Amateur boxing returns to Siparia on Friday.
After a two-year absence, boxing is back as part of the Siparia Borough Regional Corporation Festival.
Fight time is 7 p.m. at the Siparia Regional Corporation. And next Wednesday the action shifts to Point Fortin from 7 p.m. at Cheetah’s Bar in New Lands.
The Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Boxing Association has also planned cards at the Arima Borough Festival, Chaguanas Borough Festival and also San Fernando City week.
Both cards this weekend and next week, will involve some of Trinidad and Tobago’s top amateur boxers. They are using the cards as warm-ups for the upcoming Pan American qualifiers. This will be a final chance to make the T&T team. The qualifiers are set for June 4-9 in Tijuana, Mexico. The selected boxers leave on May 10, for a four-week live-in camp in Havana, Cuba.
To date, 15 boxers are on the short-list for selection to the T&T team for the Pan Am qualifiers. These include Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Michael Alexander, as well as experienced boxers Andrew Fermin, Aaron Prince and Aaron Cumberbatch who have been part of several T&T national teams.
Also in the initial squad are Christopher De Freitas, Anthony Joseph , Jean–Paul Cooper, Jude Franklin, Justin Parris, Christian Mc Donald, Chimere Taylor, Ingle Charles, Stephanie Allen, Patrice Kalloo, and Kimberly Jackson.
Burns starts solid
Marc Burns produced a solid run at his first outdoor meet this season. The experienced Trinidad and Tobago sprinter clocked 10.17 seconds to win the War Eagle Invitational men’s 100 metres dash, in Alabama, USA, on Saturday.In the preliminary round, Burns won heat three in a wind-assisted 10.21 to advance to the final as the fastest qualifier.
Renny Quow also opened his 2015 outdoor campaign with gold. The T&T athlete won the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Invitational men’s 200m event in 20.78 seconds. South Plains College student Jereem Richards clocked 21.18 to finish first in section two and third overall.
Another T&T/South Plains athlete, Domonique Williams was fourth in the women’s 200m in 23.92 seconds.
UTEP’s Aeisha McDavid finished fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles in a wind-aided 14.20 seconds and fifth in the high jump with a 1.52 metres clearance. And South Plains sprinter Aaliyah Telesford secured fifth spot in the women’s 100m dash in 11.93 seconds.
In Maryland, Deandra Daniel won the Morgan State Legacy women’s high jump with a 1.87m clearance, equalling her personal best. The Coppin State University student also competed in the long jump, finishing sixth with a 5.57m leap.
Emmanuel Stewart established a new national record in the men’s hammer throw, landing the implement 55.11m to finish second. He won the discus with a 50.90m throw.
Temple University’s Kiersten LaRoche got home in 14.81 seconds to finish 11th overall in the women’s 100m hurdles. Coppin State’s Haysean Cowie-Clarke was 14th fastest in the men’s 100m in 10.94 and 35th in the 200m in 22.79. University of Delaware junior, Chelsi Campbell produced a 25.53 seconds run for 20th spot overall in the women’s 200m. And in the 400m, Campbell was 21st in 58.20.
At the Mt SAC Relays, in California, Ayanna Alexander secured silver in the women’s triple jump, her 13.83m effort earning her third spot on the 2015 world outdoor performance list.
Mikel Thomas was also impressive, the T&T hurdler snapping up silver in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.32 seconds. He is sixth on the 2015 world list. The clocking was the second fastest of Thomas’ career, behind his 13.19 national record.
Jarrin Solomon secured second spot in the men’s 400m in 45.86 seconds. In the women’s 400m hurdles, Josanne Lucas got home in 57.24 seconds to finish first in section two and fourth overall. Lucas was also fourth fastest in the college/open 100m hurdles, the T&T athlete getting to the line in 13.54.
Magnolia Howell clocked 55.94 seconds for 11th spot overall in the women’ 400m. In the college/open men’s 400m, College of the Sequoias students, Ohdel James and Theon Lewis were 24th and 31st, respectively, clocking 48.09 and 48.30. And in the college/open women’s 100m, Western Kentucky University sprinter Peli Alzola was 31st fastest in 11.86 seconds.
At the Ross Black Open, in New Mexico, Kayelle Clarke bagged bronze in the women’s 100m, the New Mexico Junior College student clocking 11.75 seconds.
