them in making decisions that will affect them.
Thirdly, the information would allow for effective planning and implementation. For instance, differentiating between new and existing users of sporting facilities is important.
The key is to expand the amount of new users. Furthermore, the various factors (religious, gender, age, disabilities etc) that influence directly or indirectly participation in physical activities will have to be determined.
Such an understanding will allow for developing new strategies from time to time to keep people actively involved. As such fun and enjoyment has to be an integral part of the marketing strategy of the various measures. Fourthly, from a monitoring perspective it is important that baseline data is updated with new data over time so as to measure trends such as dropout rates and when these take place. Furthermore, the data collected will help in assessing desired outcomes as well as determining the steps to be taken to improve all programmes.
Every effort should be made to ensure that the sporting facilities that are available are put to effective use to justify the economic and social expenditure.
A strategic approach offers greater possibilities of measured success than the hope that people will naturally use the sporting facilities if they are made available.
(http://www.guardian.co.tt/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/cycling%20velodrome.jpg?itok=LHi_fk7t)
Artist impression of the new cycling velodrome to be located opposite the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva. The facility, estimated to cost between $145-$200 million, will feature a wooden indoor 250m track as well as a concrete outdoor 250m track, and is scheduled to be completed within the next 18 months.
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The article is a great jumping off point for the sustainability discussions of these facilities. However, it was soured by the photo not matching the caption, again showing the Guardian's inability to get the details right on their sub-editing desk.
I have some ideas of my own as to how all those facilities can be sustained, and it has nothing to do with sport tourism, nor throwing shows. But I'll leave that for when the right questions are asked by the right people.
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This has to be the natatorium, not the velodrome!
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Whey Aneeeeeeel? dey find him yet?
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Whey Aneeeeeeel? dey find him yet?
I think he may be somewhere in the Velodromes foundations!!
Seriously, the missing point here is not building the damn things, but maintaining them. What's the point of investing 100's of millions if they can't be used after 10 years?
Larry Gomes still has no working lights, Mannie Ramjohn still can't be used at night, Ato Boldon car park is like a BMX track. TTFA offices get flooded when there's a fete at Hasely Crawford. ::)
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Larry Gomes still has no working lights, Mannie Ramjohn still can't be used at night
They indirectly they tell footballers and TF, haul allyuh arse!
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We have so many national stadiums, grounds, velodrome, pavilions, tracks, Oval, cycling centre, aquatic centre and tennis centre... etc etc in T&T and our national teams and league cant use them...
Just now they will throw carnival pool parties in the aquatic centre.
We really have a backward thinking government.
They cant even afford to cut the grass or fix the light in many stadiums but they building more.
Real Donkey Logic.
;D
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it's not about being a backward thinking gov't..it is pure theft you cannot steal from the treasury if all you have to do is maintenance
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Sportt concedes - Main defence against 18 ex-workers crashes.
By Derek Achong (Guardian).
The Sport Company of T&T (Sportt) has to fork out over $5 million to compensate 18 former employees who were unfairly fired amid allegations of financial mismanagement within the company.
The State-owned special purpose company has been locked in legal battles in the Industrial Court with the former employees, many of whom were fired prior to a restructuring exercise which commenced in early 2011.
Sportt has now been forced to concede defeat in almost all of the lawsuits after its main defence—that its actions were justified —failed to succeed when it opted to contest the case in a trial before three Industrial Court Judges in 2012.
In addition to being required to compensate the former employees for their monthly salaries for the remainder of their contracts, Sportt was also ordered to pay some of them their contractual gratuities calculated at 20 per cent of their gross salary during the period of employment. In some of the cases it was also forced to pay exemplary damages for the possible implications to the workers’ future employment prospects because they were fired amid serious allegations of poor management within the company.
The most recent lawsuit was determined by the court last Monday, with Sportt’s former executive facilities manager Sherlan Cabralis receiving $434,899 in damages.
In her claim, Cabralis had alleged she was fired in June 2009 with almost a year left on her contact, after she was informed by the company’s board that it was investigating her involvement in the renovations at its headquarters at Henry Street, Port-of-Spain.
Most of the former employees before the court were part of the 107 who were fired three days after the restructuring exercise was announced during a special staff meeting at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain, on January 7, 2011.
Senior manager Charles Branche was among the batch who were terminated following of the meeting. Last July, the court awarded him $1,083,024—the highest compensation package thus far.
$90,000 for 3 hours work
One of the most intriguing cases involved Sue Ellen Rajnauth-Williams, who was hired as an administrative assistant in June 2010 but was told her services were no longer required after a mere three hours on the job. She has since been awarded $90,000.
In all of the lawsuits, filed by three major trade unions representing the workers, the unions claimed that the company was “harsh and oppressive” in firing them without giving them detailed reasons or a fair opportunity to be heard. The unions also claimed that Sportt’s entire management of the exercise was contrary to good industrial relations practice.
The company was represented by attorney Larry Williams while Anthony Bullock appeared for the Banking Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU), which represented the majority of the employees.
There are still a handful of cases still before the court and a yet to be settled or determined. However, legal sources said the they will most likely end in a similar fashion to those already determined.
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No comment!
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Judge stops complex
By JADA LOUTOO (Newsday)
A HIGH COURT judge has quashed the decision of the Minister of Town and Country Planning to grant permission to the Sport Company of TT (SPORTT) to construct a sporting complex at the Orange Grove Savannah in Tacarigua.
In a 70-page ruling yesterday, Justice Ricky Rahim found that the minister breached his duty under Sections 6 and 7 of the Town and Country Planning Act to take steps to amend the national development plan as it related to the Orange Grove Savannah. The judge also found that the decision of the minister to grant permission to TT (SPORTT) to develop the lands was in breach of natural justice and was void and of no effect. “It is manifestly clear that there was no consultation with those affected,” the judge said in his ruling in favour of a group of Tacarigua residents, including two sporting clubs, which have used the savannah for decades.
“If anything these claimants are the ones to be most affected by the construction more than perhaps any other as they have had continuous and undisturbed use of the grounds over many years,” Justice Rahim said. It was an emotional end to the three-year fight by the residents. Public relations officer of the Save Our Orange Grove Savannah lobby group, Dr Carol James admitted to Newsday it was an emotional battle. As she was embraced by the scores of residents - some of whom wept after the ruling was delivered in the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain - James said the fight for the ‘green space’ was done for the families who for generations come together at the savannah.
“It is our space and we want to keep our space for our children,” she said.
The residents filed legal action after they were informed of the decision to construct the Eddie Hart Regional Sporting Complex, a multipurpose sporting complex, which would have featured a 25 metre swimming pool, cricket ground, football field, pavilion and 400 metre running track.
They complained that there was no full disclosure as to the scope of the project and that the SPORTT application, dated August 26, 2013, to the Town and Country Planning Division had been granted on September 25, 2013.
Their attorney, Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein submitted at the trial before Justice Rahim that the residents and the Ulric ‘Buggy’ Haynes Coaching School and the Dinsley Cricket Club, would be adversely affected if the planned sporting complex was constructed as they would no longer have access to the green space.
Hosein accused the executive of not adhering to the statutory provisions of the Town and Country Act which mandates that a National Physical Development Plan be submitted to Parliament, along with surveys, every five years.
