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Author Topic: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?  (Read 21091 times)

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Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #90 on: September 12, 2015, 09:27:35 PM »
Not a problem brother. You're welcome.

Ah have a second summary of comments to be added shortly.

Offline Bakes

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #91 on: September 12, 2015, 09:34:39 PM »
Lasana let fly a question regarding his (Sancho's) plans now that his tenure was up ... in light of supposed TTFA interest in exploring irregularities related to the alleged transfer transactions. In sum, whether he would be returning to Central and local football. The response from BS was that nothing had impacted his involvement with football and that he would be re-engaging that arena as he had done prior to assuming office.

Ah missed a portion following this because ah was in a roti shop.

Nothing supposed about it... an official inquiry has begun with Sancho having been asked to respond to a number of items related to his football tenure, not just the "personal payment" related to the transfer.  His return to local football isn't as imminent as his bravado suggests.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #92 on: September 12, 2015, 09:47:25 PM »
Lasana let fly a question regarding his (Sancho's) plans now that his tenure was up ... in light of supposed TTFA interest in exploring irregularities related to the alleged transfer transactions. In sum, whether he would be returning to Central and local football. The response from BS was that nothing had impacted his involvement with football and that he would be re-engaging that arena as he had done prior to assuming office.

Ah missed a portion following this because ah was in a roti shop.

Nothing supposed about it... an official inquiry has begun with Sancho having been asked to respond to a number of items related to his football tenure, not just the "personal payment" related to the transfer.  His return to local football isn't as imminent as his bravado suggests.

At the time of posting, the description, as stated, was accurate ... having not received formal and independent confirmation of the TTFA action until subsequent to the post. It was the advisable course of action, informed by an abundance of caution. ;)


Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #93 on: September 13, 2015, 07:18:59 AM »
Second summary of the radio discussion.

Harford suggested that the MoS consider having a travel specialist within the MoS machinery so as to avoid some of the lamentable chapters that have unfolded in our sporting logistics history, and to facilitate professional outcomes beneficial to all.

Discussion was had about the role of CAL in team/athlete travel. An observation was made that CAL doesn't serve all destinations. Harford stated that CAL should be used for destinations it does serve (preferentially when feasible). Andre noted that certain travel agencies (or a certain travel agency?) typically seemed to be involved and that this likely hindered achieving a different outcome. This was discussed in the context of competition other than friendlies. It was stated explicitly that for friendlies the arrangements should occur elsewhere ... the imputation seemed to suggest with the national governing bodies or specific associations.

Mention was made of the lack of understanding of what being a team manager meant. (This was not a football-specific reference but applied to sport generally). In that some managers didn't even fulfil basic functions such as advance work (going to sites/accommodations to stage arrangements for a team's subsequent arrival). An example was given of managers checking into hotels, getting the room key and going to their rooms. That being that. Essentially getting to see the world without functioning in an effective and meaningful manner. Thus, a need for managers to think about their roles more broadly ... and a need for training, and for a template of proper functioning and performance expectations.

Andre had no time for administrators who used the volunteer status of their position as an excuse. Yuh took the wuk knowing what the gig entailed. Doh now come presenting that as an out. Harford referred to the time he invests with Preysal and suggested that administrators needed to appreciate the diligence and effort that is required to serve their constituents effectively.   

Harford suggested that funding for national bodies should be tied to mandatory attendance and participation at training events organized by the TTOC. (Andre cited Brian Lewis as being an exemplar of best practices. Hence mention of the TTOC as a standards benchmark).

The issue of team entourages also came up. Who should travel and why.

Andre told the new MoS that he found him (Smith) to be as advertised (an engaging people person) and that those traits should serve him well in dealing with the various constituencies and stakeholders. (It was Andre's first time meeting the Minister, and he suggested that it augured well for the future that the MoS had presented himself to participate in the programme at the start of his tenure. Building on this, Andre rattled off the number of occasions on which previous MsoS participated in the programme, and the general theme was that there was a tendency not to return. As such, he told the MoS that the proof would be in the pudding, but seemingly promising).

In a somewhat lighthearted but serious vein, Andre applauded Harford for working with "good, bad, indifferent" people within the sporting fraternity. He (Andre) said he couldn't do the same other than with the "good".

