Cudjoe: Black Rock 'hiccup' affected Commonwealth Games Federation's confidence in us

MINISTER of Sport Shamfa Cudjoe believes continued delays by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) in preparing its facilities for the Commonwealth Youth Games diminished the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) confidence in TT as the hosts. But in spite of this, she said, the country remains capable of delivering a great meet.

The games will begin on Friday and end on August 11 and will be held at venues on both islands.

Over 1,000 athletes from 70 countries are expected to compete in athletics/para-athletics, cycling, swimming, triathlon, rugby sevens, beach volleyball and fast five netball.

The venues for the games include the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the National Aquatic Centre, the National Cycling Velodrome, the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, Black Rock and the Buccoo Beach Facility.

Beach volleyball was initially set to be held at Pigeon Point Beach, Tobago but in April, the THA opted for a facility at Black Rock.

In fact, the official website for the games still lists the venue as Pigeon Point.

Last week, Cudjoe revealed that the beach volleyball site was still not ready and that the THA had said it was awaiting a special grade of sand to be delivered from Guyana.

The sand arrived on Sunday and preparations have since begun. The THA has since said the facility will be ready by Thursday afternoon.

Cudjoe had said all facilities were supposed to be ready by the end of June and that test/practice matches were to be held in July.

In addition, she said, she had been trying to get in contact with THA executives to discuss this hurdle for weeks but to no avail.

THA Secretary of Community Development and Sport Terrance Baynes has since said it has been “disheartening” having to respond to “foolishness every minute.”

He added that it felt like there were efforts being made to devalue the work of those involved in organising the games in Tobago.

Speaking to Newsday on Wednesday, Cudjoe said all the facilities in Trinidad are ready and practice matches have already been held at each of those.

As for Tobago, she said, all facilities excluding the one at Black Rock are set.

Commenting on the late switch in venues for beach volleyball, she said, “I think it’s important to note that we signed this contract with CGF last year (in) August, and we had an arrangement that by the end of October that all facilities would have been confirmed that these are the final facilities.”

However, she noted that in November, Cabinet also opted for a venue change, switching athletics from the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago to the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

When it comes to Black Rock, she said her immediate questions about the switch were: Do you have the environmental clearance? Do you have the necessary Town and Country Planning (approvals)?

“If you don’t have those things as yet, you need to get them like yesterday, so we can move so that we can complete on time, the THA went on to keep making an announcement about the facility being changed, but the contract signed between the government of TT, signed by me with the CGF states there’s a process for changing a location. You have to get the permission and the approval of the international federation, and the permission and approval of the CGF.”

She said people can’t “just wake up one day an announcement.”

She said the CGF learnt about the venue switch through local news and wrote to her expressing disappointment.

“The THA had called a press conference and they were announcing to the public that these things are going to happen.

“It had not yet been finalised, that had not been a matter of fact, it had not been finalised with me, I had not been finalised with the CGF.

Asked if she believes this diminished the CGF’s confidence in TT, she said, “I think so.”

But she sought to make it clear that despite all this, she wrote to the CGF saying she remains confident the Black Rock facility will be ready.

“I submitted my agreement to go ahead with that facility in good faith,” she said.

She added, “Last week the President of the CGF Louise Martin wrote to me stating that she is concerned and disappointed as it relates to the Black Rock facility being incomplete and she asked that I find an alternative way to get this games done.”

Cudjoe likened the situation to Harvest celebrations in Tobago and painted the scenario of someone coming over only to see the hosts are “still peeling provision and cleaning up.

“Here we are, two days before the game, and teams have not been able to practice (beach volleyball).”

She said the THA has since given assurance that practice matches will be held on Thursday.

In spite of all hiccups, she said, she is happy to see the games “come alive.”

“And we would send a message to the rest of the world, to the rest of the Commonwealth family, especially that these little islands of the Caribbean can host and host at a high quality and a good level of distinction, and it will bring some pride to our people to the rest of the Caribbean.

“We are the first and hopefully we won’t be the last.”

TT is also set to host the 2025 Carifta Games. Asked what reassurance can be given that TT can successfully host that, in light of the setbacks in preparations for the Commonwealth Youth Games, she said lessons have been learnt from this experience.

“I think that’s what’s taking place in Tobago, first and foremost, is a different style of leadership and governance taking place...

“I wouldn’t want to bring politics in it but I hope that Tobago has learned lessons from this experience.”

She continued, “Of course, at this last minute, the blame game is taking place and everybody’s trying to blame somebody else refusing to take responsibility, or refusing to acknowledge that that was the concern from day one. It’s not that I didn’t want you to have a facility. My question remains: will this facility be completed on time? I think the world is looking on. And they have seen the back and forth, they have heard all that has been said.”

She said this will not be a “huge damper” for TT as “at the end of the day, you learn as you go.

“This is our first time,” she said.

She added, “I still want to commend the THA because it’s a big vision. It’s a big vision to do something like that, and it takes big heart and big guts to say ‘Hey, I can complete it by the games,’ and you actually see people working day and night to make it happen.

“In the long run, these facilities will redound to the benefit of Tobago...So for me, it’s all a plus, it’s all a plus...We see a world of possibilities, we see sport heading in the right direction and TT being developed as a hub for sport development and sport advancement in the Caribbean. And I think that’s something to be very, very proud of.

Contacted for a comment on Thursday, Baynes told Newsday he felt like Cudjoe was “engaging in mischief.

“The Commonwealth team was here over a month ago, we went and toured the facility, looked at what was happening and they expressed no problem whatsoever.”

He said it was disturbing that these comments are being made “at this hour.

“The facility will be ready and that is all I am prepared to say on this.”