He said the plan was important to ensure there was consistency and continuity as it related to how land was developed.”You cannot run a country without a development plan,” he argued, adding that, “The State has not satisfied its duty imposed by Parliament.”
In ruling in the residents’ favour, Justice Rahim found that there was a breach of duty on the part of the minister to update the national plan.
The judge ordered that minister reconsider the SPORTT’s application in a ‘procedurally fair manner and specifically after genuine consultation’ with the residents and other affected members of the public.
In his ruling, the judge said that the minister was aware of the public objection to the proposed construction but deprived the residents of the opportunity granted to them by statute to object or make representation as it related to the effect that the sporting complex would have on their daily activities.
“There was a duty on the minister to act fairly when considering the application for planning permission. Consultation is not only about objections but also about representations to arrive at the best possible plan which would benefit the various interests in the community and at the same time give effect to the government’s intention,” the judge said.
He also pointed out the former minister of sport, who, when approached by cricket clubs’ executive, declared that the sporting complex “can’t be stopped, it wouldn’t be stopped and is going full steam ahead’ was indicative of the approach taken to the construction of the sporting complex without sufficient regard for the right of those who make the community their home and whose lives revolve around the savannah to be heard. Justice Rahim said residents had to discover matters relating to the project largely through their own efforts; literally had to plead for genuine consultation and had to resort to the national media in an effort to be heard.
“But alas their pleas have all fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
The judge, in ordering the minister to pay the residents’ costs of bringing the action, suggested that not only should recreational areas be provided but also consider that “green spaces deserve some measure of protection.”
“Developed nations appear to have gone the way of eco-friendly references in acknowledgment that the phrase green space does not only define a place for human recreation but also goes beyond to acknowledge the reservation or conservation of a community, rural, natural or historic character and the conservation of land for recreational ecological environmental or aesthetic interest.
As we continue to develop as a nation in the 21st century the time may have arrived when those who govern may wish not only to ensure that sufficient recreational areas are provided but also consider that green spaces deserve some measure of protection,” Justice Rahim said in his ruling.
Also appearing for the residents were attorneys Rishi Dass and Marina Narinesingh while Russell Martineau, SC, Gerald Ramdeen and Kendra Mark represented the minister.
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New SPORTT board calls for forensic audit
T&T Newsday Reports.
NEWLY appointed chairman of the Sports Company of TT (SPORTT) Dudnath Ramkesoon and his board of directors have initiated a forensic audit into the operations of the entity.
The new board, which assumed office in April, have agreed to put out to tender an invitation for qualified accounting firms to conduct the audit.
In a statement, Ramkesoon said, “Having reviewed the operations of the Company for the past three months I am of the fervent view that this action is needed especially since there was an absence of a Board of Directors for an eight month period.”
SPORTT was established in 2004 as the key implementation arm of the Ministry of Sport. Its core activities include construction and facility maintenance, oversight and support for the National Governing Bodies (NGBs), support for elite athletes, the design and support for comprehensive policies for the promotion, sustainable growth and development of sport in Trinidad and Tobago.
The forthcoming forensic audit is expected to examine all of the company’s operations.
The company’s operation came into sharp focus last year after several financial irregularities were found in its Life Sport programme, which was immediately scrapped and which led to the resignation of then sport minister Anil Roberts.
The “Report of the Central Audit Committee on the Comprehensive Audit of the Payment System” into the controversial programme was laid in the Lower House by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who expressed shock and dismay at what was unearthed by the audit team.
The conclusion of the report stated: “From the review it is clear that the Life Sport programme has a number of irregularities judging from the widespread absenteeism, absence of proper procurement practices, overpayment for goods and services and possible criminal activities ranging from fraud (where money has been invoiced and paid but goods and services not supplied) to theft and possible breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act.
In addition, statements from members of the Police Service with whom the auditors interacted during the audit of the programme suggest that there may be criminal elements in positions of supervision and coordination within the programme. Given the substantial breaches identified, it is recommended that this matter be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the relevant law enforcement agencies.”
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Sports minister tours new facilities
T&T Newsday Reports
SPORT AND Youth Affairs Minister Darryl Smith last week toured three of the national sporting facilities with Permanent Secretary Gillian Macintyre as well as staff from the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT).
Minister Smith and the contingent spent just over five hours doing a comprehensive walk-through of the facilities currently under construction.
These were the National Aquatic Centre and the Cycling Velodrome in Couva, as well as the Tennis Centre in Tacarigua.
During the tour, Minister Smith identified his priorities regarding the facilities.
One of the minister’s immediate concerns will be the development of comprehensive plans and policies for the proper maintenance, management and upkeep of the three facilities. The Minister noted that in the past, several facilities and buildings were commissioned, but soon after they needed substantial refurbishment due to inadequate preventative maintenance management.
Another area of concern emerging from the tour was the need for a proper usage policy for national and elite level athletes. The facilities were built for the nation’s athletes to have a viable option to train at home for international competition. The Minister felt that it was important that all the necessary athletic amenities were also readily available to allow local athletes a full cadre of support services that would complement their competitive exploits.
Among those support services identified by the Minister, while in discussion with Sports Company personnel included, strength and conditioning, sports psychology, reflexology, message therapy, performance testing, sports medicine and injury prevention.
Minister Smith also saw a need for capacity building for the National Sporting Organisations, with an emphasis on increased levels of participation in their respective sports. He emphasised the need for baseline data (participation, demographics, frequency, access, etc.) across all sports, which should lead to better decision-making about investments of state funds and the continued sustainable development of each discipline.
He added with the completion of the facilities, the sporting bodies must play their part in achieving greater participation, accreditation, volunteerism and spectatorship for their sport.
The minister also noted that maximisation of the revenue potential of the new facilities was key to their sustainable operation.
Accordingly, he commissioned a full review of all the rates and user policies across all of the facilities under the purview of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the Sports Company.
He noted while all of the facilities have a role to play in providing for the needs of athletes at all levels, attention must also be focused on income generation in order to ensure the citizen sees an economic return on the millions invested, and that the facilities can achieve self-sustainability.
Another priority for the minister was that all of the facilities are outfitted with modern, eco-friendly equipment and systems. The facilities’ operational procedures and policies must also prioritise energy efficiency and reducing their carbon footprint.
The three projects (Aquatic Centre, Velodrome and Tennis Centre) were conceptualised in 2007 and were officially commenced in 2009 when international project management consulting firm Pix International Holdings was commissioned by SPORTT to develop the terms and reference, scope of work and tendering and evaluation processes.
The contract was tendered in 2009 and following a full evaluation of all the bids, the Shanghai Construction Group was identified as the preferred contractor and was awarded the contract in 2011.
The facilities are still in the final stages of construction and are expected to be fully operational early next year.
They will be managed by the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago, the implementation agency of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
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SPoRTT names Phillips as head.
T&T Guardian Reports.
Former national cyclist and current cycling promoter Michael Phillips, has been appointed chairman of the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT).
Phillips replaces Dudnath Ramkessoon, who held the position for the past seven months. Phillips has years of management experience as the managing director of Phillips Promotions and owner of bike store Mike’s Bikes.