Discussion took place about the state of sporting facilities in the country and Andre issued an indictment regarding the structure of having "one man" (Anthony Blake) at the helm. Harford (favourable) and Andre (not favourable) held differing estimations of Blake's performance.

A portion of the conversation was dedicated to revisiting the archives project. Andre noted that young ballers, particularly those with NT ambition or participation, need to be able to place their ambition/participation in proper context. (Words to the effect of ... They need to know who Kerwyn Jemmott is. You have players who doh know who Kerwyn Jemmott is).
« Last Edit: October 07, 2015, 12:27:27 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline Flex

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #94 on: September 14, 2015, 02:42:29 AM »
Sports Minister shows much potential.
By Anand Rampersad (Guardian).


Minister Darryl Smith’s early intention to engage in a consultative participatory approach to oversee the development of sport is a promising start to his mandate.

By stressing the importance of the voices of athletes and communities through which sport is manifested, he is accentuating their significant role in effective policy formulation and execution.

Furthermore, the consultative participatory approach can be extended to other key players such as sporting bodies, education authorities, women, and persons with disabilities. The general population can also be part of the consultative participatory process by having access to detailed reports of sporting programmes that were implemented in the past and those that are too implemented. This will allow the public to assess how their monies have and are being utilised.

Minister Smith’s comments are in keeping with the PNM’s manifesto component on sport (http://pnm.org.tt/images/pdf/PNM_Manifesto_2015.pdf p62-64). The theme stresses the importance of promoting the country’s athletes internationally, building a sporting industry while at the same time encouraging a healthy nation. To achieve these objectives some of the points highlighted were:

Data collection once again becomes an important feature of the sport planning cycle to ensure that the entire process is efficient and effective. Efficient monitoring and evaluative practices have to become normative in the overall process. This is also important to taxpayers and private enterprises whose monies are used for funding. Additionally, the availability of data and programme reports for public information should be easily accessible.

Funding is a critical aspect of developing every aspect of sport. The State needs to develop strategic relationship with the private sector especially foreign companies to make a decisive contribution to sport. Furthermore, the State needs to consider using the NLCB to fund a greater percentage of sport as happens in England. This recommendation was made in the Report of the Steering Committee for the Establishment of a National Sporting Authority 1988.

The consultative approach, if it becomes the modus operandi of the Minister and his steering committee, should ensure that any approach to dealing with social problems such delinquency through sport does not repeat the gross costly catastrophes of the LifeSport Programme. An assessment of the successes and failures of the Hoop of Life approach should be conducted and made public. The current administrators as well as the public need to be informed if desired results of the $36M expenditure was justified or whether a more efficient approach could have been implemented.

The continued success of athletes is clearly dependent upon a transparent strategic roadmap even more so in the context of economic difficulties.

Minister Smith has to guard against the “gimme gimme” cultural trait that Prime Minister Dr Rowley has unequivocally, and rightly so, called to end, as it can easily seep into sport. Strong leadership, effective planning and decision making and open communication will go a long way toward realising the sporting goals and objectives of Minister Smith’s mandate.

Highlights

​• Increase the pool of talent from which world champions can emerge for international recognition,

• Promote sports as a way to curb crime and social skills,

• Use sports to foster greater communication and understanding amongst different communities, races, creeds in T&T,

• Increase participation opportunities for underrepresented groups in particular disabled persons, women, girls and the vulnerable youth and improve physical facilities to cater for this targeted group of persons,

• Improve the availability of information of sports involvement by conducting a National Sport and Recreational Census,

• Actively develop and promote Sport Tourism,

• Provide incentives for the growth and development of professions allied to Sport, such as Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy, and Sports Media,

• Develop a Domestic Sport Research Database by performing a bi-annual survey which will establish benchmark, improvements to the local sport industry and provide a comprehensive data for sports and recreation,

• Create a Sports Institute of Trinidad and Tobago that will capture and hone the skills of young athletes while growing and modernising the Sports Industry.

The overall development of sport should be assessed on at least four (4) objective and interlocked platforms:

• Research through consultation with all major stakeholders including athletes, communities, sport administrators (present and past), the business community, and the universities. Research offers the benefit of providing information about different aspects of sport such as: i) Issues facing athletes- financial resources, medical, coaching etc. ii) Administrative challenges-funding, organisation human capacity etc. iii) Community challenges- participation rates and demographic characteristics, facilities, coaching, coordination of activities etc.

