The on-going coronavirus pandemic is continuing to affect sportsmen and women locally, including those hoping to compete at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. Abliene Wildcats sprinter Jonathan Farinha, 24, is one such athlete.

Farinha was a standout for Trinidad and Tobago in his junior years, earning Carifta Games 200 metres gold and finishing fifth in the same event at the 2013 World Youth Championships.

Farinha is now 24, and hoping to make a global impact as a senior. Three years ago, he teamed up with his twin brother, Nathan, Jalen Purcell and Kyle Greaux for men’s 4x100m bronze at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships.

Jonathan is hoping to wear T&T colours on the biggest sporting stage of all, the Olympics. Covid-19 restrictions, however, have made qualification for the July 23-August 8 Games in Tokyo, Japan a daunting prospect for the talented sprinter and other home-based athletes.

On Tuesday night, Farinha made a heartfelt plea for the resumption of track and field competition here in T&T:

“Sports has been cancelled due to the spike in COVID-19 cases but yet there was horse racing held over the weekend without supporters. Why the same cannot be done for sporting events? At the end of the day, horse racing is a sport, right?

“As a true supporter of track and field in Trinidad and Tobago, I think that it’s necessary that I express my concern for the sport I love. The 14th of April 2021 marked 100 days until the most prestigious sporting event in the world, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 100 days. While this year’s games will probably be like no other held in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still happening as confirmed by the Japanese government.

“Trinidad and Tobago has always had a strong presence especially in the event of Track and Field. However, this year many of our locally-based athletes are finding it difficult to condition and prepare themselves for the Olympics, in other words qualify.

“The two ways that athletes within this specific discipline are able to qualify are through achieving the entry standard within the respective period or through the World Athletics World Ranking System. The deadline given by the Olympic board for qualification is the 29th of June 2021. Therefore, athletes have until this upcoming date to achieve the necessary entry standards.

“Aside from training hard and consistently, athletes need to compete on a regular basis in order to see their progress, where they are currently at and what improvements they need to make in their respective discipline. However, the government of Trinidad and Tobago seems to have no consideration for these facts and have thrown our track and field athletes to the wayside.

“There is no denying that COVID-19 is a serious threat to the health and safety of our population and that measures must be taken to contain our current surge. But we must not forget our athletes who have dreamed and anticipated representing our nation on the biggest stage in sports. This is their career, their livelihood.

“Unlike a regular career path where you can work up until retirement age or even beyond that, athletes have a very specific window where their bodies are in their prime. For many who are presently at the top of their performance level or close to the age where their sporting career ends, this may be their only or their last opportunity to achieve their dreams.

“Our fellow Caribbean neighbours like Jamaica, who are a global powerhouse in track and field, have found ways to allow their athletes to still compete and qualify for the Olympics. Since February 23rd Jamaica has been holding consistent competition without spectators to allow their athletes the competition needed.

“Much less can be said for us, Trinidad and Tobago who resumed competition in February 2021 but have now placed a hold on local events due to the uptick in cases. As mentioned before, it is completely understandable that the government is trying to protect the population, but this is absolutely detrimental for our local athletes especially so close to the end of the qualification period which is two months away.

“Therefore, I am calling on the government of T&T to allow our local athletes to continue competing under the necessary protocols to contain the spread. This is not just a want but a need. Many of our locally-based athletes could miss the chance to bring home a medal for T&T, to achieve their life-long dream and to proudly represent our nation,” Farinha ended, “if they are not given the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics through local competition.”