Sporting facilities open for elite level athletes

SPORTS Company of TT (SporTT) will allow athletes, who have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games or seen as potential qualifiers, to train at the sporting facilities throughout the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a release on Saturday sent by the senior manager of corporate communications at SporTT Kevin Garcia said, "Following consultations with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Sports Company of TT Limited (SporTT), will be closing all sporting facilities under its purview from midnight Sunday 15 March until midnight Sunday 22 March. This means that all events and training activities carded for this week are now cancelled."

Another release sent by Garcia, on Thursday, said facilities, that include Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain and Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, will close for a longer time. "Following further consultations with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Sports Company of TT Ltd has decided that all sporting facilities under its purview will remain closed until further notice."

The release explained that cleaning is taking place at sporting facilities. "Already facilities have been sanitized and this process is ongoing. We are trying to ensure that there is no possibility of the virus being present."

National athletes will be facilitated during this time according to the release. "Additionally, SporTT will be giving access to our sanitized facilities to persons who have qualified or are deemed potential qualifiers in the still upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

"SporTT has been and will continue to be in contact with the sporting governing bodies to this effect and chairman (of SporTT) Douglas Camacho has said that, 'the closure in the first instance was a sensible decision and the continued closure is in the best interest of the country.'"

President of the TT Olympic Committee Brian Lewis said earlier this week that special arrangements should be provided to allow national athletes preparing for the Olympics to use the stadia while supporting Government's decision to minimise the use of the facilities.