Jab to get back on track: Clubs, coaches, parents urge athletes to be vaccinated

LOCAL track and field clubs and coaches are encouraging athletes to get vaccinated in an effort to hasten the resumption of domestic sport.

Parents of teenage athletes have also heeded the call to have their children vaccinated to protect themselves from the adverse effects of covid19 and to fast forward an anticipated return to training and competition.

This comes after Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe said on Thursday that the, “faster we vaccinate (athletes), the faster we could return to some level of normalcy”.

Cudjoe made these remarks during a media conference recapping the performance of Trinidad and Tobago at the Tokyo Games.

Since the pandemic hit in mid-March last year, all domestic sporting activity came to a halt and remains at a standstill to date. According to Cudjoe, the only foreseeable way to resume sport is to have all athletes from the 54 sporting disciplines fully vaccinated.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health began its vaccination drive for children between the ages of 12 and 18. They will receive the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine. These vaccines have been mainly procured to facilitate a return to physical school.

Young sportsmen and women are also being prompted to get vaccinated during this drive to aid the resumption of sport at the secondary level.

On Tuesday, popular track and field club Memphis Pioneers issued a statement to its members urging them to take the jab.

“For the health and safety of the Memphis family, the management team has decided that only vaccinated members (except those with a medical explanation) would be able to train with the club in person when group training resumes,” the statement read.

Club president Edwin Skinner said he has been receiving good reviews from parents of athletes who have already and/or are gearing up to take the jab.

“Feedback has been very good. We are following the ministry’s health guidelines and we are reminding the athletes to continue to do so. It’s very important that we do what is required so we can get back on track.

“I am convincing people I talk to, to be vaccinated. It’s very important that the whole country follows the ministry’s guidelines to get vaccinated,” he said.

Shelly Phillip, parent of 13-year-old Abilene Wildcats sprinter Sean, sees no issue with her son receiving the vaccine to help TT return to a state of normalcy. He welcomes the jab, she said, and so does her daughter, who is not an athlete, but is ready to go back to physical school.

“I spoke to my son about it and he doesn’t have a problem with it. In order for us to go back to normal, we need to get vaccinated. Everyone has their opinion and right to choose but it’s the only way forward for the country.

“It (vaccines) may not be 100 per cent foolproof but it’s the only way to go. He (Sean) will be going next week to get his vaccine,” said Phillip.

Simplex Athletic Club coach Gunness Persad has also endorsed the vaccination of athletes, especially within the 12 to 18 age range. His club has over 100 athletes and he was proud to announce that several of them have been proactive in taking the jab.

“I encourage my athletes and the nation at large to take the vaccine. I’m going to send out another message to my athletes via WhatsApp reminding them of the importance of taking the vaccine. I want sports to resume man. We need the country back to normal,” he said.

Additionally, 16-year-old sprinter Point Fortin New Jets sprinter Natasha Fox insists that she must take the vaccine to resume her training and competitive regimen.

The 200m and 400m runner is eager to return to the track. She is convinced that taking the jab is the best way to protect herself from the virus and will also allow her to further develop her sporting prowess.

Fox’s mom Rae-Ann said, “Even if I didn’t want Natasha to take the vaccine, she insists that she wants it. She wanted me to wake up at 5am this morning (Wednesday) to go for it. But it was only because of the heavy rains that we did not go.

“She thinks that she’s missing out on too much activity and wants to get back out there. She’s a biology student so that also helped motivate her to take the vaccine.”

With the sports minister, coaches and clubs now insistent on the vaccination of secondary school students, those who are hesitant may be excluded entirely from training and competitions.

Olympian and Abilene Wildcats sprinter Jonathan Farinha, who is currently based in England, also sought to inspire young athletes to be inoculated. Farinha was an unused substitute for TT men’s 4x100m relay team in Tokyo.

He said, “I think athlete vaccinations should be mandatory especially those who plan on travelling and taking the sport to another level. Because they will be interacting with individuals from all across the region and around the world so it’s important to get vaccinated,” he said.