Through Phillips Promotions, Phillips has been one of the top cycling promoters in the country, hosting popular events such as the Beacon Cycling on the Avenue and the Michael Phillips Republic Day Cycling Classic. Phillips has also served as president of the T&T Cycling Federation.
Phillips, who is currently out of the country, is looking forward to his new assignment. In a release last night, he stated, “I am honoured to be asked to serve as the chairman of SporTT.
I am excited to have the opportunity to work with the Honourable Minister of Sport, Darryl Smith, as we are both motivated sporting enthusiasts. I will do my best to have sport in T&T benefit from a structured and innovative approach to management. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.”
(http://www.trinidadexpress.com/storyimage/TT/20151205/LOCAL/151209741/AR/0/AR-151209741.jpg)
NEW BOARD: Abbegale Nandlal, front row from left, Sport Minister Darryl Smith, Michael Phillips (chairman), Dionne Ligoure, back row, Jason Lewis Julien, Imran Jan, Richard Mc Farlane, Vyash Nandlal (no relation to Abbegale) and Anthony Subero at the meet and greet with the media of the new SPORTT board at the Sportt headquarters on Henry Street , Port of Spain, yesterday. Missing is Marcus Solomon. —Photo: MARK POUCHET
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Daniel hits back in $34M LifeSport scandal
By STEPHON NICHOLAS (NEWSDAY).
Adolphus Daniel, president of eBeam Interact Limited, has made it clear that he will not be returning a cent of the $34 million his company received from the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) for implementation of literacy, numeracy and integrated technology components for the defunct LifeSport programme.
LifeSport, a brainchild of former Minister of Sport Anil Roberts was found to be fraught with corruption and was shut down by then Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar following an audit conducted by the Ministry of Finance in July 2014.
The programme was supposed to target at-risk youths teaching them various trade skills, sports and an educational aspect headed by Daniel’s eBeam Interact limited.
Although his programme was never implemented, Daniel, in a two and a half hour long session with the media at the Hyatt Regency yesterday, laid blame squarely on the Sport Company which he said failed to provide tools essential for the programme to be conducted.
A fiery Daniel threatened an avalanche of lawsuits against radio, television and print journalists and media companies for defaming him and claiming he collected $34 million for no work done.
The former St Mary’s College teacher and head of Daniel Educational Institute said that for the duration of his involvement in LifeSport, his main interest was ensuring the nation got value for its money. He added that when he noticed SPORTT was not meeting eBeam Interact’s requests to get the programme on stream, he wrote to SPORTT ’s then Chairman Sebastien Paddington on April 28, 2014, warning that he was contemplating suing to get his educational programme off the ground.
In that letter, Daniel accused SPORTT and/or its agents of continuing “to obstruct eBeam from beginning teaching at LifeSport venues by failing to have the required prerequisites in place”, and, “breaking its promises and failing to cooperate with eBeam.” Daniel added in the letter, “It has become ironical that the party which has already been paid in full is the one that is pursuing the other party which made the payment.” Stunningly, Daniel said he was not paid a single for his services, operating completely as a volunteer and out of his love for the country.
He later clarified to Newsday that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not as president of eBeam Interact Limited.
Questioned about his relationship with Roberts, Daniel denied having any interaction with the ex-Minister who resigned amid reports of rampant corruption and wastage in LifeSport under his tenure following the audit. Daniel, however, admitted being friends with Anil’s father Al Roberts was worked with eBeam, handling legal matters.
Daniel said he also visited Al’s home a few times but never spoke to Anil, even while running a $34 million programme started by the ex-Sports Minister.
In his presentation yesterday, which included a five-minute animation teaching step-by-step how to solve quadratic equations, Daniel said more than $34 million was spent in developing the programme which he said has completely gone to waste. He added that he entered into a five-year deal with an international partner to assist in the programme and is still incurring the cost of that contract which runs until 2018. Questioned later about the identity of the international firm, Daniel refused to reveal the company’s name. He also was not willing to produce a copy of the contract, stating it was a “private and confidential document between two parties.” Defending his character vehemently, Daniel boasted, “I don’t think I should be defending myself.
My work in education spans the Caribbean and across the world.” He was joined by traffic engineer Dr Ray Furlonge who showered Daniel with praise for his style of teaching which helped him succeed despite struggling academically as a teen. Also there to support Daniel was Cedric Cole who worked for eBeam providing technical expertise for the implementation of their programme in LifeSport. He lamented though that although some centres reached some level of preparedness, most did not as they lacked basic amenities such as water and electricity.
Asked whether the Sport Company can access the animation learning videos conceptualised for LifeSport which were not used, he emphatically said no, further explaining that its intellectual property was owned by eBeam and not their former client.
Daniel scoffed at the thought that $34 million was a significant figure for the development aspect of his initiative, declaring that it was grossly inadequate and less than what was spent by eBeam.
“$34 million is a jingle in a piggy bank. That is no money. $34 million is noise,” he declared. He provided documents showing tracking numbers of items (equipment) shipped for the LifeSport programme which were stored at a warehouse in Diego Martin. He wondered aloud what happened to these items since its arrival over three years ago. He said he welcomed a Forensic audit into the LifeSport with “the people that deprived the country of LifeSport to face the consequences for it.” Daniel stressed that the initiatives which he wanted to introduce would have eradicated a number of irregularities in the programme.
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WATCH: Daniel says he's not a thief
https://www.youtube.com/v/_ADw2fb8KR4
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Organizer "bandit wars"
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I have heard good things about a Daniel. There are a few people, both at home and abroad, who have benefited from his "lessons". It is a shame he is caught up in this mess. Should he give back the money or keep it because of govt ineptitude?
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JSC knocks SporTT
By Gail Alexander (Guardian)
Forget outstanding legal action against dismissed Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) employees and pay them.
That was advice given yesterday to the management by Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus and Independent Senator David Small. Both were among members of a Joint Select Committee (JSC) who questioned SporTT officials at Parliament. Questions were posed on the recommendations of the 2014 Auditor General’s report regarding the Special purpose company of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.
The issue of 2011 dismissals at SporTT was raised by JSC member and Public Utilities Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, who said The Edge consultancy firm was contracted for $1.06 million to review human resource issues at SporTT. Some 32 members of staff, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) were dismissed. The matter went to court and while SporTT offered no defence, lawyers’ fee amounted $137,000, Hinds noted.
JSC member PNM Senator Foster Cummings noted several staffers took legal action for compensation with total settlements of about $2.5 million. He noted one former employee who worked less than one day received $90,000 for unfair dismissal.
SporTT legal officer Naveen Maraj explained the court had ruled the employees’ retrenchment was harsh and oppressive and the $90,000 settlement was on that basis.
Maraj said there were two outstanding cases and SporTT is in negotiations with unions on these matters which involve sums of $119,000 and approximately $845,000. But Maraj said there are legal issues and the matters that will be sent to the Recognition Board and an Industrial Relations consultant will be brought in to assist SporTT.
Baptiste-Primus said the 2011 dismissal “frolic” cost taxpayers almost $3 million to date. She advised SporTT to consider its direction in challenging the two matters and obtaining an IR consultant for this. She said they should give the workers their just due and abandon that direction.
“I strongly advise SporTT, don’t pursue that direction and prevent employees from getting what is theirs,” she added.