In Oklahoma, Osei Alleyne-Forte was fifth fastest in the John Jacobs Invitational men’s 400m event in 47.49 seconds. His Abilene Christian University teammate, Sterlen Paul was 10th in the men’s 800m in one minute, 53.44 seconds.
In the women’s 200m, Missouri State University’s Kadisha Francois was 15th overall in 25.11 seconds, finishing one spot ahead of another T&T athlete, Jessica James (25.34). And in the 100m dash, Francois was 16th in 12.64.
At the Georgia Tech Invitational, Tiffin University’s Kevin Roberts finished sixth in the men’s long jump with a 7.07m leap.
In Texas, Dannielle Davis produced a 5.58m effort to finish 12th in the Michael Johnson Classic women’s long jump. The Baylor University senior clocked 14.30 seconds for 20th spot overall in the 100m hurdles.
University of Texas at Arlington sprinter, Aaron Leung Woo-Gabriel was 17th in the men’s 200m in 22.75 seconds and 30th in the 100m in 11.25.
Olympic coverage to cater to Caribbean
This is a game changer.
That is how president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) Brian Lewis described the announcement of Cable and Wireless Communications as the official broadcast sponsor and exclusive telecom partner who will provide a Caribbean-centred broadcast of the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
This was announced yesterday during a media conference at Hyatt Regency Trinidad which was attended by local and Caribbean athletes, including T&T’s Jehue Gordon and Cleopatra Borel.
CANOC (Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committee) Broadcasting Inc (CBI), which is a subsidiary of CANOC, will manage the Caribbean centred Olympic feed, which they have contracted ESPN Caribbean to provide.
CBI CEO Larry Romany, fielding questions from the media, revealed that the feed will be provided to all regional media outlets free of cost.
CBI will deliver Olympic television coverage to the Caribbean on all platforms, including free to air terrestrial networks, cable, digital, mobile and online streaming, 12 hours every day for the duration of the games.
Eleven additional live Olympic feeds will be provided alongside the ESPN feed.
“We are proud to have this opportunity to bring an enriched Olympic experience to our region,” said Cable and Wireless consumer group president John Reid.
The coverage will include feature interviews, profiles and live-action footage of athletes from the region.
Lewis was encouraged by the announcement and said it will only help to grow and strengthen the Olympic movement in T&T and the Caribbean.
“What was announced here is going to make a difference to sport and the Olympic movement in Trinidad and Tobago that is unprecedented,” he said yesterday.
“This represents an important step for the Olympic movement in the Caribbean. The advent of integrated communication across the globe means that athletes and supporters live in a world of immediate access to content on any platform of their choosing,” he added.
“The Caribbean athletes have proven that we can compete and win against the best that the world can produce,” said Lewis.
“CANOC have taken a decision to place our athletes at the centre of what we do. This is testimony that the power of the Olympic Games can unite the region as evident by the coming together of CANOC and the founding of CBI Limited,” the TTOC president added.
Minister of Sport Brent Sancho also said that yesterday’s announcements were huge.
“This is exciting for us as a nation. This really brings Olympic sports to a whole new perspective. I am excited for the athletes because it puts them at the forefront.
“I remember how Ian Morris inspired me as an athlete. That is the kind of inspiration we are looking for. Now you are putting it on a wider scale. You are talking about mobile apps and some of the things our young people are into.
“They are getting to see our current and future stars and athletes and get the opportunity to emulate them as see every moment, before, after and during the event and that only bodes well for sport in this country,” Sancho explained.
And Caribbean fans can look forward to even more coverage of Caribbean athletes in the sporting arena in the future.
“We have already won the rights for Pan Am Games and you will be seeing those games in a very similar way,” Romany said.
“We are working towards getting as many sporting properties as possible and then working with the partners to bring coverage to the Caribbean people,” he added.
CWC to beam Olympics to 15 million in region
More than 15 million people across the Caribbean will benefit from a strategic broadcast rights deal agreed and signed between Cable and Wireless Communications and CANOC Broadcasting Inc to televise performances of regional athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympics from the opening to closing ceremonies.
The announcement was made by CANOC CEO Larry Romany at a media conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
It means that viewers in this part of the world will no longer be saddled with the North American perspective of the games since this is where Caribbean broadcasters usually access their feeds.
CANOC, a subsidiary of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees, has secured the exclusive Olympic content rights across all platforms to 20 English-speaking countries, as well as non-exclusive rights in ten non-English speaking countries throughout the region.