In other words research helps to minimise speculation and ‘guesstimating’ which sadly has been the norm upon which expensive sporting decisions have been made.

• The research data should become the major ingredient for the formulation relevant policies to guide the development of sport and sport development processes. Questions about the relevancy of the current National Sport Policy (2002) (http://static.sport.gov.tt/images/pdf/programmes/national_sport_policy.pdf) need to be asked. 

• Implementation, monitoring and evaluation should form the basis of evaluating the data driven sport policies. The implementation role of the SporTT Company needs to be assessed to decide whether it will continue as is or if revamping is required for greater efficiency.

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: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #95 on: September 14, 2015, 02:44:18 AM »
Minister ‘storms’ radio show.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Host delighted with visit

Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Darryl Smith provided early evidence on how he intends to approach his job when he made an impromptu visit to the studios of I95 on Saturday evening and took part in the weekly sports show hosted by the popular Andre Baptiste.

The programme, which started around 6.15 pm and included among the panel Guardian Sports Editor Valentino Singh, well known sports promoter Tony Harford and investigative sports reporter Lasana Liburd, was into its first ten minutes, when to the surprise of the quartet, the minister entered the studio and joined the discussion.

Pointing out that he was an avid follower of the programme, the minister who had just attended the Secondary Schools match between St Mary’s and St Anthony’s Colleges, gave a brief history of his involvement in sport as a national youth footballer, and pointed out that anyone who knew him would testify to his passion for sport.

The quartet was impressed at the ease with which Smith responded to their questions, promising that he intends to be in the ministry for the full five years.

“I don’t want my legacy to be about buildings. I want it to be about our athletes, not only those who are national athletes but all the young people who would want to use sport as a social tool to improve their lives.”

Reminded that sport and culture were the two major areas of the nation’s life that united the people, but which appeared to be treated as ‘lightweights’ by government, Smith said he has no doubt that under the current leadership of the new Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, this would change.

“I believe that Dr Rowley, more than any other Prime Minister understands the value of sport. After all, he is still involved in sport almost on a daily basis through his love for golf. I am sure he knows what sport can do for a nation, and I have little doubt he will make sure we get as fair treatment as possible.”

Smith revealed that he was on the job minutes after being sworn into office. This included meeting with staff at both the Ministry of Sport and the Sports Company of T&T. “I toured all the floors, met everyone who was present and I think there is a sense of relief among the workers.”

Told by the panel that there appeared to be lots of tension and demotivated people at the Ministry, Smith promised to bring the work environment up to be acceptable standards, even if it meant relocating the ministry.

He promised to listen to the voice of stakeholders before making decisions, and to ensure that the legacy of the country’s sporting personalities received the respect it deserved through the national sports archives.

Told by Baptiste that most ministers appeared on his programme when they first come into office and then refused to return, Smith promised that he would be the exception.

“There is a lot to be done, I have no doubt, and at the end of my five years, I intend to be available to return for you all to judge me.”

The panellists later agreed that the minister’s decision to make his way to the studio was a refreshing move that augurs well for the future.

Baptiste noted it was the first time that a minister had exercised such an initiative, and he was surprised, pleased and looking forward to the Minister returning in the future.

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

Offline trini_stallion

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #96 on: September 14, 2015, 05:49:39 AM »
I like it! So far...this kinda hands on boots on the ground approach by the PNM!
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Offline Flex

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #97 on: October 07, 2015, 06:29:49 AM »
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.

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

Offline Mose

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #98 on: October 07, 2015, 08:01:19 AM »
Sports minister tours new facilities
T&T Newsday Reports

...
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.
...


Real liking this! One of my pet peeves is the lack of maintenance of facilities at home and the fact that no one ever seems to take that into consideration when making plans to build the facilities.   :beermug:
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Offline Sando prince

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #99 on: October 07, 2015, 05:50:17 PM »

VIDEO Report; https://www.facebook.com/CNC3Television/videos/10153685097832996/

Quote
SPORT MINISTER ON BUDGET

Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith says he is satisfied with the allocation his ministry received in the Budget.

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #100 on: November 11, 2015, 06:26:36 PM »


Smith: Millions lost in pre-Olympic revenue


http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2015-11-10/smith-millions-lost-pre-olympic-revenue


This country’s sports tourism ambitions have been dealt a serious blow due to the non-completion of major sports facilities costing the treasury millions in projected revenue says Sports Minister Darryl Smith.

