The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) held an orientation for its second cohort of the Advanced Sport Management Course (ASMC) on 9th May, 2015 at the Olympic House. The ASMC participants will be exposed to an intensive 6 month programme which is carded to conclude on 28^th November, 2015. Industry professionals will explore six (6) modules: Organising an Olympic Sport Organisation, Managing Human Resource, Managing Strategically, Managing Finance, Managing Marketing and Organising a Major Sporting Event.

The main objective of the course is to stimulate change within National Sporting Organizations (NSO). ASMC can be considered as continuing vocational education and training from the Sport Administrators Course.

Participants will use a case study approach to analyse their sporting organization. The purpose of this approach is to allow participants to identify current issue within the sporting, apply theoretical knowledge and suggest solutions and recommendations for overcoming these issues.

The participants targeted were Executive Members and Senior Officials from NSO’s. The fifteen (15) sporting organisations represented are: Football, Judo, Karate, Rugby, Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton, Athletics, Chess, Cricket, Sailing, Swimming, Netball, Squash and the Paralympic Committee. Additionally, in the 2015 cohort are Sport Development Officers, Monitoring and Evaluation Officers from the Ministry of Sport and participants from the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute.​

Both countries have advance to the next round of the Olympic Qualifier as the top six teams will go forward. Daneil William/Fabien and Josiah Eccles/Tevin Joseph got passed Curacao 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) (21-13, 21-15) to put then red, white and Black in to the tournament final four. Jamaica got to the semi finals by defeating USVI 3-1 (23-21)(17-21)(15-13).

Up to press time the battle for the other two places in the semi finals was underway. In one semi final TNT will play the winner of the USVI vs Aruba/Barbados, in the other semi final Jamaica will clash the winner of Cracao vs Haiti/Suriname.

On Sunday 10th May the Semi Finals will be played at 11:00am and the final at 2:30pm at Saith Park Beach Volleyball Facility Chaguanas.

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee will be hosting the 3^rd BpTT Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) Workshop from Monday 11^th to Tuesday 12th May 2015 at the Olympic House. The purpose of the workshop is to provide local coaches and trainers with insight, information and knowledge of the mental and physical preparation, methods and approaches used in the quest for Olympic and World level success.

The 2015 workshop theme is “Perfecting Performance – Striving for Excellence – Faster, Higher, Stronger”. Participants will have the opportunity to gain knowledge from performance specialists, Mr. Lance Walker & Mr. Drew Cuffee.

Lance Walker, Global Director of Performance at Michael Johnson Performance, possesses 20 years of performance training experience spanning all levels of competition across 31 different sport disciplines and competition levels.

Mr. Drew Cuffee earned his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a master’s degree in Kinesiology from Hardin Simmons University. He specializes in regeneration and recovery at Michael Johnson Performance Institute.

The targeted group for the workshop consists of Strength and Conditioning Coaches, Fitness Trainers, Sport Medicine Service Providers and Athletes.

T&T men’s beach volleyball will begin their long journey towards qualification to next year’s Rio Olympics Beach Volleyball Tournament when the T&T Volleyball Federation plays host to the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Tournament, a first round qualifying event to the NORCECA Continental Cup. The three-day event serves off  at the National Development Centre, Saith Park, Chaguanas from today until Sunday from 9.30 am daily.

The tournament will feature  28 teams of  two men’s teams each from Aruba, Barbados, Bahamas, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Suriname, Turks & Caicos, US Virgin Islands and host T&T. T&T will be represented by recent ninth placed finishers in the 2015 NORCECA Beach Circuit Tour opener in Cayman Islands, in Fabien Whitfield and Daneil Williams, and its B-team of Tevin Joseph and Josiah Eccles.

Williams and Whitfield had qualified to compete in Cayman Islands without dropping a match or set in the first phase of the T&TVF’s five qualifying tournaments. The pair then played unbeaten in the second phase of qualifiers, four tournaments, as well, between March/April to get the nod for the Pan American Games carded for Canada in July.

The run of nine straight competition wins by the Toco-born duo tied the feat set by women’s pair, Ayana Dyette and Nancy Joseph, achieved between last year and the opening tournament of this season. Eccles and Joseph were runners-up in the local qualifiers to earn the other T&T team spot. Speaking following a training session at the tournament venue, yesterday, national coach David Thomas Jr said his was very confident in the ability of both local men’s teams.

“Our teams have been playing together for a while now just like a few other teams, but we have the added experience of being regular participants on the NORCECA Tour as well as having Whitfield and Williams reached as far as the semifinal stage of the London Olympicqualifiers four years ago”, said Thomas Jr.

However, the local men are not expected to have an easy ride to the finals and a top six finish as other notable line-ups include Bahamians Renaldo Knowles, Mullet Petit, Princtanique Wilson and  Byron Ferguson; Mark Lewis, Donovan Larry Richards, Ryck Mc Kenzie-Webb and  Christopher Walters (Jamaica) and Barbadians Daran Gill, Sheldon Roach, Winston Gittens, Elwyn Oxley.

Due to the late arrival to T&T of most of the teams, the Preliminary Inquiry to be conducted by the Control Committee headed by Tournament Director Arnaldo Sanchez was due to take place on last night at the Cascadia Hotel & Conference Centre, to be followed by the Technical Meeting at the same venue.

The ECVA held it first round qualifiers two weeks ago with St Lucia emerging as champions ahead of  Antigua & Barbuda, St Kitts/Nevis, Dominica, St Vincent and The Grenadines, and Dutch St Marteen. For the tournament, each team will compete under a country versus country format in a best-of-three series with a “Golden Set” up to 15 points or a two-point advantage in case of a tied series.