In an effort to ensure that material packaged met international standards, CANOC enlisted the services of global sports broadcaster ESPN to achieve this. ESPN will also recruit the best sporting minds in the Caribbean to deliver commentary before and after athletes compete.
Romany said the production deal with ESPN will cost US$5 million but he declined comment on the value of CWC’s investment as the exclusive telecoms partner.
Like Romany, John Reid, president of CWC Consumer Group, did not disclose the value of the deal but was clear it was arguably the biggest of its kind in the region.
“This is a coming out event for us. This is a way to prove to the people that we are going to put our money where our mouth is. I think this is absolutely critical for us,” Reid said.
Under the agreement, CWC customers will view the games across 12 of its channels, including its video on the demand service.
Romany said bars and restaurants would also not be blocked from carrying the broadcasts.
T&T beach volleyballers depart for Cayman
The local women’s pair of Apphia Glasgow and La Teisha Joseph will depart for Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands today via Jamaica to compete in the women’s segment of the 2015 Norceca Beach Volleyball Tour opener at Seven Miles Beach from Friday until Sunday.
Glasgow and Joseph, who have competed on the tour in the past, earned T&T’s lone available spot to the first stop on this year’s NORCECA tour after topping the five-stage T&T Volleyball Federation Beach Volleyball Tournament Qualifiers ahead of Ayana Dyette and Nancy Joseph while Elki Phillip and Shenelle Gordon were third.
The pair of Glasgow and Joseph will also be one of two T&T women’s team which will contest the first round of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) 2016 Rio Olympics Beach Volleyball Qualifiers in Ocho Rios Bay Beach, Jamaica, April 30 to May 5. And according to coach David Thomas, the local women will be using the tournament this weekend in Cayman Islands as part of their preparations for Jamaica.
Speaking on the eve of their departure, Thomas who along with the pair will overnight in Kingston ahead of departing for Cayman Islands on Wednesday morning said the team will be aiming for a top ten finish. He added, “The girls had a few problems with regards to getting to train because of some financial constraits, and they also were lacking in some confidence as they did not feel they were getting the full support of everyone involve.
“That is now behind them and in the final set of training sessions we had before we leave you can see they had regained their focus, and I believe once they play to their full potential they will be able to represent themselves and T&T well, and finish among the top ten. “Our focus is really on the Olympic qualifiers the following weekend in Jamaica, so while we will want to place as high as we possibly can, our main focus will be on getting the team to gel in a very competitive environment ahead of the first round Olympic Qualifiers.
The other women’s team which will compete in the Olympic qualifiers is the pair of Phillip and Gordon. This after Joseph was forced to withdrew from the local qualifiers, due to work commitments, leaving Dyette, without a team-mate. Dyette redeemed herself in the second phase of the T&TVF qualifiers though as she teamed with World Junior Under-21 player Malika Davidson to top the Pan American Games qualifiers.
Last year in Cayman, Dyette and Joseph ended in 11th spot in Cayman Islands from 17 teams.
.....Whitfield, Williams return after two-years absence
Tomorrow (Wednesday), the top local men’s team of Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield will head for Cayman Islands, but via Miami, as they also look ahead to the first round of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) 2016 Rio Olympics Beach Volleyball Qualifiers. The CAZOVA men’s Olympic Qualifiers are carded for the National Beach Volleyball Development Centre, here in Trinidad at Saith Park, Chaguanas from May 8-10.
Williams and Whitfield qualified to compete in Cayman Islands without dropping a match or set in the first phase of the local federation’s five qualifying tournaments held in February and March. They then emerged unbeaten in the second phase of qualifiers, four tournaments, between March/April for the Pan American Games to equal a feat of nine straight local tournament wins, achieved by Dyette and Joseph from last year to the opening tournament this year.
Unlike, Gordon and Joseph, the pair of Whitfield and Williams, who won a historic Norceca Beach Tour bronze medal at Mission Beach, Toco, three years ago have competed in Cayman Islands in the past, 2013 to be exact. Last year, Under-23 duo, Tevin Joseph and Tarandath Deonath who were preparing for the FIVB World Under-23 Championships competed in the opening leg of the tour while in 2013, Williams paired with Simon Blake.
Joining Whitfield and Williams in the Olympic qualifiers will be Tevin Joseph and Josiah Eccles, who ended as runners-up in both the first and second stage events hosted by the T&TVF.
