Paul, Swift ready to give back via I Choose Sport programme

Trinidad and Tobago Olympic boxer Nigel Paul and national women's team footballer Victoria Swift are two of the sporting ambassadors who are excited about sharing their knowledge and experience to the next generation of athletes through the I Choose Sport programme.

Piloted with some of Trinidad and Tobago's high-profile athletes and a handful of schools in 2023, I Choose Sport, a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Sport and Community Development and the Sport Company of TT (SporTT), was launched at the Hyatt Regency hotel in PoS on Monday. I Choose Sport has been created with the vision of revitalising sporting activities in schools across the country, and over 100 athletes from varying sporting disciplines are expected to make visits to schools and communities across the length and breadth of TT as they look to inspire the youth.

As its mandate says, I Choose Sport aims to "carve out a space where young people interact with their sporting idols, are mentored and have access to some of the best sporting facilities the country has to offer."

The programme will be focused on four main areas of concentration which are expected to aid its execution: community, education, mentorship and partnership.

The programme will be kickstarted by the first school tour early in March, and 20 ambassadors received their instruments of appointment at the launch. Paul and Swift were among those who received their instruments of appointment, to go along with a mixture of current and former athletes such as Mchel Cedenio, Alvin Jones, Andrew Lewis, Chike Augustine, Thema Williams and former national women's volleyball captain Renele Forde, who was one of the speakers at the launch. Jehue Gordon, Kenwyne Jones and ace swimmer Dylan Carter are also among the ambassadors who have committed to the programme.

The 34-year-old Paul, who has his sights set on qualifying for the Paris Olympics, said he will do all in his power to devote the time needed to get the programme off the ground successfully.

"Being selected to be an ambassador for this initiative is tremendous. This is what sport needs," Paul told Newsday. "Hailing from Enterprise, Chaguanas I see the importance of things like these being done. A lot of people will appreciate it for that factor where you don't have to come to a boxing match, football match or track meet to meet idols or icons in the country.

"You can come in and interact with them and just foster that feeling of rubbing shoulders with the top guns and this person may aspire to be a boxer or a track athlete. I cannot wait to be part of the caravan going to different schools and representing. We don't know whose life will be impacted at the ground level."

Swift, who was an integral member of TT's women's team which contested the Concacaf women's Gold Cup qualifiers last year, said she is honoured to be given a helping role in shaping the "future of sport" in TT.

"For me personally, it gives me an opportunity to do something I have always been passionate about, which is giving back to the community and the younger generation," Swift said.

"(As ambassadors), us going into schools and communities gives us that opportunity to interact with the children and share our stories with them which will give them that inspiration to want to play sports. It is about sharing our stories so they will be able to balance both sport and the academic side of it. Who knows, we might find the next Brian Lara, Dwight Yorke, Victoria Swift or Karyn Forbes when we go into the schools."

The central defender said she has "made the decision to give back to sport and youth for this year" and she is relishing the I Choose Sport challenge.

Queen's Royal College, St George's College, St Mary's College, Toco Secondary and Tunapuna Secondary were among the schools featured in the 2023 pilot of the programme.