Madam Minister, it starts with you

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Madam Minister, I agree with you. New strategies and introspection are needed. So what were you doing all this time? It was the same tune for Olympics 2020 in Tokyo, except the excuse then was COVID-19. You go on to sing the same PNM narrative– nowhere else in the world does all sports get the same funding, duh! Have a press conference, share the blame on the NGBs, put together a plan on a piece of paper and look towards the next one. No medals? Then, repeat the process for someone else to take the blows.

The mere fact that the Hasely Crawford Stadium needed to be renovated for a Commonwealth Games tells you that, previously, it was in poor condition. Anil Roberts, as minister, during his tenure, secured two bronze, one silver and one gold medal. One could argue, too, that the bronze in 2016 was under his tenure.

It is about preparing athletes and giving them the resources to perform at the highest level.

Did Anil complain about the previous minister, or blame the NGBs? The man did what he had to do. He bought the best javelin, he built the best facilities, invested in the best technologies, sourced the best coaches, sorted the needs of the best talent, and passed the necessary legislation, like anti-doping, to name a few. And he made lots of enemies in the interest of sport development in Trinidad and Tobago–that’s the job!

Madam Minister, a trip to Jamaica is not the answer. It is leadership, and it starts with you.

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KENDELL KARAN

Chaguanas