While foreign states and international sporting organisations were still enquiring about the possibility of having access to the Brian Lara Stadium, National Cycling Velodrome, the George Bovell Aquatic Centre and National Tennis Centre and even the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago, post September 7, for their pre-Rio, Brazil 2016 Olympic preparation, the minister lamented in a T&T Guardian interview, they all needed work.

The Dwight York Stadium, which was by no means new, however, was in need of remedial work.

Millions in revenue estimated by the former People’s Partnership Government from foreign countries desirous of setting up camps on local soil, en route to the Rio 2016 Olympic in Brazil, had been lost as once interested parties have redirected their business elsewhere, leading up to the Games.

“…inherited problem! That should have been thought out and planned before. Again, (it’s) only a month plus since we have been there (in government).

There is nothing that we could do. We are trying our best to ensure that they are completed, but more importantly, that the maintenance contracts, the tendering process, is put in place.

Again, that was poor management from the former administration. They know Olympics was coming up,” he said. Smith added, “They should have speeded up things, but instead they pushed certain things for elections gimmick: cutting of ribbons in certain places and so on, when they should have focused and realised that whoever was in government, the people of T&T would have benefitted with regards to utilising these arenas. We talk about sport tourism.

A lot of countries and sports organisation have asked about them, but they are not completed. This is where the focus should have been.”     

With respect to the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Smith said he planned to meet with Housing Minister Marlene Mc Donald and Noel Garcia, chairman of the Urban Development Company Limited (Udecott) to explore ways to cease the hemorrhaging of tax-payers funds and ultimately save the project.

He said the Keith Rowley-led administration had to ensure that no more tax-payer funds were wasted and as a consequence something positive had to happen.

“At this point I can’t comment because I have never seen it. It’s under Udecott. The ministry of sport has no drawings, no plans. So we have to have that meeting and we do a formal (site) visit.

We will let the public know what we plan to do with it. I am the most optimistic person that you’ll meet and I’m really hoping that everything was done with good intentions.

At the end of the day, I think we really wanted cricket to be at played there at the highest level, so it may be that they (the previous government) would have had some issue,” said Smith.

He continued, “Five years passed and nothing was done. Whether it was political or not, I don’t know what were their plans. Just like a number of other projects throughout T&T: the Diego Martin Northern Grounds, Mahaica Oval (Point Fortin), and a number of other projects, even National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA). Look at NAPA? All of a sudden it’s shut down because of no maintenance.

That’s for another place, another debate. All I know is the Brian Lara Stadium will be looked at and the best decision will be made for the tax payers of T&T.”

Whatever the challenges were associated with those projects they were all inherited, he said, and went onto slam the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration over its tardiness.

Any layman, said Smith, would have known when constructing structures such as those mentioned, maintenance contracts had to be put into effect.

“That wasn’t put in place. So right now those (facilities) are almost completed: 86, 95, 98 per cent completed and there is no maintenance contract.

There is no way we could have a handing over process without a proper tendering process with regards to who is going to maintain it, because by the time you get that handing over, the clock start ticking.

Who is going to be maintaining it? Who is going to be ensuring that the track is okay, the air conditioning is working, the lights are working and so on. So we now moving feverishly trying to put a tendering process in place to take care of the national centres maintained,” said the minister.
He continued, “We have the Olympics around the corner.

We want to make sure that the Olympic prospects would be able to use the cycling track, the swimming pool and so on, but they have to be completed. They haven’t been handed over as yet.

But being proactive as I am and the ministry is we are trying quickly to get the maintenance contracts so when that day comes, we could have it opened right away.”




Offline maxg

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #101 on: November 11, 2015, 07:49:52 PM »
warning..old thread, 10 years & counting...
they coulda pay every snr National athlete a million  and the dead ones-who musbe turning in dey grave-  family too.

http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=1508.0
« Last Edit: November 11, 2015, 07:53:00 PM by maxg »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #102 on: December 09, 2015, 11:05:51 PM »


The three national sporting centres have been given a projected delivery date of April 2016. Sports minister Daryl Smith says the facilities are built to satisfaction however staffing and maintenance plans must be done carefully.

https://www.facebook.com/csportslive/videos/1060550743996557/

Offline Flex

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #103 on: December 19, 2015, 05:59:50 AM »
Minister unveils fresh plans for sport in 2016
By JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (Newsday).


