Five National Governing Bodies (NGBs) have received a total of TT $4,240,526.14 from the Ministry of Sport and Community Development to fund their respective national teams in recent and upcoming competitions.

Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe, at the handover ceremony at the Ministry on Wednesday (July 19), described the event as a “celebration” in the wake of sporting by national athletes and teams in 2023.

The recipients are among the 15 NGBs under the purview of the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT). Head of SporTT’s Sport Development and Performance Unit, Justin Latapy-George, was also on hand to make the symbolic handover in support of administrative expenses and for teams travelling to international and regional competitions. All funding is now disbursed to NGBs via online transfer.

Minister Cudjoe said national athletes have an opportunity to show what they are worth on the international stage.

“[This funding will support] all the activities that go towards you flying our flag high, representing the red, white and black, providing opportunities for young athletes to showcase their talent, and for the region and the world to know their names and remember that T&T is a force to be reckoned with,” Minister Cudjoe said.

“I must say I’m very pleased by the work of our athletes and the sporting fraternity; we’re seeing some new names coming to the fore,” the Minister added. “[At] the recently concluded CAC Games, some of the new stars got the chance to introduce themselves to the world for the first time and we’re indeed very, very proud.”

In addition to NGB executives, netballers and golfers were also on hand for the presentation, a first for some. The golf athletes – T&T captain Ryan Peters and Jean-Marc Chevrotiere – both expressed their excitement about their debut at the latest edition of the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships.

Peters said although home advantage isn’t a reality in his sport, he is proud to lead the young team on home soil.

The “Calypso Girls”, who travel this week to Cape Town in South Africa for the Netball World Cup, are also anxious to arrive and acclimatise for what promises to be a tough competition. Alena Brooks, an 800 metres specialist who made the transition to netball about a year ago, said she is looking forward to the new challenge of representing another sport with a rich history of success.

The breakdown of the allocations to the five NGBs is as follows:

T&T Netball Association (TTNA) – $1,447,144.14 towards participation of the national senior team at the Netball World Cup in South Africa

T&T Golf Association (TTGA) – $1,034,691.90 towards hosting of and participation of national athletes at the 66th Annual Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships in Tobago

T&T Boxing Association (TTBA) – $598,930.09 towards pre-competition training camps in Mexico and Guyana, as well as participation of national athletes at the AMBC PanAm Games Qualifier and AMBC Junior and Youth Continental Championships in Colombia

National Association of Athletics Administration of T&T (NAAATT) – $713,349.91 towards participation of national athletes at NACAC U18, U23 Championships in Costa Rica and NACAC Age Group Championships in the Dominican Republic

T&T Rugby Football Union – $446,410.10 towards participation of national teams at RAN Men’s U19 and Senior Women’s 15s Tournament in Jamaica