TTCF election race heats up

WITH THE TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elections scheduled for February 27, the race for the presidency is heating up between incumbent Joseph Roberts and challenger Rowena Williams.

Roberts was appointed to the helm of the federation, in January 2020, after then president Larry Romany resigned from the post citing personal commitments. Williams is the current racing secretary but also served as president from 2010 to 2014.

Both members have a wealth of experience within the sport and are working towards returning cycling to one of the best administratively-run national sporting organisations in TT.

However, with a looming debt of $1.2 million and two pending pre-action protocol letters from suppliers, Roberts and Williams must act swiftly to ensure the fraternity is not plunged into further debt, while ensuring domestic cyclists are still provided with the required amount of competition to help them transition from the development stage to professional.

The pair took part in a local radio show, on Thursday, and unveiled some of the plans they have to help cycling rid the debt and develop a new breed of junior and elite athletes.

The majority of this debt stems from TT’s hosting of the 2017 Elite Pan American Track Cycling Championships, at the National Cycling Centre in Couva, under the tenure of then president Robert Farrier. He was appointed president in 2014, served his two-year term and was re-elected to office in 2016. In July 2019, Farrier resigned due to other commitments.

According to Roberts, a large of chunk of money owed to suppliers comes from hotel accommodation and meals.

If re-appointed, the incumbent president believes his three-year strategic plan would help reduce the deficit while using other programmes to boost development and our competitive stature.

Roberts, who was, at that time, Farrier's vice-president, said a month prior to the Elite Pan Ams, the Ministry of Sport reneged on its promise to help finance the event. Not wanting to disappoint the International Cycling Union (UCI) – the sport's governing body – with such a late cancellation, the TTCF went ahead and hosted the Championships.

To date, the federation is yet to financially recover.

One year, prior, TT also hosted the Junior Pan American Track Cycling Championships at Couva. The TTCF president said that hosting the Elite Pan Ams was part of Farrier’s plan to increase the nation’s chances of getting to host a World Track Cycling Championships event on local soil.

It was also his intention to make the state-of-the-art cycling facility a viable opportunity and option for sport tourism.

The debt incurred, partnered with the pandemic, has since quelled all hopes. But Roberts believes all is not lost.

“In moving forward we have to create a new business model," said Roberts. "The dependency in the past have been on single source funding such as government/state funding. We have to look forward. How can we become financially sustainable? “We decided on a four-year approach. What this offers is some level of accountability.”

Last year, the president went to the World Championships in Germany and spoke to key officials of the UCI, and presented two programmes for their perusal.

One centred on a community programme, for persons between the ages of six and 16 years, and another on the entry of cycling into schools. According to Roberts, the UCI have thrown their support behind this initiative.

Additionally, he said the executive is currently speaking to a company in Spain to do virtual cycling to help increase revenue and change the business model. Roberts also outlined a series of projects that will afford the TTCF to raise money and not depend solely on the Government.

Williams, on the other hand, questioned the thought processes of the Farrier-led executive, who continued to rally on to host the Elite Pan Ams knowing fully well, one month prior, no financial assistance would come from the Government.

“I would question ‘when were we sure that we weren’t getting the funding, and what would have been the thought processes?’” she asked.

Questioned on what she would have done when the Government gave their inclination that no help would be forthcoming, Williams said a full assessment would have been done, with the UCI, and if necessary, she would have cancelled the event.

“At the end of the day, who are the ones suffering? The cyclists. No funding is coming. Every cent that comes in you have to find ways to pay a debt. There’s nothing for the cyclists. We have to have events or hope that someone comes up with some money to for an event for the cyclists’ sake. Again, it doesn’t look good. What is there for the cyclists?” she queried.

With regard to her projected plans if appointed TTCF president, in February, Williams said her primary focus would be to meet with all stakeholders, clubs, cyclists and even debtors to chart a way forward.

Additionally, she wants to go back to the community in search of new potential talents. Williams thinks educating and certifying persons in the community so they can run programmes, within the communities, would aid increased participation.

She added, “From those programmes, you get the grassroots, bring them into the club and then into competition. Cycling should be looking into long term development of athletes in sport where you bring people in first and foremost to have fun. Let them have fun and then move from there. That’s where we need to start and develop the sport.”

Both parties decided to refrain from commenting on the issue between the TTCF and ace local cyclist Njisane Phillip concerning the wheels, as it is being currently handled legally.