AFTER SPENDING just over 100 days in office as Minister of Sport, Darryl Smith yesterday unveiled a unique list of new administrative and practical techniques which have been designed to revamp his Ministry’s overall competencies towards national athletes and non-governmental organisations.

The recently appointed Minister announced these welcomed revelations at the VIP Lounge of the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday, to an audience comprising of multiple national sporting representatives who were clearly in full support of Smith’s fresh and creative ideas towards marketing sport on the global stage. However, the former Diego Martin Regional Corporation chairman made it clear early on, that sport, like all other national entities, would be unavoidably hampered by the continuously falling price of oil – Trinidad and Tobago’s biggest income earner.

Firstly, Smith admitted that a lot of work has already been done towards cleaning up and correcting the discrepancies of the past regime. While he opted to not dwell too much on these negative actions of the past, the Minister used his opening days in office to personally meet with members of every national sporting organisation – an act which may have never been done so early in by past holders of this post. This move to converse with the sporting bodies has already created a positive impact within each fraternity.

With respect to the formation of new sporting policies, Smith explained, “There are people who make sports policies, and I don’t know how that was done before, but I think the Ministry now has a better vision going forward.

Even while doing that document (policies) we will be still calling on a number of you (NSO’s) all to come back and meet with us and get your two cents in with regards to the policy.” He also touched on programmes affiliated to athlete assistance and ensured that these strategies will be reworked to affirm an easy and smooth transition forward.

“The private sector will be included with regards to bridging the gap towards funding,” he added. “We are hoping next year to implement SELL Sport.

We want to have a tradeshow and expo where we are going to encourage all the NGB’s to set up booths and sell to the private sector. One of the initiatives I have spoken about from day one is data collection. That is going to be key for this programme.

People don’t spend their money unless they know they’re getting a bang for their buck.” Smith is also working assiduously towards highlighting one national sport per week throughout 2016 in an effort to raise national awareness in both rural and urban areas.

He intends to go to the media/ schools and promote these sports so they can be more marketable and in tune with young people.

“Coming out of the meetings (with NSO’s), and this has not been approached to Parliament as yet, is we want to make the process of donating funds easier because it is apparently very tedious right now and the returns on tax breaks aren’t that attractive. This is not etched in stone but we would like to have discussions where people, personally, can donate and also get a tax break. It is done in the First World countries but we still have to work that out and ventilate that through the Minister of Finance and so on,” continued Minister Smith.

Another new initiative on Smith’s slate for 2016 is to increase the relations between his Ministry and local sports media.

He believes that media houses are privy to a lot of underground stories which are hardly brought to the forefront and is goal bound on ‘interviewing’ several media personalities to gain knowledge on what is happening under the radar.

He further revealed more new plans for the coming year.

“The Ministry has to also tighten up and we want to set the example for the NGOs with proper management and databases and maintenance. I don’t think we had good examples across the board in the Ministry before, so we must lead by example. One of the other key things that we want to push is that we want to work with the young people. The youth aspect is also kicked in the background, and this is why they were one of the first we met with.

We have to align ourselves a little better with our youth,” Smith noted.

Yesterday’s meeting featured a heavy cast of sporting administrators such as Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee president Brian Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport Joan Mendes, acting SporTT chief executive officer Adrian Raymond, Trinidad Youth Council president Sean Nicholson and David King and Sudhir Ramessar, TT’s Paralympic Committee president and treasurer, respectively.

Smith concluded, “It’s been a fantastic experience thus far.

But we are still mindful of the financial situation in the country and across the globe. When we came in on September 7, it was approximately US$85 per barrel, now it’s at US$36, and no one can ignore that. This will affect us in several ways since it is our main stream of revenue. We remain optimistic.

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: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #104 on: December 19, 2015, 11:20:18 AM »
There it is folks.

Offline maxg

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #105 on: December 19, 2015, 11:44:50 AM »
liking Minister Smith and Staff too
add: I remember I became a better player once my leg was damaged. Had to think more.
Maybe the reduced money to throw way, would work in our favour. And the ppl in office now, seem up for the challenge.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2015, 11:48:07 AM by maxg »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #106 on: January 09, 2016, 01:09:13 PM »
Four months in, how has the MoS been doing?

