Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica working on regional sports programme

TRINIDAD and Tobago and Jamaica are seeking to develop a sport exchange programme soon, says Jamaican High Commissioner Arthur HW Williams.

In an interview, Williams said both countries had their strengths in their respective sporting disciplines, and they should find ways to collaborate for an exchange of expertise.

He said this would be a benefit for the countries and the region, generally, as sports development and sports tourism can now be explored.

“Recently, I have been talking to my ministers, and High Commissioner Deryck Murray (High Commissioner for TT to Jamaica) has been talking to the authorities there to look at how we can collaborate more. We are looking to advance it and make some progress with it this year.

“Jamaica is an acknowledged leader in track and field, and it is fair to say that TT is the acknowledged leader in producing cricketers. Jamaica has a facility that has produced world coaches and people,” he said.

In 2016, the discussion surrounding a sport exchange and cooperation for the region started but the pace to establish it was slow and was further hampered by the pandemic, Williams explained.

The programme would aim to facilitate knowledge and technical skills, physical education techniques, teachers and coaches’ exchanges.

The countries that have been working towards putting this programme into full swing were TT, Jamaica, St Lucia and Barbados.

Williams said sports training changed over the years, from having one coach for all disciplines to have specialised training in each area, and this should be taken advantage of.

“Now we are able to produce specialists and schools, and training camps can have coaches for each sport, but we (Jamaica) don’t have coaches to teach young boys or girls to play cricket. TT produces cricketers, and this can be seen in the West Indies team, as a majority of the players are from TT.

“There are a lot of areas for collaboration. People are now going to train with Usain Bolt’s coach and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s coach because we are of world standard,” he said.

TT, Williams said, had numerous facilities outfitted with the necessities to cater for the type of training that they were looking for.

He added that the pandemic has slowed down progress on the initiative but now that countries were making provisions to reopen, there was hope that the project would restart will full force.

“Look at that wonderful facility in Couva, there is world-class cricket, swimming and cycling facilities. Those things should not be lying idle. Hopefully, we can finalise a memorandum of understanding.”

He explained that there were several models by which the programme can be undertaken and at the top of the list would be to include a sport scholarship programme between both countries.

Williams said at the onset, five or six spots could be made available with full funding and accommodation, and as the programme garnered support and investment, it can be expanded.

TT’s Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe told Sunday Newsday that the Government was looking forward to the partnerships and was hopeful that by the end of the year the programme would begin.

Cudjoe added that at the Sport for Development Caribbean Forum held in virtually in January 2022, many of the regions’ sports ministers were interested in the programme.

Cudjoe said planners were awaiting confirmation of participating countries to roll out the next phase of negotiations.

“We are hoping to establish a regional platform where our technocrats and administrators would meet once quarterly and exchange ideas.

“In the communication between us, the programme would look at policy development, funding for sports and the athletes and so on because there are a number of lessons that we can learn from each other,” she said.

At the moment, TT and Jamaican officials said it was a government-to-government designed programme but was also hopeful that private training partners can get involved later.