Daymian Stewart, President of the T&T Volleyball Federation was quick to point out that his federation was very proud to do its part in the development of the sport by hosting one leg of the Olympic qualifiers. However, he also highlighted the fact that it was no coincident that the top three countries at the women’s qualifiers in Jamaica last weekend are the same countries hosting Beach Volleyball events in Jamaica, Cayman Islands and T&T.

He added, “It’s also a momentous occasion for CAZOVA, and it’s the first single event in which all its 14 members will participate.” Stewart also saluted the support of all the sponsors that have come aboard for the event and made special commendation to the T&T Olympic Committee (T&TOC), and its President Brian Lewis for its full support.

Among the sponsors who have come on board to make the tournament a success are KFC, FLOW, Tourism Development Company (TDC), Toyota, Sport Company of T&T (Sportt), Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA), North, Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) and the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) in partnership with the T&T Volleyball Federation.

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The Trinidad and Tobago national netball team suffered an opening-night defeat to England in their first of three games of their test series yesterday at the University of Bath court.
The series is serving as a warm-up, as both teams are preparing for the Netball World Cup to be hosted in Sydney, Australia this August.
T&T were given a stern welcome as they lost 65-42, despite making a match of it in the final quarter.
The hosts hit the ground running as they took the initiative, making early interceptions, which helped them to an eight-point cushion at the end of the first quarter. The second session offered no respite, as England stretched their lead even further to 12 points. When both sets of players trudged off the court, T&T were staring at defeat with the score at 36-24.
T&T rallied in the second period, scoring several long-range shots which kept them competitive. The final 15 minutes saw them attack the English fiercely, but they were unable to make up the deficit.
The next game in the series tomorrow is a must-win for the "Calypso Girls" if they are to get back in the series. The series is the first of two T&T will play in Europe, as they next travel to Northern Ireland to face some of the world's top teams after their matches with England.
The World Cup is scheduled for August 7-16, and T&T will face ten-time champions Australia and four-time winners New Zealand, as well as regional rivals Barbados, who they defeated in the AFNA final last year in Canada.

Lineups
England starting 7: GS - Housby, GA - Cookey, WA - Haythornthwaite, C - Bayman, WD - Malcolm, GD - Mkoloma, GK - Cook
Trinidad & Tobago starting 7: GS - Wallace, GA - Cooper, WA - Jack, C - John-Davis, WD - Guerero, GD - Duncan, GK – Swift
Remaining fixtures
Tomorrow - The Copper Box Arena, London 12.30 p.m. TT Time
May 11 - Echo Arena, Liverpool 2.15 p.m. TT Time

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Messi double puts Barça in control against Bayern

FC Barcelona are on the brink of reaching their eighth European Cup showpiece after finally breaking FC Bayern München's resistance in the last 13 minutes of this UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, Lionel Messi scoring two goals before creating a late third for Neymar.

In a pulsating first half, Barcelona largely held the upper hand and Bayern had cause to be grateful to goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who saved one-on-ones with Luis Suárez and Daniel Alves to keep the score blank at the break. Robert Lewandowski had spurned an equally presentable opening for the visitors, yet just when it was starting to look like they would escape unscathed, Messi – making his 100th European appearance – eventually found a way through 13 minutes from time. Three minutes later his sublime control and delicate chip made it 2-0 before the No10's added-time pass released Neymar to roll in a third.

Josep Guardiola, making his first return to the Camp Nou in the opposition ranks, opted to play three at the back, marking man for man from the off. The policy nearly backfired as Suárez latched onto Messi's flick from Marc-André ter Stegen's kick and bore down on Neuer unchallenged – but the goalkeeper's outstretched right leg blocked his shot.

Moments later Suárez wriggled free inside the penalty area and found Neymar at the far post; Bayern's Rafinha deflected the effort behind and that was the cue for the Bundesliga champions to switch to a more familiar back four.

Guardiola had been able to call on Robert Lewandowski despite the forward suffering jaw and nose injuries the previous week and, though the Pole was anonymous early on, he took centre stage in the 18th minute only to fluff his lines. Thomas Müller won possession and his cross picked out the unmarked Lewandowski; the striker was unable to apply the finishing touch.

That scare aside, Barcelona – beaten 7-0 on aggregate by Bayern in their last UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2013 – seemed the more likely, Suárez nodding over from a corner. Six minutes before the interval Bayern were caught out again as Andrés Iniesta lifted a wonderful pass over their defence. Alves controlled on his chest; again Neuer blocked with his legs.

Bayern began the second period on the front foot yet it was the home side who continued to appear the more dangerous. Messi traded passes with Neymar to create space to shoot; Neuer was right behind it. The goalkeeper then watched Neymar's attempt sail over after Ivan Rakitić had fed the Brazilian.

Barcelona, and Messi, would not be denied, however. Alves did the legwork for the 77th-minute breakthrough, robbing Juan Bernat and finding Messi; the forward duly fired inside Neuer's near post. With Bayern rocking, the Blaugrana maestro capitalised again moments later, collecting Rakitić's pass and leaving Jérôme Boateng floundering before clipping over Neuer.

Bayern's hopes were hanging by a thread, and they all but disappeared in the closing seconds. Messi's ball sent Neymar clear of the visiting rearguard and this time Neuer had no answer as a composed finish left Barça with one foot in the final.

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