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #107 on: February 18, 2016, 08:07:48 PM »


Smith praises Stadium staff

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2016-02-17/smith-praises-stadium-staff

Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith expressed his gratitude to the maintenance staff at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, who managed to reopen the facility’s A1 track for use shortly after a busy Carnival season.

Visiting the site on Friday, Minister Smith said, “This track is known for helping athletes run fast times, and the speed with which it was brought back into service is a record in itself! It is an amazing feat that required due diligence on the part of everyone at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

“Our role at the Ministry and Sports Company is to ensure that all facilities under our management are safe and comfortable work environments for our athletes and their support staff, who are preparing for upcoming regional and international events. The three-day record must now be the standard turnaround time with any future Carnival activities held at this facility.”

Although the Elite Athlete Training Facility remained accessible to athletes during the Carnival period, the athletic track was off-limits, owing to several large-scale events being held on the main field. In light of this accommodation of cultural activities at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the Ministry provided transportation to alternate venues such as the Mannie Ramjohn and Ato Boldon Stadiums for those athletes that required it.

With Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott and his training partner Shakeil Waithe already back at the venue, it is expected that the flurry of activity on the Stadium track will resume this week as junior and elite national athletes continue their preparation for the CARIFTA Games (25-28 March 2016) and Olympic Games (5-21 August 2016).

One of those athletes, shotput athlete and Sportswoman of the Year 2015 Cleopatra Borel who is entering her fourth Olympic Games in Rio, continues her preparation for the titular event.

“SporTT staff really went above and beyond to accommodate my training sessions during the Carnival season, (even) on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.”

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Re: Who should the new PM name Minister of Sport?
« Reply #108 on: May 12, 2016, 05:07:09 PM »


Smith puts priority on Rio Olympics and World Cup 2018

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2016-05-10/smith-puts-priority-rio-olympics-and-world-cup-2018

 Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Getting a winning team of athletes to the Rio, Brazil, Olympics this August and ensuring the Soca Warriors mount a successful campaign for the 21st FIFA World Cup in Russia, in 2018 remains the two clear priorities of the Keith Rowley-led administration, said Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Darryl Smith.

Even as finance minister Colm Imbert juggles the issues of lower than desired energy prices, which affected the amount of revenue government has collected to meet the needs of citizens, Smith said athletes preparing to represent T&T at these events should remain focused and allow government to address issues that arose.

Inside the final 100-day countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Smith told the T&T Guardian he to date he’s still unable to produce a budget for both events.

“Like I have said before, it’s the first time I am doing a budget in pencil, so nothing is etched in stone. We living in a country where we know our economy relies on oil and gas. We have become accustomed to that. From day one, we said Olympics and the World Cup qualifier are our two top priorities,” he said.

Smith continued: “In gymnastics, it’s the first time we get a spot there; in rowing Ms Chow (Felice Aisha); the super heavyweight (boxer) in Mr Paul (Nigel); in cycling we have Mr Phillip (Njisane); and we have Mr Gordon (Jehue) with the hurdles. Of course, we are anticipating that Bovell (George) is in, and we are anticipating the track team. Ato Boldon is doing fantastic work with the women. With his camp, we have Richard “Torpedo” Thompson. We have Cleopatra (Borel) and a number of others out there. We are hoping we’ll have a big team going over. As much as we could possibly help, we will do our best to help the team.”

He added that the Ministry has stepped in to assist Olympic sailor Andrew Lewis, who required major medical treatment following a freak accident in Rio, last year, while conducting pre-Olympic training.

In addition, getting Olympic swimmer Bovell to major championships around the world at which he did this country proud was a cost the ministry absorbed in the athletes continued pursuit and delivery of excellence.

“We had to assist him. Mr Bovell is doing very good. I want to congratulate him on winning two gold medals. That wasn’t part of the budget. We assisted him. As you go through your seasons, things prop up. You qualify for things. We had to cut seven per cent from our budget. That represented $33 million dollars. We are watching the oil price.

“A lot of people are jumping up and saying the oil price up in the forties, but they don’t understand that three months down the road we would benefit from that. Minister (Colm) Imbert is doing a juggling act.

“But I will tell you this. It’s the earliest our Olympic athletes have ever got their cheques and they are very pleased about that.”

 

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