ANNUAL REPORT 2019 MISSION TO INSPIRE EXCELLENCE IN THE ATHLETES OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO TO ENABLE THEM TO REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL 01 TTOC CONTENTS 03 Letter from President Lewis 04 About the TTOC 05 #10Golds24 06 Celebrating Competitive Excellence 07 Commonwealth Youth Games Awarded to Trinidad and Tobago 08 Athlete Support 11 Future is Female 13 Marketing and Promotion 14 Promoting Olympism 17 Annual Awards 20 The People Who Make It Happen 02 TTOC Letter from President Lewis Being resilient means having the courage to bounce back and take risks despite adversity and initial setbacks. There is no better than adversity. Every defeat. Every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time. - Malcolm X 03 TTOC ABOUT THE TTOC Established in 1946, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee serves as the National Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Association and Beach & Sand Games Association for Trinidad and Tobago. The TTOC is a non-profit organization focused on supporting and empowering Trinidad and Tobago’s athletes to achieve sporting excellence. We are responsible for fielding Team TTO athletes for the Olympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American, Commonwealth, Commonwealth Youth and serves as the steward of the Olympic Movement in Trinidad and Tobago. Funded principally through grants from Olympic Solidarity, Panam Sports and corporate sponsorship, the TTOC is independent of the Government and governmental funding, other than contributions by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to national teams’ representation at International Games. NATIONAL SPORTING ORGANIZATIONS National Sporting Organizations (NSOs) govern and manage all aspects of their individual sports within Trinidad and Tobago. The NSOs are responsible for training, competition and the development of their sports, as well as selecting athletes for Team TTO at International, Regional and National competitions. There are forty- three (43) NSO’s affiliated with the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee which comprises of Olympic, Commonwealth, Pan American Sports and other sport affiliated organizations. OLYMPIC/ COMMONWEALTH SUMMER SPORTS NSOs Trinidad and Tobago Canoeing & Rowing Federation Trinidad and Tobago Weightlifting Association OTHER AFFILIATED NSOs National Ballroom Dance Association of Trinidad and Tobago National Pigeon Racing Commission of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Contract Bridge Association Trinidad and Tobago Snow Sports Federation Trinidad and Tobago Cue Sports Foundation Trinidad and Tobago Sports Medicine Association Trinidad and Tobago Draughts/ Checkers Association Wushu Association of Trinidad and Tobago 04 TTOC 01 #10GOLDS24 Seven years since its establishment, Vision 10 or more Olympic Gold • High Performance Support medals by the year 2024 (#10Golds24), continues to set the tone and • Case by Case needs and Special Requests provide an anchor for Team TTO to develop a pathway and performance management system that holistically foster, mentor, nurture and develop Olympians and Olympic Champions. Marathon Walk This year, Mr. Lewis successfully completed his 5th ‘Marathon Walk’ Many of TTO’s Elite and High-Performance athletes are not financially well with a bevy of supporters who contributed to raising funds for the rewarded and will not have an opportunity to reach their potential without #10Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund. financial support. Financial support or the lack of it across the stages of an athlete's long-term development have ended or compromised the dream Virtual 5K of many talented young men and women. The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee partnered with BAFA In order to help fill this gap, #10Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Sports for the launch of its pilot project #GetMovingTTO. This Fund was launched on the 26th December 2014. The TTOC President, project was geared towards the promotion of wellness and healthy Brian Lewis participated in the first of many Trinidad and Tobago lifestyles through physical activity using technology. International Marathons to raise awareness and seed funding for the Athlete Welfare and Preparation fund which is envisioned to be Participants were required to download an app which allowed them independent, transparent, accountable and non – governmental. to track their progress as they worked toward their individual goals. The aim of #10golds24 athlete welfare and preparation fund is to provide The event was also used as a fundraiser for the #10Golds24 sustainable financial assistance to our nation’s Olympic, Paralympic and Athlete Welfare and Preparation Commonwealth Games athletes to enable them to train, recover and Fund. compete. The fund aims to assist athletes in the