Trinidad and Tobago schools asked to show quality at Schools Relay Festival 2024

THE 2024 Trinbago Schools Relay Festival committee, in an effort to continue growing the event, has invited more foreign schools to compete in this year’s event which will be held at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on January 18. President of Secondary Schools Track and Field Joseph Brewster expects the local schools to be more competitive this year after the foreign schools showed their quality in 2023.

Action will be held from 10.30 am – 7 pm.

The launch of the event was held at the Ministry of Education, St Vincent Street, Port of Spain on Wednesday. Last year, schools from Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana, competed at the relay festival.

The regional schools have not been confirmed yet, but Brewster said foreign relay teams will compete.

“Last year we also had with us six teams from around the Caribbean...Which added to the festivities,” Brewster said.

Speaking more about the foreign schools, he said, “We are expecting eight teams from four Caribbean countries. Last year we really saw where we were in terms of our talent.”

He called on the media to ask why are we far behind Jamaica in terms of the performances of athletes. “I expected that when that took place last year, that the sports media in TT would have jumped on it and ask the question why are we so far behind, nobody asked that question.”

Brewster said not only the Jamaica schools excelled, but the Barbados and Guyana teams showed pedigree. The regional schools did not win any overall awards because they had small teams. However, most of the events they participated in they finished among the top three.

In 2023, Toco Secondary won the overall champion title, Queen’s Royal College claimed the boys’ crown and Bishop Anstey High School took home the girls’ title. There will be no more overall champion, only a boys and girls title. Brewster said they are trying to create a level playing field as co-ed schools will be at an advantage to claim the overall crown because they have girls and boys earning points.

Brewster said local schools have tried to revamp their programme to deliver more quality performances. “Schools took upon themselves, coaches took upon themselves to ensure that we look better. I know there are some schools after that showing last year...They really went and changed their internal programme to get better.”

Last year, the events ended at 9 pm. Brewster, who apologised for the late finish in 2023, is hoping the schedule will run on time. Some of the events will be the 4x400-metre relay, 4x100m, 4x200m and medley relays. A medley is a race where athletes run different distances.

Athletes will compete in the Under-15, Under-17 and 17+ category.

Acting curriculum co-ordinator, physical education and sport at Ministry of Education Mignon King, director of physical education and sport division at the Ministry of Sport and Community Development Gabre Jesu Mc Tair and head of community sports at the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago Lyndell Hoyte-Sanchez also attended the launch.

King commended the Trinbago Relay Festival committee for hosting the event. She said sport is an integral part of the school system as the Ministry of Education encourages all schools to have annual sports days.