JSC’s Small said rather than pay an IR consultant and going to the Industrial Court on further challenges, SporTT should call in the former employees, settle the matter and avoid paying more.
“Such situations affect the company’s reputation,” Small pointed out.
SporTT chairman Michael Phillips—appointed in December 2015—who described the JSC experience as his “baptism of fire,” said T&T has more sport seating capacity per-capital than anywhere else globally. He said the facilities are $3 billion worth of assets.
Phillips said T&T could either “dynamite” some facilities or use them. He said T&T didn’t have annual events like “Superbowl”, which justified construction of all these facilties, and now has to create content for it. He said sports competed with Carnival for funding and space.
Acting Sport Ministry permanent secretary Ian Ramdhani who said he’d had opportunity to examine some questionable issues during the LifeSport programme’s tenure, said many corrective measures have been instituted. He said manipulation by junior staff has been fixed and they no longer have authority to sign matters, which was done at the time. He said proper records are also being maintained.
JSC members were critical of some responses which they deemed, “weak, watery, unpersuasive, unconvincing and troubling.” JSC member Dr Tim Gopeesingh told Phillips at one point, he was “beating around the bush.”
Chairman of the JSC Wade Mark started the meeting by asking Phillips how many of the 14 recommendations outlined in the Auditor’s General Report to SporTT that has been acted upon.
Mark, who was visibly not satisfied with the chairman’s response, moved on to other aspects of the report. The grilling lasted for over two hours.
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SPORTT chided for lack of action on audit
By Camille Hunte (Express).
Two years after an audit into the operations of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) identified a number of failings within the organisation, the recommendations made in the auditor general’s report have yet to be implemented in any meaningful way.
This was the view expressed by the Minister of Public Utilities Fitzgerald Hinds as he posed questions to SPORTT officials at the 12th meeting of the public accounts (Enterprises) committee yesterday.
Hinds further chided the officials for their “flimsy” responses to questions posed by the committee, saying they offered little comfort to citizens.
Referring to the Lifesport fiasco, Hinds said the recommendations of the report were to be used as guidelines to ensure that the mistakes of the past were not repeated.
He took issue with the responses to questions about how many of the recommendations were actually implemented or in the process of being implemented.
“I find the answers to the questions in relation to what has been done in respect of the auditor general’s recommendations in these horrendous circumstances, I find the answers unpersuasive, unexciting, without comfort to the citizens of this country,” he said.
He said it appeared that SPORTT was still in the same position as two years ago.
Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, also a member of the committee, said she was astonished that SPORTT could not solidly identify any of the recommendations that were implemented. She said the company appeared to be operating as a law unto itself.
Hinds also questioned whether sporting facilities were being developed and upgraded efficiently and economically.
And, while he congratulated T&T athletes who participated in the recently-concluded Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he said the general results were not commensurate with the level of expenditure put forward by the State.
SPORTT chairman Michael Phillips agreed, saying the public would have expected greater results from the Olympic athletes, given the level of investment made.
Phillips added that SPORTT is facing challenges with its yearly allocation, which he said is just a fraction of what the government spends on Carnival.
He lamented that sporting facilities across the country, which amount to over $3 billion in assets, have somewhat become liabilities as they were not generating any substantial revenue.
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Dinas in line for top SporTT post chairman post
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian)
Former West Indies player and president of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), Dinanath Ramnarine, has been named the new chairman of the Sport Company of T&T (SPORTT), an implementation arm of the Ministry of Sports.
Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed that the outspoken Ramnarine received the news yesterday from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs which is responsible for SPORTT.
When contacted Ramnarine refused to comment on the issue.
On Monday former cyclist Michael Phillips resigned from the post saying it was for personal reasons.
On Tuesday, Minister of Sport Darryl Smith and SporTT Chief Executive Officer Adam Montserin confirmed Phillips’ departure from the organisation and said his resignation was based on personal reasons.
At the time of his resignation Phillips was organising the official opening of the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, which is set for May 13 with a Twenty20 (T20) match featuring A Brian Lara XI against a Scahin Tendulkar team.
However, on the same day of Phillips’ resignation Guardian Media Sports also reported that Tendulkar will not be among the venue opening celebrations.
With eight days to go before the opening the Sports Ministry has moved to get the planning of the event back on track.
Ramnarine was a leg-spin bowler who retired at an early age (28 years). He has a Test bowling average of around 30, taking 45 wickets in his 12 Test matches, which is better when compared to most who would have played the same amount of matches. After his premature retirement, he went on to successfully lead WIPA with tremendous passion and gain the respect of all by winning 15 out of 15 arbitration matters against the WICB.
Among his other major accomplishments was the signing of the first Collective Agreement between WIPA and WICB, starting the Annual Player Awards Function and establishing a development programme known as the “WIPA in the Community” where as much 10,000 kids to date have participated using cricket to teach valuable life skills.
He further established a personal development programme for which 150 first class players benefited. Ramnarine will be forever known as the “players’ champion” and a no-nonsense man, who stands for integrity and good governance in sports.
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When will SporTT settle down?
By Alvin Corneal (Guardian).
Here we go again another resignation at the Sport Company when will the business of sport settledown.
The resignation of the Michael Phillips as chairman of the sport company one week ago was surprising to those who were close to the sporting fraternity, seeing that he was only in office 17 months. Some were elated over his appointment especially as they knew the guy as a former national cycling champion and a promoter of international cycling events in the country.
Few were critical of his ability to handle a project of that magnitude and fewer understood the function of a chairman of such a powerful sports position where the need for all aspects of sports Management and Leadership which were the two prerequisites necessary to improve the quality of sport in every village in the country, processes of bringing the awareness of finding methods of reaching each community with projects which would get our young people involved from a very young age. Not only to participate for fun, but to be nurtured into understanding the value of sport in a similar manner to education.
It would be unfair to be critical of the chairman whose job has never been held for very long by the previously chosen ones. Any form of analytical observation from those who were expecting much more by way of developing a more realistic path to the awareness of sport all-round.
What is even more surprising is the fact that less than one week after the resignation was handed in, a new Chairman has been targeted to fill the vacant position.
Clearly, the process of discussing the reasons for his resignation, the structure which my have been put into place, and maybe Mr. Phillips reasons’ for his resignation, should all have been addressed before deciding upon the criteria to be used in order to guide an improved destiny of the individual who will be adequate enough to handle the duties of such a complex responsibility.
This is not a criticism of Dinanath Ramnarine, the new chairman designate.
Ramnarine has been challenging the business sports management through his association with the controversial West Indies players association and the fact that he had vacated his place in the West Indies team as a top class wrist spinner in order to fight for the best opportunities which players should receive says a lot about his leadership.
He had a short stint of engagement in the advisory committee to amend the constitution of the T&T Football Association some time ago.
Like most other sports associations in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, efforts to bring improvement for the sportsmen and sportswomen, there was always a preference to turn discussions into arguments and the regular practice of personalizing each issue brought little success.
Even at the local Cricket level, Ramnarine has joined a group of other administrative enthusiasts to battle for leadership in the T&T Cricket Board, a matter which has found itself into the country’s court, where the matter is still being judged.
So we must assume that there could be the start of a new battle in our local cricket, where arguments among members of the board and others like Ramnarine are aspiring to take over office. Two questions must be asked...Where does this pending appointment leaves Mr. Ramnarine and the T&TCB? and what kind of relationship will they have going forward?