following aspects: • Financial support • Technical Support • Sport Medicine and High-Performance Support • Medal bonus • Health and Accident Insurance • Internships with Corporate T&T to prepare for life after elite sport • Life skills training • Athlete Career Development 05 TTOC CELEBRATING SPORTING EXCELLENCE Team TTO completed an historic Pan American Games in Lima Peru with a record breaking 98-member contingent competing in 18 sporting disciplines and a resounding haul of 11 medals; 1 GOLD, 7 SILVER and 3 BRONZE. GOLD Team TTO continued the historic performance at the Parapan American Games Nicholas Paul – Cycling (Men’s sprint) with a 4-medal haul; 2 GOLD, 1 SILVER and 1 BRONZE. SILVER Teneil Campbell – Cycling (women’s time trial) GOLD Teneil Campbell – Cycling (women’s road race) Akeem Stewart – Athletics (men’s discus) Felice Chow – Rowing (singles sculls) Nyoshia Cain-Claxton – Athletics (women’s 200m) Keshorn Walcott – Javelin SILVER Akeem Stewart – Athletics (men’s javelin) Michelle Lee-Ahye – Athletics (women’s 100m) Jereem Richards – Athletics (men’s 200m) BRONZE Nyoshia Cain-Claxton – Athletics (women’s 100m Jerod Elcock – Athletics (men’s 4x100m) Keston Bledman – Athletics (men’s 4x100m) Akanni Hislop – Athletics (men’s 4x100m) Kyle Greaux – Athletics (men’s 4x100m) BRONZE Michael Alexander – Boxing (welterweight) Dylan Carter – Swimming (100m backstroke) Dwight St. Hilaire – Athletics (4x400m) Deon Lendore – Athletics (4x400m) Jereem Richards – Athletics (4x400m) Machel Cedenio – Athletics (4x400m) 01 06 TTOC COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES 2021 Trinidad and Tobago, through the efforts of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and the Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association won the bid to host the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games. This historic feat was a result of the vision, hard work and dedication of three young ladies, Chanelle Young, Rheeza Grant and Kwanieze John, who conceptualised and prepared an impressive presentation delivered to the Commonwealth Games Federation by the President, Brian Lewis and Secretary General, Annette Knott. Trinbago 2021 CYG promises a modern, digital, transformative and youth-centered Games which would change lives for the better by leaving a legacy of youth and young people engagement and entrepreneurship. 07 TTOC ATHLETE SUPPORT Athlete Preparation Support TTOC, in 2019, put in place an interim committee consisting of five (5) athletes who participated in the Olympic Games and the Pan Each year National Olympic Committees are given access to a American Games to Develop and implement a strategic plan for the Funding Grant to support athletes to reach their maximum establishment of an athlete’s commission by July 2021. potential through sport, which is all geared toward the Olympic Games. In an effort to support TeamTTO athletes, funding Michael Johnson Performance support is strategically allocated to team TTO athletes for the opportunity to train, prepare and achieve sporting excellence. In Following a meeting with Michael Johnson Performance Center 2019, 100% of the PASO Support Grant was used across 8 (MJP) and BPTT, the committee coordinated a group of Olympic and sporting disciplines to support 32 athletes and their NSO’s, either Paralympic podium potential athletes to visit the Michael Johnson towards their preparation for the Pan American Games and or the Performance Center located in Mckinney Texas during the offseason Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and qualifying events related to period in December 2019. The group worked closely with Mr. Lance either event. Funds provided to NSOs were utilized for elite athlete Walker, second in command at the Center, as well as John programmes, such as training camps, coaching, medical support Rettenmeier, high performance specialist and Anthony Marcano and travel to international competition. TTOC’s lead coach. The visit was geared towards preparations leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. MJP assessed and Eleven (11) athletes continue to benefit from the Tokyo 2020 evaluated the attending athletes to better enhance their performance Olympic Solidarity Scholarship to supplement their training and to peak in time for the games. The group consisted of five (5) top competition preparation. One athlete was removed from the level athletes and two (2) coaches. scholarship due to an anti-doping rule violation which falls within the guidelines of the programme. Additional support was offered to a few athletes for preparation towards the Olympic Games 2020 —and medal bonus payments for top finishes at the Pan American Games 2019 held in Lima Peru. Athlete Career Programme In 2019, TTOC hosted its first two-day transitional development programme focused on areas such as anti- doping, elite athlete performance, sports psychology, strategic