Courtesy Ministry of Sports

Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe came out batting on Wednesday against anyone attempting to sully the name of T&T Olympians, officials, and her Ministry, for the team’s performance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The team did not medal in the Games.

She was speaking at the National Commission for Self Help Limited’s grant distribution drive-through ceremony for 55 Tobagonians, who together received a total of $940,000.

Speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Cudjoe tackled general funding for athletes including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 1992 World Junior double gold medallist Ato Boldon’s statement on the T&T Olympics’ programme.

Boldon, who won four medals, two each at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney, referred to this country’s Olympic officials as “jokers” with “1970 thinking …doing the same amateur things and expecting a different result.”

Responding to a question on whether she was disappointed by the Olympians’ performance, Cudjoe said they, “did their best. I don’t think any athlete half-stepped on us.”

In addressing Boldon statement she said: “When Ato Boldon first went to Barcelona (the 1992 Olympic Games), he did not medal…But he came back, he went, he renewed his spirit, his energy, his training and he came back and later medal…In his later years, he also did not qualify and did not medal.”

For the record, in 2004 at the Athens Olympic Games Boldon failed to advance out of the first round of the 100 metres heats but captained the T&T 4 x 100 m relay team to their first-ever Olympic final, where the team finished seventh.

Cudjoe said, regarding Shot Put Olympian Portious Warren’s statement that she applied for funding for the Olympics, Cudjoe said: “Warren did not apply at all. Those who reached out for assistance would have received their assistance. There are a couple who applied late, so we are in the process of getting releases for those, and there are some people who did not apply at all.”

Cudjoe said the Sports Ministry also provides funding for Sport TT and all national athletes governing bodies, who then assist athletes.

The Minister also said there will be retroactive payments to athletes.

She explained: “There is no retroactivity because the elite athletes’ fund is something that has been around for a really long time.”

The Minister also send a message to the governing sports organisations to inform their athletes about the funds. The Ministry also circulates forms, as well, Cudjoe said non-elite athletes can also get funding through grants.

Guardian Media Sports spoke with Warren’s manager John Andalcio about Olympic funding and he said: “We applied for funding, this country’s NAAA'( National Association of Athletic Association) must tell athletes that funding is available. They are putting it now as though Portious is at fault because she did not apply. When Portious was on the verge of qualifying for the Olympics, she asked the NAAA’s for funding to go to the Bahamas, but she got the runaround. We asked the TTOC to give funding for a week to go to Portugal, just before the Olympics. We got the runaround.”

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) president Brian Lewis said Warren qualified for the Olympics late and applied for funding.

He said when she applied for funding to go to Portugal, her support team was not there.

A conversation was had with Portious in terms of where she would be better positioned. The coach she was working with was US-based. There was a consensus, Lewis, who is still in Tokyo, told Guardian Media Sports on Wednesday.

Warren, who was a late addition to the 33-athlete national Olympic team, also reach the finals in her Olympic debut. The 25-year-old competed in group A in the qualification round in the women’s shot put event, she finished fifth with a personal best 18.75m to advance to the final where she placed 11th behind a distance of 18.32 metres.

He said the committee assisted the athlete whenever she made a request and looks forward to supporting her in the future.

Guardian Media Sports also reached out to the NAAA’s president George Comissiong on Wednesday, but he was in transit from Miami, USA to T&T and said will address the athlete’s manager statement.