While I respect the decisions of those who make appointments for the sports company, I believe that the confrontation process which existed between those in the T&TCB and those who wish to vote them out, consideration must be given.
Another essential factor which should have been exposed long ago was the rules and regulations, term and references, which would govern the management of the country’s sport, its funding, its marketing, its coach education programme, its approach to financial solutions which are often problematic among the national associations, and mysterious when it comes to the investment into community sport, maintenance of stadia and community plating fields.
I wish the new chairman designate all the best in his new encounter and I sincerely hope that the continuation of the distorted battle regarding Cricket will not be a topic for settlement in any unorthodox manner such as personality clashes, vindictiveness, and most of all seeking the advice of all the registered clubs to assist with same.
We must view the future of sport very carefully, as there is much work to be done.
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who have eyes to see will see, right now is trump an follow suit, the treasury is ah ho an de prime minister is ah pimp name slickback...
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Ramnarine confirmed as SporTT new chairman
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Dinanath Ramnarine is the new Chairman of the Board of the Sport Company of T&T.
He was confirmed via a release by the Ministry of Finance yesterday, effectively replacing Michael Phillips who resigned under a cloud last week, citing personal reasons.
Guardian Media Sports reported last Friday that Ramnarine was tipped to replace Phillips who resigned on May 1.
Ramnarine, an ex T&T and West Indies spin bowler who later assumed the position of president of the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) after his playing days, was rumoured to take over the top spot from Phillips, which followed the resignations of three other people from the SporTT board, namely Abbegale Nandalal, Marcus Soloman and Anthony Subero—all of whom left for personal reasons.
Ramnarine, an outspoken lobbyist for the ills of local and regional cricket, will now join Richard McFarlane, Jason Julien, Imran Jan, Dion Ligoure and Vyash Nandlal of the original appointments in November 2015.
Upon receiving his instruments of appointment, Ramnarine said: “I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to serve my country once again in the field of sport.
“In this regard, I look forward to working closely with the Honourable Minister of Sport & Youth Affairs, Board of Directors, the hard working staff of The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago as well as the key stakeholders in the various sporting organisations to make a meaningful contribution”.
His first engagement as chairman will be to attend the opening event of the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba from 7 pm which will feature an exhibition T20 match comprising a BrianLara XI against an International XI.
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Daniel hits back in $34M LifeSport scandal
By STEPHON NICHOLAS (NEWSDAY).
Adolphus Daniel, president of eBeam Interact Limited, has made it clear that he will not be returning a cent of the $34 million his company received from the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) for implementation of literacy, numeracy and integrated technology components for the defunct LifeSport programme.
LifeSport, a brainchild of former Minister of Sport Anil Roberts was found to be fraught with corruption and was shut down by then Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar following an audit conducted by the Ministry of Finance in July 2014.
The programme was supposed to target at-risk youths teaching them various trade skills, sports and an educational aspect headed by Daniel’s eBeam Interact limited.
Although his programme was never implemented, Daniel, in a two and a half hour long session with the media at the Hyatt Regency yesterday, laid blame squarely on the Sport Company which he said failed to provide tools essential for the programme to be conducted.
A fiery Daniel threatened an avalanche of lawsuits against radio, television and print journalists and media companies for defaming him and claiming he collected $34 million for no work done.
The former St Mary’s College teacher and head of Daniel Educational Institute said that for the duration of his involvement in LifeSport, his main interest was ensuring the nation got value for its money. He added that when he noticed SPORTT was not meeting eBeam Interact’s requests to get the programme on stream, he wrote to SPORTT ’s then Chairman Sebastien Paddington on April 28, 2014, warning that he was contemplating suing to get his educational programme off the ground.
In that letter, Daniel accused SPORTT and/or its agents of continuing “to obstruct eBeam from beginning teaching at LifeSport venues by failing to have the required prerequisites in place”, and, “breaking its promises and failing to cooperate with eBeam.” Daniel added in the letter, “It has become ironical that the party which has already been paid in full is the one that is pursuing the other party which made the payment.” Stunningly, Daniel said he was not paid a single for his services, operating completely as a volunteer and out of his love for the country.
He later clarified to Newsday that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not as president of eBeam Interact Limited.
Questioned about his relationship with Roberts, Daniel denied having any interaction with the ex-Minister who resigned amid reports of rampant corruption and wastage in LifeSport under his tenure following the audit. Daniel, however, admitted being friends with Anil’s father Al Roberts was worked with eBeam, handling legal matters.
Daniel said he also visited Al’s home a few times but never spoke to Anil, even while running a $34 million programme started by the ex-Sports Minister.
In his presentation yesterday, which included a five-minute animation teaching step-by-step how to solve quadratic equations, Daniel said more than $34 million was spent in developing the programme which he said has completely gone to waste. He added that he entered into a five-year deal with an international partner to assist in the programme and is still incurring the cost of that contract which runs until 2018. Questioned later about the identity of the international firm, Daniel refused to reveal the company’s name. He also was not willing to produce a copy of the contract, stating it was a “private and confidential document between two parties.” Defending his character vehemently, Daniel boasted, “I don’t think I should be defending myself.
My work in education spans the Caribbean and across the world.” He was joined by traffic engineer Dr Ray Furlonge who showered Daniel with praise for his style of teaching which helped him succeed despite struggling academically as a teen. Also there to support Daniel was Cedric Cole who worked for eBeam providing technical expertise for the implementation of their programme in LifeSport. He lamented though that although some centres reached some level of preparedness, most did not as they lacked basic amenities such as water and electricity.
Asked whether the Sport Company can access the animation learning videos conceptualised for LifeSport which were not used, he emphatically said no, further explaining that its intellectual property was owned by eBeam and not their former client.
Daniel scoffed at the thought that $34 million was a significant figure for the development aspect of his initiative, declaring that it was grossly inadequate and less than what was spent by eBeam.
“$34 million is a jingle in a piggy bank. That is no money. $34 million is noise,” he declared. He provided documents showing tracking numbers of items (equipment) shipped for the LifeSport programme which were stored at a warehouse in Diego Martin. He wondered aloud what happened to these items since its arrival over three years ago. He said he welcomed a Forensic audit into the LifeSport with “the people that deprived the country of LifeSport to face the consequences for it.” Daniel stressed that the initiatives which he wanted to introduce would have eradicated a number of irregularities in the programme.
and so and so
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CokfNZe5ccs
followed by
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhdgR0yFpVQ
and finally
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkas7MpxxdU
when all else fails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bil764A1XxQ&index=13&list=RDFkas7MpxxdU
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SporTT sends 8 managers on leave
By Walter Alibey & Rosemarie Sant
T&T Guardian.
Eight senior managers of the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT) were yesterday sent on 45 days administrative leave pending the completion of a forensic audit investigation of the operations of the entity.
SporTT, which is led by recently appointed chairman Dinanath Ramnarine, also revoked the appointment of board director Jason Julien.
Guardian Media Sports was informed by a source close to the development that CEO Adam Montserin, head of Facilities Anthony Blake, head of Procurement Darrel Stewart, head of Internal Audit Joanne Kowlessar, head of Legal Navin Maharaj, Senior Manager in the Project Department Travis Smith, a senior manager and a senior project administrator were all sent on immediate administrative leave with pay. Three managers, when contacted yesterday, said they could not explain the reason for the suspensions.
