Shamfa Cudjoe: Commonwealth Youth Games a turning point for sport

MINISTER of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe wants the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) in TT this August to be a turning point for sport in this country.

The games will be hosted from August 4 to 11 with seven events being held in both Trinidad and Tobago.

Over 1,000 athletes will touch down in TT.

Athletes from 14 to 18 years old will be in the spotlight and Cudjoe wants youngsters who are not competing to get involved, learn about the opportunities sport offers, and be inspired.

“I think representation matters. It is always important for people to see themselves…We have 1,000 athletes from over 72 countries. Here you have 1,000 examples of persons who manage going to school and playing their sport. How much more of an example of that you need?”

With a little more than three months remaining to the start of the games, activities have already begun. On April 19 the 2023 CYG Youth Voice Conference was held at the Upper El Dorado Community Centre, giving secondary school students the opportunity to raise concerns about challenges they may be having and ways of coping.

Some of the topics discussed were women and girls in sport, mental health, along with the positive and negative effects of social media.

Cudjoe wants students to realise that doors can open through sport, including job opportunities and travelling around the world.

“Some of them would be flying on a plane for the first time. Some of them will be coming to the Caribbean for the first time…We, as TT, want to show the world we can host (the games).

"We want to show, youngsters specifically, that it is not just about the athletes. There are business opportunities available: the people who are going to be doing the live streaming, these people are going to be in TT, so they have to be moved around, so there are transportation opportunities, caterers, the people who have to wash the sheets in the hotels.”

Cudjoe acknowledges that not all athletes will make it to the Olympic Games. “It is to show youngsters that there is a place for everybody in sport. You don’t necessarily have to be involved towards winning a medal or out there on the field. There is room for you at the boardroom, there is room for you in organising spectators, in administration.”

She said TT can benefit from sport tourism as hundreds of athletes will compete at world-class facilities. The National Aquatic Centre and the National Cycling Centre are two venues in Couva that will be used for the games. Cudjoe hopes that athletes will return to TT.

The Shaw Park Recreational Facility is one of the Tobago venues where athletes will compete.

“One of the areas that played a critical role in winning the bid (to host the game) is the availability of world-class facilities, the readiness of these facilities, and we want to showcase our sites and attractions.”

A schools caravan is expected to begin next week where national athletes will visit schools. Students will learn about the Commonwealth and will get the chance to win prizes in a question-and-answer segment. Cudjoe said principals and teachers will be made more aware of the value of sport.