#10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund will give athletes freedom to pursue sporting excellence
TTOC President Brian Lewis will launch the #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund on January 25th, 2015 by participating in the 2015 Trinidad International Marathon. Lewis hopes to raise $500,000TT for the Fund through his participation.
The vision of #10golds 24(10 or more Olympic Gold medals by 2024) is to further enable national athletes to realize their Olympic dreams. It will provide financial assistance to Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes to enable them to train, recover and compete.
Training to be an Olympic champion is a full time commitment requiring significant time and resources. The pursuit of excellence by an athlete to fulfil the dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games and climbing the medal podium, demands years of dedication, sacrifice and single minded focus. This fund will be dedicated to preparing athletes to represent Trinidad and Tobago, and in the ongoing pursuit and achievement of excellence in the Olympic Games and life.
The fund will cover several items in support of athlete development. These include:
Direct support (stipend) and out of pocket expenses Medal bonus Health and Accident Insurance (Providing world class medical support to our top athletes is of paramount importance. Injury and illness can threaten an athlete's career if they're not identified and dealt with quickly.) Internships with Corporate T&T to prepare for life after elite sport
Lifeskills training
“Many of our nation’s elite and high performance athletes are not financially well rewarded, and without financial support are unable to reach their potential,” said Brian Lewis, President of the TTOC. “The wellbeing of our athletes, sportsmen and sports women is paramount to the TTOC, and this fund will enable our athletes to develop their sporting abilities and achieve consistent world class performances, fairly and ethically.”
The lack of dedicated financial support throughout the stages of an athlete's long term development has ended and or compromised the dream of many talented young men and women. Trinidad and Tobago’s elite and high performance athletes need to have the freedom and flexibility and to dedicate more time, money and energy into their athletic endeavours.
The TTOC welcomes the support of the business community and private citizens in this venture. The fund will provide national athletes with a dedicated resource and bridge the gap between success on and off the field.