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Offline Bitter

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SPORTT Website
« on: March 30, 2009, 04:16:28 PM »
I don't know where this should go, or even if it already posted already somewhere, but the url for SPORTT is
http://www.sportt-tt.com/
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Offline Flex

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Re: SPORTT Website
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2014, 04:46:34 AM »
‘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.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: SPORTT Website
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2015, 06:10:27 AM »
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.


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.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Deeks

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Re: SPORTT Website
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2015, 03:45:26 PM »
This has to be  the natatorium, not the velodrome!

Offline Flex

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Re: SPORTT Website
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2015, 07:37:45 AM »
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.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: SPORTT Website
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2015, 02:05:11 AM »
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.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: SPORTT Website
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2015, 06:21:44 AM »
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.”
The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

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