IAAF lead Federations resigning from SportAccord after Vizer attack on Bach as IOC President claims it is "business as usual"
The International Association of Athletics Federations became the first world governing body to confirm it had resigned from SportAccord following the attack by its President Marius Vizer on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) here earlier today.
The IAAF is one of three International Federations to have resigned, along with International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) and World Archery.
Lamine Diack and Franz Schreiber, President of the IAAF and secretary general of the ISSF respectively, were also among at least 10 Olympic Federations to sign a letter claiming they did not agree with Vizer's comments and that they back Bach.
Uğur Erdener, President of World Archery, was also also among the signatories of the letter and later confirmed they suspended their membership of SportAccord.
Vizer had launched a scathing attack on the IOC at SportAccord's General Assembly, accusing them of running a system that is "expired, outdated, wrong, unfair and not at all transparent."
The letter, obtained by insidethegames, claimed Vizer had spoken on their behalf without them being consulted.
"We the undersigned Members of the SportAccord Association are expressing to the SportAccord leadership our disagreement on the opinions expressed this morning by the SportAccord President during the opening speech which do not reflect the views of the International Federations," the letter said.
"We also express our strong support to the International Olympic Committee and to the Olympic Agenda 2020 which has been adopted under the leadership of the IOC President Thomas Bach in consultation and agreement with all the International Federations".
All of the Federations who have signed the letter are part of the Olympic programme at the Summer Games and, of the 13, eight are led by current or honorary IOC members.
All are considered to be close allies of Bach.
The most prominent name was Diack, a member of the IOC between 1999 and 2013 until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 80 when he became an honorary IOC member.
The other Federations to sign the letter were the World Aquatics Federation, World Archery, World Badminton, the International Basketball Federation, International Canoe Federation, International Fencing Federation, International Hockey Federation, FIFA, International Modern Pentathlon Union and World Rowing,
The International Cycling Union, International Volleyball Federation and World Rugby have all confirmed to insidethegames that they also later signed the letter.
Image title
Both the IAAF and the ISSF announced they had resigned from SportAccord during the General Assembly where Vizer had made his remarks during the opening address.
"I can confirm that the IAAF has announced earlier today its decision to withdraw its membership of SportAccord which we are entitled to do under Article 11 of the Sportaccord constitution," IAAF deputy secretary general and official spokesman Nick Davies told insidethegames.
“The reason is that we are unable to agree with the contents and tone contained in the speech of the Sportaccord President Mr Vizer at the opening this morning.
"So this resignation is a protest against the position taken by Mr Vizer against the IOC and his statements about the position of the International Federations viz a viz the IOC which the IAAF cannot accept."
Olegario Vazquez Raña, President of the ISSF, backed Diack's stance.
“The ISSF cannot accept the positions expressed by the SportAccord President Vizer during his opening speech at the SportAccord Convention in Sochi, today," Vazquez Raña, a member of the IOC since 1995, told insidethegames.
"We do not share his negative evaluations on the governance of the International Olympic Committee.
"The ISSF fully supports the work of the IOC President Thomas Bach and we see the IOC Agenda 2020 as an opportunity for the whole Olympic Movement.”
World Archery confirmed they had resigned a few hours after the meeting.
"World Archery has informed SportAccord of its intention to suspend its membership with immediate effect," the governing body's secretary general Tom Dielen told insidethegames.
The issue is set to be top of the agenda when the ruling Council of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), chaired by International Tennis Federation President Francesco Ricci Bitti and which also includes Erdener, are due to hold a meeting here tomorrow.
Leaders from all 28 sports that will make up the Summer Olympic programme at Rio 2016 are then due to meet on Wednesday (April 22) for the ASOIF annual meeting which Vizer, as President of the International Judo Federation, is expected to attend.
The IAAF, meanwhile, are a Gold Partner of the SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit which is taking place here and are due to host a major event to promote athletics tomorrow.
But Bach claimed the row with Vizer would not affect the IOC's relationships with the International Federations.
"I think everyone was surprised [about his opening speech], even his own Executive Board did not have an idea and I think this speaks for itself," Bach told insidethegames."
We have - and always will have an excellent relationship with the different International Federations.
"Now, while we are talking, there is a workshop between the IOC and the IOC Recognised Federations (ARISF) going on.
"Our activities are accessible to everybody.
"Our support is obvious to everybody, so we will just continue in this way.
"So it is business as usual."
Source