However, a release from the SporTT said the board, acting on the advice of the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, would be undertaking a forensic investigation into the operations of the company. It said to facilitate this, eight employees were asked to proceed on administrative leave effective July 19 while the appointment of one board member was revoked.
Ramnarine could not be reached for comment yesterday.
But in giving an account of what transpired yesterday, one manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said: “We went to work as on any other day and were asked to attend a meeting. No reason was given, but we were just asked to go on leave until a forensic investigation was done.”
The manager said it was possible the the non-payment of maintenance fees to the Shanghai Construction Group in April may have been one of the reasons for the probe.
Guardian Media Sports learnt that the Shanghai group receives a whopping $1.4 million monthly for maintenance work on the facilities they constructed, namely the National Cycling and Aquatic Centres in Couva and the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua. However, they have not been paid for the past few months due to lack of funding. Its last payment was $2.5 million in December last year
According to the manager, board members were “pressured to make the payment recently although monies have been scarce, as the company had received no funding from the Ministry of Finance, which had been public knowledge.” Apart from no funding being available, the company found that there were fundamental issues concerning the actual maintenance work being done on the facilities. Now, it “seems everyone who was involved with the the Shanghai Group was sent on leave,” the manager explained.
Money, legal issues plague body
Guardian Media Sports was also informed by a reliable source that at the start of July, the board, which comprises Imran Jan, Dionne Ligoure, Richard Mc Farlane, Vyash Nandlal, Phillip Whiteman, the step-father of cycling ace Njisane Phillip, and which is led by Ramnarine, also took a decision to take control of the day-to-day management of the company.
The source said: “What the board has done is bestowed upon itself executive powers which it doesn’t have and which is contrary to the Companies Act of 1995, the state enterprises performance and monitoring manual and good and proper corporate governance practices.”
Well-placed sources added that since Ramnarine took up office in May, SporTT has been facing many challenges, including a severe funding deficit between TT$35-TT$40 million, and they have been forced to put “mechanisms in place to deal with this.”
But how did the company get to that point?
According to our source, “there are major issues at the company. We inherited a number of problems, including financial and several legal matters. We recognised there is a need to manage the business in a better way.”
Sources at the company also said it has been plagued by a lack of transparency in the way business was done, “including in the procurement process, and within the past few weeks a finance committee had been reviewing any payments being made, making sure that payments were justified and that there was proper documentation for all payments, something which had been lacking.”
Sports Minister Daryl Smith was out of the country and could not be contacted yesterday and calls to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi’s mobile went unanswered.
SporTT was established in 2004 as a limited liability, special-interest company geared towards the management, administration and programming of sport, as well as the construction and operational maintenance of sporting facilities throughout T&T.
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Wiliams acting CEO as SPoRTT extends probe
By Rosemarie Sant (Guardian)
Two months after a forensic investigation was launched into the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT) it is incomplete and investigators have asked for more time.
On July 19, SporTT announced that the investigation into the operations of the company had been initiated on the advice of the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs. Head of Facilities Anthony Blake, CEO Adam Montserin, head of Procurement Darrel Stewart, head of Internal Audit Joanne Kowlessar, head of Legal Navin Maharaj, senior manager in the Project Department Travis Smith, a senior manager and a senior project administrator were asked to go on administrative leave for 45 days with pay.
The audit is linked to a million dollar contract awarded to a Chinese company for maintenance of the facilities. Several documents were seized from the SporTT compound and several employees have been interviewed bythe investigators.
Yesterday, SporTT chairman Dinanath Ramnarine confirmed that the period of the audit had been extended to September 30 and the employees sent on leave remain off the job.
Ramnarine said Jason Williams, who resigned as chief financial officer in June, had been re-hired in August and the board agreed to appoint him to act as CEO,
He said Williams “is well-respected, has seniority and institutional knowledge and had served SporTT well having brought the organisation up to date with requirements for audited financial regulations.”
Mark Depoosingh, whom Williams had recommended to act as CFO when he left, has resigned but Ramnarine said there is no link between Depoosingh’s resignation and Williams’ return.
Meantime, the land just behind the National Aquatic Centre which once housed makeshift accommodation for a maintenance team has been cleared for construction of a hotel by the TTFA.
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Meantime, the land just behind the National Aquatic Centre which once housed makeshift accommodation for a maintenance team has been cleared for construction of a hotel by the TTFA.
Boy lightening does really strike twice in Trini. Jack Warner, Center for Excellence, Scarlet Ibis hotel. DJW, Ato Boldon stadium, TTFA hotel. Now is it really TTFA hotel or DJW hotel. IS it his money funding it or the TFFA under him borrow the money to build the hotel. If Contro. group was to win the next TTFA election, then Cntro. in charge of TTFA hotel or DJW hotel?
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National Sports Commission to replace SPoRTT
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
A National Sports Commission is expected to come on board in 2018 to replace the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPoRTT), according to a story on a local television report last evening.
Darryl Smith, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, confirmed the news yesterday, after Finance Minister Colm Imbert hinted as such during his 2017-2018 Budget presentation at the House of Representatives on Monday.
Smith was quoted as saying that National Sports Commission will be modelled like similar ventures in Australia and the United Kingdom, and was the original intention before those plans were stalled.
SPoRTT, according to its website, was established in 2004 as a limited liability, special-interest company geared towards the management, administration and programming of sport as well as the construction and operational maintenance of sporting facilities throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
Smith also confirmed that the national sports policy will be taken to Cabinet as soon as possible. “We’ve finalised the new draft sports policy and we’ll be taking it to Cabinet,” Smith said. “You’re going to see some changes (including) a policy for incentifying athletes and also looking at the elite athletes.”
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SporTT extends investigation
By Rosemarie Sant (Guardian).
The forensic audit that was started into the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) on July 19th has been extended again and Guardian Media Sports has been told that the eight employees sent on administrative leave at that time were only called to interviews this week by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) which is conducting the audit..
The eight were originally sent on 45 days administrative leave pending the probe. The probe was extended by twelve days to September 30th. However, yesterday senior officials of SporTT confirmed that the probe has now been extended to a further four weeks, to end on October 31.
Asked why the probe was taking so long Guardian Media Sports was told that “there are thousands of pages of documents to go through.”
Well-placed sources told the Guardian Media Sports that the interviews with the eight staff members with PwC were brief, with questions being asked about process used for procurement and tendering and the maintenance contract awarded to a Chinese company.
One of the employees who was out of the country at the time would be interviewed next week.
Although they are being paid while on leave Guardian Media Sports understands that the eight workers sent on leave four months ago are now beginning to question whether they will be allowed to return to their jobs when the audit is completed. There is also concern that the audit which has been extended twice already will be extended again.
Sources close to the workers said that while they were told in their letters back in July that there was “no malice” in the decision, but they are now wondering what was the real intent and whether they will be allowed to return to work at all.
Guardian Media Sports was told that although they were interviewed, the workers are still no clearer on the mandate of the audit team. No one from the Sports Company has been in contact with them and they are concerned about what is going on.
