“[…] I assumed that an exception would have been made for Kayleigh. Apart from the devastating infringement that cost her the race on Saturday, she is the national champion at that distance and over the last year, she had run faster times than any under-17 or under-20 athlete in the …
Read More »Dear Sport Minister, please save us from greedy, crooked ASATT; T&T swimming is pay-per-play
“[…] Honourable Minister of Sport Ms Shamfa Cudjoe, when handing over funds to sporting associations please put added measures to ensure the intended purpose is realised. “A suggestion would be to distribute funds directly to the swimmers and officials based on the cost breakdown in the meet summons or ASATT’s …
Read More »Message to the media; musings on premature loss of a Laker as great as great Kobe
Basketball legends never die, a friend joked to me on WhatsApp last Sunday, they just keep hitting fadeaways. And confessing that he had felt physically sick when he first heard the news of Kobe Bryant’s untimely death in a helicopter crash earlier in the day, he explained that, for him, …
Read More »‘The rules are clear!’ TTOC and NAAATT offer ‘support’ as Ahye faces Olympics ban
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis said their attorneys are ‘carefully perusing’ the details of a two year ban on star sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye, as they weigh up a possible appeal to the decision by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). Ahye, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, …
Read More »Challenging, yes; impossible, no! Hartwell urges Njisane and Bramble to fight to the end
“It’s a big gap, but not an insurmountable one… There are countless, beautiful comeback stories throughout the history of the sport! It’s what inspires people to pursue sport! “The essence of sport is to rise to the occasion, put one’s best foot forward, and face the doubts and demons that …
Read More »From zoom to gloom: T&T cycling suffers growing pains as fading Olympic dream prompts recriminations
After the euphoria of gold medals and tournament record times in the 2019 Pan American Games and Elite Pan Am Track Cycling Championships came a sickening crash to earth for Trinidad and Tobago cyclists Njisane Phillip and Keron Bramble. Feted in September, then vilified by Christmas. Phillip said he has …
Read More »How to lose a doping case in three easy steps: grappling with WADA
Doping cases have dominated the sporting headlines in the region as of late. It is a highly specialised and often misunderstood area of law that appeals to not only lawyers and law students, but the public at large. In this article, I set out the three sure-fire ways to lose …
Read More »Attorney: No T&T cyclist took performance enhancing drug; they’re sullying our reputation!
“In light of this persistent negative narrative, I am compelled to inform the national community that […] no member of the team tested positive for an anabolic steroid, masking agent, or any other substance that may suggest an intention to cheat or to gain an unfair competitive advantage over his …
Read More »Pedal and wheel! Live Wire finds three reasons for optimism despite cycling doping drama
So you had already mentally banked a cycling medal for Trinidad and Tobago at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and today’s news of an alleged doping violation made your stomach turn like a bad Ponche de Creme? Yep. On Boxing Day night, the Pan American Games organisers sent word that …
Read More »Cycling attorney: Pan Am Sports has ‘severely compromised’ dope procedure
“I use this opportunity, as legal representative for one of the cyclists on the Trinidad and Tobago team, to state that the assertion of and ensuing consequences of an anti-doping rule violation has been legally contested and is currently under judicial consideration before an arbitral body…” The following press statement …
Read More »My body of work: 1971 Mr World reflects on his life as a T&T bodybuilder
Steve Burnett competed extensively for Trinidad and Tobago in bodybuilding in the 1960s and early 1970s. He was Trinidad’s first Mr World, winning the competition in 1971, while the United States had their first black Mr World in 1974. Steve competed with the world’s best, who at the time included …
Read More »T&T on cycle of success; Paul’s world record confirms Olympic possibilities for sport
A world record. The pinnacle for any sportsman because no one—ever—has gone as fast, as high, as far or lifted as much, in the history of mankind. Trinidad and Tobago has a lot of medals in its proud sporting history, gold that belie its size relative to its competitors. But …
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