The Trinidad International Marathon Walk on Sunday 25 January 2015 is only the beginning of sustained efforts by the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee( TTOC) to raise funding for (10 or more Olympic Gold Medals by the year 2024) #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation  .

#10golds24 will require a sustained and ongoing national fund raising effort.

#10golds24 is the vision behind the dream that Trinidad and Tobago(TTO) can produce Olympic Champions on a sustained , systemic and planned basis.

An Olympic Gold medal  must no longer be perceived as a happy accident or in spite of or lack of a national sport system.

It requires system strategy and structure in respect of talent identification , development, retention and performance management.

TTO athletes have carried the burden and endured the financial hardships for too long. They need support during the journey not when they win an Olympic  medal.

As a nation we must be confident in the belief and vision that Trinidad and Tobago can produce 10 or more Olympic Champions by 2024.

We have a rich and cherished Olympic history and tradition since first being accepted by the International Olympic Committee( IOC) in 1948.

#10golds24 seeks to clarify the development pathway and performance management system  that will holistically  foster, mentor, nurture and develop Olympians and Olympic Champions.

At the centre of #10golds24 are the athletes who can be positive role models for the children, youth and young people  of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) is encouraging  the public to continue to rally around #10golds24 and our athletes and make their donations  at any Scotia Bank Branch  Account number  171188.

Or by cheque made payable to TTOC. Which can be dropped off or posted to TTOC Olympic House 121 Abrecromby Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Minister of Sport Senator Brent Sancho met with Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis on Friday at the Office of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago .

Since coming into Office, it is the second meeting held between the Minister and the national Olympic committee.

The Minister was updated on the progress of the TTOC’s plans for the upcoming Pan Am Games scheduled to take place in Toronto, Canada in July.

The main item on the agenda were travel plans and arrangements for the national contingent for the Games.

“Minister Sancho has been very positive and proactive in ensuring that the Ministry’s support is in place. He has asked us (TTOC) to keep him updated as he wants to make sure there are no hiccups and that all arrangements are in place well in advance of the Pan Am Games,” Lewis stated in a press release yesterday.

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28 February- Port of Spain.

Minister of Sport Senator Brent Sancho met with Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) President Brian Lewis yesterday at the Office of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago .

Since coming into Office It is the second meeting held between the Minister and the national Olympic committee.

The Minister was updated on the progress of the TTOC plans for the upcoming Pan Am Games scheduled for Toronto , Canada in July.

Main item on the agenda was Travel plans and arrangements for the Pan Am Games.

" Minister Sancho has been very positive and proactive in ensuring that the Ministry's support is in place . He has asked us(TTOC) to keep him updated as he wants to make sure there are no hiccups and that all arrangements are in place well in advance of the Pan Am Games. "

SportAccord Convention has signed up PwC as a Gold Partner for this year's World Sport and Business Summit in Sochi.

This latest deal marks the multinational professional services network's third year as a gold partner for the event and will see its cities and local Governments consulting global leader Hazem Galal deliver a keynote address on legacy - one of the summit's central themes.

"Our Gold Partnership with PwC continues to be of great value to us as an organisation and we are delighted to have PwC deliver the keynote address," said Nis Hatt, the managing director of SportAccord Convention.

"We are very pleased that the partnership is continuing and that we are able to provide a platform for PwC to meet its business objectives."

The PwC delegation set to travel to this year's Convention, which takes place at the Sochi ExpoCentre in the Russian city from April 19 to 24, includes officials from key territories across its global network, including from Switzerland, the Middle East, the United States and Russia.

"SportAccord Convention is important to us as a platform for connecting with sport industry decision makers and speaking with them about the issues critical to their success," said Robert Gruman, who heads PwC's global sports mega-events centre of excellence.

"It gives us a chance to engage with delegates in an open, constructive atmosphere.

"This year, we are proud that our colleague Hazem Galal, PwC's cities and local Governments consulting global leader, has been asked to deliver the keynote address on legacy.

"In connection with that, we also plan to carry out a Sporting Leaders Survey on legacy in partnership with the SportAccord Convention World Sport and Business Summit organisers."

PwC now joins Sport Event Denmark, the Combat and Strength Sports Confederation of Kazakhstan and the Macau Sport Development Board as other 2015 SportAccord Convention Gold Partners.

The six-day World Sport and Business Summit will allow key decision-makers in sport to engage with business leaders across more than 25 industry sectors.

It will feature a dynamic exhibition, LawAccord, City Forum, the SportAccord Convention Village and Sports Demo Zone, as well as hosting the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

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Local cyclists is set to get a training boost with tomorrow’s official opening of a cycling lane around the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain. Works Minister Suruj Rambachan said, as he chaired yesterday’s launch during a press conference at his ministry’s Richmond and London Street, Port of Spain head office, that the cycling lane is a 14-year dream come true for the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TTCF).