A source told Guardian Media Sports that the Board of SporTT will meet on Monday when the board members will be “brought up to speed on the investigation.”
We are told that Chairman of SporTT Dinanath Ramnarine has been kept in the loop on the investigation. But when contacted by the Guardian he declined comment.
On July 19, SporTT announced that the investigation into the operations of the company had been initiated on the advice of the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs. The audit is linked to a million dollar contract awarded to a Chinese company for maintenance of the facilities.
Head of Facilities Anthony Blake, CEO Adam Montserin, head of Procurement Darrel Stewart, Head of Internal Audit Joanne Kowlessar, Head of Legal Navin Maharaj, Senior Manager in the Project Department Travis Smith, another senior manager and a senior project administrator were asked to go on administrative leave for 45 days with pay.
Shortly after the probe began there were security changes at the stadium and SporTT made alternative arrangements for members of the public who used the facility to exercise, clearing the road leading to the stadium of containers and getting T&TEC to spruce up the lighting on the periphery. Members of the facility’s gym are still allowed access to the compound.
The decision to stop the public from using the facility for exercise purposes prompted protests outside the facility.
But officials said there was need for a review of safety and security measures at the adjoining National Aquatic Centre and Cycling Velodrome all of which are on the same compound.
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Monsterin expresses shock after SporTT dismissal.
By Rosemarie Sant (Guardian).
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) Adam Montserin admits to being “extremely shocked, concerned and saddened,” by his dismissal from the SporTT.
Speaking to the Guardian Media Sports yesterday after a news release from SporTT that announced that five employees have been dismissed, Montserin said, “I contributed a significant amount to the achievement of the organisation in the seven months I was there, including international competitions that were successfully executed without any problems.”
Other workers who spoke with Guardian Media Sports admitted that they were also trying to “wrap their minds around the dismissals,” and admitted to being shocked.
The Guardian Media Sports was told that emails were sent to the eight workers who were on administrative leave since July, at around 9:30 pm on Tuesday evening, inviting them to a meeting yesterday morning.
At the meeting they were given letters of dismissal.
Four of them Jeewan Kowlessar, Naveen Maraj, Anthony Blake and Montserin were told that the company had lost confidence in them, while the lone woman employee Mellie Price was given no reason for her dismissal.
Three others Darryl Stewart, Raj Ramtahal and Travis Watson were told their contracts would run their course, to December and January, and they would be paid, but their contracts would not be renewed.
According to the release, “The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago has been advised that the PWC forensic audit is substantially complete and a draft reports had been submitted to the Ministry of the Attorney General. As you are aware, the audit falls under the auspices of the Ministry of the Attorney General.”
It continued, “In relation to the eight employees who were sent on administrative leave, a total of five employees have been dismissed. These employees were dismissed for various reasons but some were dismissed for conduct during the audit as well as certain findings made during the audit.”
The Guardian Media Sports was told that the employees have all sought legal advice and that the company acted against the employees although the forensic audit is not yet completed.
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Camacho: SPoRTT may need to get a Loan.
By Rachael Thompson-King (Guardian).
The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs will have a budget of an estimated $392 million for the fiscal year 2019-2020, representing an almost $119 million variance from the budget which was revised for 2019.
Although the 2019 draft estimates for expenditure identified a budget of $396 million for the Sports Ministry, the Ministry actually received $272.4 million for 2019.
With the biggest sporting event, the Olympic Games carded for next year, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert assured that all necessary support will be provided to national athletes.
"We will ensure that the expansion of disciplines is appropriately supported with facilities and with appropriate training. We are in no doubt that our progress in the wider range of discipline would be showcased in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan," he said in presenting the 2019-2020 national budget in Parliament yesterday.
However, although the largest portion of the allocation which has over the years consistently gone to national teams under the sub-head, current transfers and subsidies, amounting to $186,651,694, it is a $2 million decrease from last year.
Chairman of the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) Douglas Camacho was relatively unenthusiastic about the allocation for sports in the annual budget.
"We will be seriously challenged, it is woefully inadequate," said Camacho. "The Olympics Games is recurrent expenditure and renovations of facilities like the Jean Pierre Sports Complex and Hasely Crawford Stadium is capital expenditure, it is not enough to cover either.
The Minister of Finance has outlined an estimated $90,576.000 for development programme expenditure funded from the infrastructure development fund. According to Camacho, "We will be challenged. Our best option may be to take a loan."
On the impact on the sporting disciplines under the SporTT company, he said, "It's never enough to meet the demands of NGOs, most got nothing last year. This will certainly affect their operations as it was inadequate in the fiscal year 18/19."
With 2020 being an Olympic year, Camacho is wary and thinks the best course of action will be to borrow.
"Unfortunately, sports is not viewed as sportspeople view it. In summary, it's not enough but we will have to do with what we have," said a solemn Camacho.
In the Minister's address, he made reference to T&T's participation at the August 18th Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, the IAAF World Relays and the Paralympics which took place in September, commending all athletes who received medals and also recognising the athletes who competed at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Minister Imbert went on to express his keenness on T&T's future endeavours in hosting international events saying: "We look forward to hosting the upcoming 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games and the 2022 Pan American Aquatic Championships which will utilise most of our sporting infrastructure and provide an avenue to showcase the talent of our young citizens."
RELATED NEWS
Six million-dollar sport sweetener
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).
Corporate T&T incentive to invest…
THE increased tax allowance from $3m to $6m for corporate sponsorship of national sporting activities should inspire medium and larger organisations to give consideration for greater financial contributions toward the development of our local sportsmen and women.
So says president of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC), Brian Lewis, following the National Budget presentation by Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, yesterday.
“I propose to increase the tax allowance to from $3m to $6m for the corporate sponsorship of nationals in the local fashion industry; audio, visual and video productions for the purpose of local education and entertainment...as well as for companies which sponsor sporting activities or events or sportsmen or art and culture. This measure will take effect from January 1, 2020,” the minister revealed.
In response, Lewis believes this boost may encourage larger companies to increase their investment in sport and have a more meaningful impact on their taxable profit.
“The initial reaction to the budget is that there is reason to be positive,” stated Lewis. “Especially as we’re heading into an Olympic year and with the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2021, the increase provides an opportunity for bigger corporate entities in T&T to have some renewed conversations with sporting organisations. In terms of the smaller companies, it will be interesting to see how they embrace it.”
The TTOC boss admitted he is pleased with the athlete-reward and incentive policies thus far and now awaits a draft estimate from the Ministry of Sport and local sporting institutions, on what specific allocations have already been made ahead of the Olympic year. He, however, remains quietly confident that once the allocations have been made, the relevant entities responsible for delivering on those matters, will do so in a timely manner.
During Imbert’s presentation, he acknowledged the stalwart contributions of all national athletes who recently represented TT at the Pan American Games, Pan American Championships and the recently concluded IAAF World Championships, in Doha,Qatar. He openly recognised that our performances have extended over a larger number of disciplines such as cycling, aquatics, athletics, sailing and boxing. However, due to the extension of our elite involvement in newer sporting disciplines, Imbert believes the refurbishment of national sporting facilities is pivotal to breeding success and addressing social issues social issues such as high crime levels, drug abuse, youth offences, educational underachievement and lack of social inclusion.
