Cudjoe kickstarts million-mile challenge in Tobago

Minister of Sport Shamfa Cudjoe completed a symbolic run on Tuesday as part of the million-mile challenge to raise $1 million for charity. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Sport and Community Development in partnership with Bafasports Ltd.

Speaking prior to the run at Pigeon Point Heritage Park, Cudjoe said the initiative is not geared solely to athletes.

“It is to get you and me up off the couch and moving – getting out there. If you can walk, you can jog, if you can jog, you can run – but whatever you do, it is your business to get up, get out there and get moving.”

She said TT is very high on the listing when it comes to non-communicable diseases, noting that both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sport have a responsibility to get people active.

She said the symbolic run is also linked to the GirlsRunTT 83-mile challenge, a key component of the Ministry’s Pink Reign Campaign, which aims to encourage more women and girls to get active and participate in sports.

The founder of Bafasports, Nigel Ballamy, said the catalyst for action in the national million-mile challenge is seeking to improve the health of both people and the planet.

“This journey not only fights the occurrence of non-communicable diseases in TT but also tackles the climate crisis in a very real and tangible way. We will encourage our participants to visit local eco-tourism destinations. We will also share green agenda tips like locations of recycling bins and the importance of reusable water bottles. We will encourage plogging, which involves picking up garbage and effectively doing a clean-up during runs.”

He said there will also be a runs where trees will be planted in areas marked for reforestation as well as food crops on farms.

Officials from sponsor First Citizens were also present.