Challenges of covid19 to dominate Sport Industry conference

THE TT Olympic Committee's (TTOC) sixth Sport Industry TT conference will be held, on Thursday.

It will be held virtually on Zoom because of the covid19 pandemic. The topic at this year's conference is "The future is now! Covid19 implications for the sport industry."

Among those scheduled to speak at the conference are TTOC president Brian Lewis, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe and Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat.

Head of International Business for Athletes First Partners Yao Williams is responsible for commercialising the portfolio of clients, which include the National Basketball Players Association and the collective rights of all 450 NBA players. Williams will speak on the changing demands in sponsorship, sales and business development.

The Possibility Playground founder Heather Moyse, who has competed internationally in bobsleigh, rugby and track cycling, will pass on her knowledge in one of the panel discussions. Moyse is a two-time Winter Olympic gold medallist in bobsleigh. She and her team-mate won gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Games. In 2016, Moyse was the first Canadian woman to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

Deputy programme manager in the trade and economic integration directorate of the Caricom secretariat Timothy Odle will address the audience.

He will discuss the key role that the services sector plays in the Caribbean and the steps Caricom is proposing to boost sporting services.

In the past year, Odle has been working on a regional covid19 action plan for the sporting sub-sector.

Lewis is excited about this year’s speakers and panellists.

“Having two-time Olympic gold medallist Heather Moyse share her thoughts and ideas as a panellist is important. The TTOC has worked diligently to put together panels, topics, speakers and panellists who have different perspectives and experiences. Yao Williams is experienced in the global sport industry and Caricom’s plans will be instructive.”

Lewis added that the past year has taught sporting organisations and people to think differently. “Coronavirus has challenged many long-held and largely unchallenged assumptions about the sport industry. Due to the pandemic, sport has been forced to reinvent itself for a socially distanced age. What are the implications, opportunities, new ideas and insights? How can sport and how must sport reset, reinvent, reimagine and rebrand to align key strategic propositions.”

The TTOC is celebrating a major milestone this year. “This year we are determined as we celebrate 75 years to put on events that are relevant to the reality of the covid19 pandemic,” Lewis said.