“We are combating these issues at community levels,” Imbert said. “Laventille community swimming pool is meeting the demand for aquatic sport in a major underprivileged community. Other swimming pools are being upgraded at Cocoyea, Couva and Sangre Grande. The Diego Martin Sporting Complex, a multi-purpose, multi-sport facility, is already being used by the surrounding communities, clubs and associations. The Dwight Yorke Stadium (Tobago) is now a well-equipped facility meeting international standards. Other stadia, like Mahaica Oval, are being rehabilitated and would be ready to meet the needs of all athletes and the general public for recreational and competitive sport purposes.”
Imbert added that Skinner Park in San Fernando is being redeveloped to the tune of $200m. This major upgrade is being done so that the southern facility would have the capacity to host large sporting and cultural events with more sophisticated facilities for athletes and modern conveniences for the public.
“Recreational activities such as football, cricket, basketball and netball are being upgraded in Grand Riviere, Aranguez, Paramin, Park Street, Pascall and Todds Road, Bourg Mulatresse, North Eartern Recreational Ground and Marac.
“Regional sporting arenas in Maloney, Mayaro, Central and South are also being improved. Residential and non-residential youth facilities are being refurbished at California, Malick, Woodbrook, Chatam, Persto Praesto (Freeport), Sevilla and Caroni sport facilities are also being refurbished,” Imbert continued. Following this revelation, Lewis was pleased with these welcomed upgrades and was optimistic that they would provide a platform of growth for local sportsmen and women.
“We welcome these enhancements and currently look forward to hosting the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2021, the Pan American Aquatic Championships in 2022. These facilities will provide an avenue to showcase the talent of our young citizens,” Lewis concluded.
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Corporate sponsorship ?
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SPoRTT writes off Life Sport $millions.
By Ryan Bachoo (Guardian).
The Sports Company of T&T has written off the $9.4m owed to it by the now defunct Life Sport programme. This was revealed in a report into the organisation’s financial performance by independent auditors Moore published in the press on Tuesday. The Life Sport debt goes back to the last government, where it was found that the programme was riddled with corruption and eventually shut down by former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in July 2014.
Speaking to Guardian Media Sports yesterday, Chairman of the Sports Company Douglas Camacho said, “That would have been a receivable that would have been in the books for a number of years and under the accounting rules it is not likely that the receivables will be collected so we made the decision to write it off in this financial statement.”
But the report went further in showing that the Sports Company had paid out over $13.4m in a court settlement and expenses during 2019. When asked to clarify this expenditure, Camacho told Guardian Media Sports, “There are number of old matters before litigation, disputes over amounts and quantum.” He went further in explaining that a large chunk of that figure went to one contractor who was suing the organization for more than double than that of which was settled.
“The major part of that was a settlement for some work done where the contractor was claiming $25m and Sportt Company was saying that figure was way too high and we were able to settle for a lot less so we were able to get a settlement and resolve the matter in a fair way,” Camacho further stated.
While that lawsuit may have been settled, the report shows that the Sports Company owes creditors millions of dollars. Its current assets total $92m while non-current assets amount to $339m. Also, its current liabilities totalled $209m while its non-current liabilities was shown to be $335m. Current liabilities are those that need to be paid off within a three-year period while non-current are not dated.
Camacho said the Sports Company is at a disadvantage because it doesn’t generate income. He stated, “The struggle is that Sports Company, as a legal entity, does not have the right to collect revenue on its own behalf. All of the funds that the Sports Company receives are, in fact, grants from the government of T&T so that although we may have Hasely Crawford Stadium under our remit, when we rent it out for a concert and we collect revenue we don’t retain the money. We don’t have the right to retain. It all goes to the consolidated fund.”
Camacho said his organisation may have requested the funds and are not yet in receipt of it which would explain the figures.
RELATED NEWS
SPoRTT records $114m deficit, writes off $9m LifeSport balance.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).
STATE company SPoRTT recorded a $114 million deficit for 2019, $36 million more than 2018. Included in that total, published on Wednesday, was $60.7 million for infrastructure development, $40.5 million for equipment and storage rental, $11 million for salaries and staff benefits and $9 million to write off the LifeSport balance.
This effectively puts an end the $400 million LifeSport scandal, nearly five and half years after former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar ended the programme because of fraud, theft, and allegations that the programme, which was supposed to empower at-risk youths away from crime through sport, was linked to people involved in criminal activity.
In his report, chairman Douglas Camacho said, "SPoRTT has experienced a difficult and challenging period, but since being appointed chairman on July 4, 2018, the board has continued to focus on rebuilding discipline and good corporate governance to redefine how we operate and do business. We have met with each of the National Governing Bodies under our purview, ensuring that there is a clear understanding on requirements to be met so that requests for funding can be processed. Our present target for achievement has been made very clear – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."
In a brief interview with Newsday, Camacho added, "It (Life Sport debt) has been around a long time and the write off is because the probability of collecting on the debt is remote at best...that is written off, that is no longer a debt, that is gone."
SPoRTT received most of its money through a $127.9 million government grant, $11 million less than the subvention in 2018. Its other income was $375,362, for a total income of $128.2 million. Its total expenditure was $164.3 million and its deficit for the year was $36 million. The accumulated deficit brought forward from 2018 was $77.7 million, bringing its total deficit to $113.8 million.
Camacho said despite the debt the Government has been making a priority in assisting athletes as the games approach.
"Is two dimensions to look at there. One is the preparation and the process of qualification. The Government of T&T had indicated since 2018 the focus of this Government would be to assist national athletes and teams aspiring to get to the Olympic Games as a priority and to be honest, as a matter of fact, they have honoured that commitment for the last year and a half."
Funds don't come to SPoRTT, he noted. Instead, when a party, for example, Machel Monday, rents the Hasely Crawford Stadium, that money goes to the State's Consolidated Fund. "From that perspective, there is very little directly that we could do to advent that debt."
Camacho suggested a couple of options to help reduce the debt, including capital injections to help eliminate the debt.
(https://www.guardian.co.tt/image-3.2364966.204e0e5ed6?size=1024)
Douglas Camacho - Chairman of SPoRTT
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Guessing the laws and courts is really for small man. Let a small man try to withdraw money from his own account nah, he have to jump thru hoops.. tonneh
no more words !
" But the report went further in showing that the Sports Company had paid out over $13.4m in a court settlement and expenses during 2019. When asked to clarify this expenditure, Camacho told Guardian Media Sports, “There are number of old matters before litigation, disputes over amounts and quantum.” He went further in explaining that a large chunk of that figure went to one contractor who was suing the organization for more than double than that of which was settled."
"This effectively puts an end the $400 million LifeSport scandal, nearly five and half years after former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar ended the programme because of fraud, theft, and allegations that the programme, which was supposed to empower at-risk youths away from crime through sport, was linked to people involved in criminal activity."
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https://www.cfufootball.org/caribbean-football-union-and-sportt-collaborate-on-knowledge-sharing-hub/
SporTT partnering with CFU to provide training in the region
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https://www.cfufootball.org/caribbean-football-union-and-sportt-collaborate-on-knowledge-sharing-hub/
SporTT partnering with CFU to provide training in the region
I like. Good call.
Also impressed with the multiple language material on CFU's homepage. Work is being done. Well-done.