The initiative, a joint venture between the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Transport, TTCF and non-governmental organisation Share the Road Trinidad and Tobago, will see the inner lane of the roadway around the Savannah being opened to all riders between the hours of 4 a.m. – 6 a.m. and 8.30 p.m. – 10.30 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays and between the hours of 5 a.m. – 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Rambachan said that plans are already in place to develop a two kilometre piece of roadway identified by Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz in his Chaguanas East constituency and the walking/jogging track at Frederick Settlement in Caroni has been built eight feet wide instead of the customary five feet, both to accommodate cyclists.

Former national cycling standout Roger Gibbon, said: “We welcome this timely initiative and the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation supports any initiative that makes it safer for cyclists to use our roads. Gibbon said it presents a great opportunity for cycling since over the years this country has been able to produce cycling medals at major international meets with limited training facilities.

Robert Farrier, TTCF president, endorsed the sentiments expressed by Gibbon and added that the opening of the cycling lane augurs well for the sport as it will now help propel the cycling body’s grassroots project. “Bicycles are one of the fastest selling toys at Christmas but where do the children have to ride? The more young riders it have is the greater talent pool we have to select from.”

He said the initiative will also lend to T&T having more healthy people and thanked all the stakeholders involved in the initiative. “The Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation is definitely on-board with this project,” said Farrier.

Project stakeholder and cycling enthusiast Barry Edghill, said that while cycling lanes have existed since 1874, predominantly in Australia, Europe and the United States of America, T&T is creating its own history by being the first country in the Caribbean to implement the initiative.

“We are looking forward to stage where we will have designated cycling lanes established with the help of barricades and culverts. I am overwhelmed that this project is coming to fruition.” Cadiz, in his turn on the podium, praised the speedy response they received from the Works Minister when he was approached on the matter.

“I didn’t have to do any arm twisting to get his support because when Suruj was approached he said just bring the mechanics as to how it would be implemented and I would give it my blessings. He said that following tomorrow’s opening they will be hosting a ‘Diego to Debe’ charity ride on Easter Monday to celebrate the Share the Road concept and added that all proceeds from the event will go to the Children Life Fund.

And Share the Road T&T head, Sheldon Waithe, said the initiative is part of a national campaign for road safety. “The organisation was established last May following the death of former national cyclist Clinton Grant and we are currently engaging the Transport and the Communications ministries with proposals for the education and promotion of road safety, not just for cyclists but pedestrians as well.”

While the focus may seem to be on competitive riders, the lane will be accessible to all riders as a means of leisure or exercise and motorists are being asked to respect cyclists by sharing the road with them even outside of the mandated hours. Tomorrow’s opening ceremony will take place at the Queen’s Park Savannah opposite BpTT.

Trinidad and Tobago’s first ever cross-country skiing representative, Mark Rajack, made his brave World Ski Championships debut in Falun, Sweden, last week.

His competitive showing at this esteemed international event broke new ground for sport development in the twin-island republic, since Rajack became TT’s first ever representative in professional skiing (snow). At the Championships on February 19, Rajack finished 121st overall in the discipline of SP C qualification round, which was eventually his final result. One day prior, Rajack also earned a fair 59th place in the International Skiing Federation 10km F category. Altogether, the 33-year-old dual citizen of Canada amassed 482.04 points from his first result and bagged 8-7.76 more in the latter.

The promising athlete was introduced to cross-country skiing a few years ago while working for Fresh Air Experience Ottawa – a store that specialises in cross-country skis and bicycles. He is the lone member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Cross-Country Ski Team.

In a recent interview on Ski Trax.com prior to the start of Worlds last week, Mark, who migrated when he was six years old confessed that, “most people of Caribbean descent have a negative outlook on winter and there’s no way I would have imagined this happening.

“Part of being a new Canadian means you have to adapt or find ways to cope with the climate. For me, it was cross country skiing. And it’s come to the point now where I can’t live anywhere that doesn’t have snow,” he added

Rajack’s interest and dedication to the sport of cross-country skiing was recognised by XC Ottawa – the city’s premier racing team and home to some of Canada’s top skiers — which he eventually joined to develop his racing abilities. A Carleton University alum, Rajack also received a tremendous amount of coaching and training from members of Carleton’s Nordic ski team, where the head coach, Nic Clifford, said: “Even in the bitter cold, he’s often the most enthusiastic to be out skiing, and it really lifts everyone’s spirits on those tough days.”

His next goal is to represent TT in the 2018 Winter Olympics – a plan he never thought would be possible. Rajack returned to his home-base in Canada over the weekend and was back to work yesterday after his hectic World Championships campaign.

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