'Don't blame us,' sport ministry denies lack of support for para-athletes

AMIDST claims of lack of support for the Trinidad and Tobago contingent for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, the Ministry of Sport and Community Development has made it "categorically" clear that the TT Paralympic Committee (TTPC) has not submitted an application for grant support since 2015.

On September 13, the ministry issued a release which sought to deny claims made by TTPC president Sudhir Ramessar on the I95.5FM's I Sport radio programme on September 12.

The ministry release said, "neither the TTPC nor its president Sudhir Ramessar has ever submitted an application for grant support to the ministry" for the last nine years. The ministry also denied Ramessar's claims that the TTPC has submitted a record of the organisation's budget for consideration.

Speaking on the I95.5FM programme, Ramessar admitted the TTPC hasn't submitted a budget for review to the ministry for the "last couple of years." However, the TTPC president also said previous submissions had not been acknowledged by the ministry.

"We are required by the Ministry of Sport to submit a budget," Ramessar said, in response to a question from I95.5FM journalist Andre Baptiste. "Sometimes (when) we do it, money doesn't come. I haven't submitted a budget to the (Ministry of Sport) for a couple of years because for years I've been doing it and if I don't receive money, after a while I go on with my job and do what I have to do (to access funding).

As recently as July, Ramessar said he had conversations with high-ranking officials of the ministry to inform them he and the TTPC would be renewing their budget submissions in January 2025.

The TTPC president would like the common courtesy of a response from the ministry, whether favourable or otherwise.

"At least, let me get acknowledgement that it's received and things like that. It's disheartening to send documents and you don't even get a response. It breaks your morale at times."

In the last nine years, the ministry said it has received just two individual grants from para-athletes Nyoshia Cain and Shanntol Ince, both of whom were granted a sum of $70,000 towards their participation at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"The director of physical education and sport and his team at the Ministry of Sport and Community Development have been in contact with Mr Ramessar on a number of occasions to guide on the requirements and process to submit a completed application for a sports grant, as is the norm with any association or individual wishing to access funding from the ministry," the release said.

The release also indicated that the ministry acknowledges receipt of an application once submitted via the official form. Thereafter, it initiates the process of reviewing the submission to ensure that all supporting documents are received."

The application submission is then evaluated, with the applicant(s) then being informed of the final decision of the grants committee.

At this year's Paralympic Games, ace thrower Akeem Stewart, TT's lone participant at the games, copped a silver medal in the F64 discus event with a season's best throw of 59.66 metres on September 5. On September 9, the ministry announced Stewart will be awarded with a $150,000 purse under the ministry's national incentives reward framework.

On September 10, Stewart was welcomed home at the Piarco International Airport by Ramessar, immediate TT Olympic Committee past-president Brian Lewis and members from the ministry. The three-time Paralympic Games medallist was accompanied at the airport by chef de mission Mickey Ruben and coach Wade Franklyn, who made up TT's modest contingent at the games.

In 2019, Stewart received $450,000 for his gold medal in the men’s javelin and men’s discus at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil. In 2020, he also earned $181,250 for winning discus gold and javelin silver at the Parapan American Games.

Earlier this year, Stewart was awarded $37,500 for the capture of gold at the 2023 Parapan American Games.

During the I95.5FM programme, Stewart said he would love to see more support for field athletes in TT.

"I would like to see a little more growth in the sport where more individuals come out and partake in para-athletics and athletics because the event is dying in the country," Stewart said via telephone.

"I remember when Keshorn Walcott won his gold medal (at the London 2012 Olympics), the javelin fraternity grew. When you look back now, you hardly see eight throwers in a meet. I would like to see field events develop more and a little more attention (being) paid to it."

Newsday contacted Ramessar for comment regarding his statements on the I95.5FM programme, but he hadn't responded up to press time.