Trinidad and Tobago

There is a dichotomy in the country of Trinidad and Tobago, the southernmost Caribbean islands, seven miles off the coast of Venezuela. On one hand, this is a picture-postcard setting in a country considered to be economically stable and affluent. But on the other hand, it is truly a country classifiable as developmental when compared to any Third-World nation, and clearly in need of assistance.

These are some of the observations of members of the International Wheelchair Sport Development team, who have returned from their second visit to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where they initiated phase two of a wheelchair sport development project. The project is jointly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, N.D. Lea International Ltd., and the Trinidad and Tobago Society of Winnipeg, and works with the Pioneer Sports Club in Port-of-Spain.

"What a tremendous two-way learning opportunity," said Anthony Clegg. "We provided the coaches and athletes of Trinidad with knowledge and expertise that we have gained over years of development and competition, and they provided me with an insight into the sporting conditions and everyday lifestyle of people with a disability in developing nations."

Clegg, a wheelchair athletics coaching instructor and member of the International Wheelchair Sport Development team, was involved in providing sport-specific coaches’ training, which was the focus of phase two of the project in Trinidad. Clegg was accompanied by Jerry Tonello, wheelchair basketball coaching instructor, and two wheelchair athletes, Mark Cormack and Ken Michaylenko.

"Once I got there and visited the sports centre and talked with the coaches and athletes, it really saddened me," said Clegg. "We have so much at home that we take for granted and discard when slightly used - with the people here in Trinidad literally and figuratively dying to get their hands on this equipment."

The first phase of the project included the delivery last year of "used but useable" sport wheelchairs and the staging of general sport theory coaching sessions. Bernard Beaumont, Trinidad Paralympic athlete (Seoul, 1988), summed up his feelings after the visit: "We are now more motivated because we have always been interested in basketball as a team sport but have never had the equipment and the knowledge needed to compete."

Phase two of the project, while emphasizing coaches’ training, involved more than simply imparting knowledge to the masses (there were over 50 coaches and athletes attending the two sport training programs). The International Wheelchair Sport Development team also collected and deliver sport-specific equipment donated by Sportpool Victoria, as well as books and manuals relevant to sport for athletes with and without disabilities from Canadian publisher Human Kinetics.

These materials were jointly presented to the Pioneer Wheelchair Sports Club and the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Trinidad. The materials will be available in these two locations for use by coaches of both wheelchair athletes and able-bodied athletes. Air Canada kindly offered to ship all of these materials from Toronto to Port-of-Spain at no cost. It is mainly through donations of these types that a project of this nature is able to succeed.

Once the dates were set for this phase of the Trinidad Wheelchair Sport Development Project, the Pioneer Sports Club coordinated their annual fundraising "Wheel Around the Savannah" event to coincide, thereby giving a united approach to work with people with disabilities. This cooperative drive provided a bonus to the project in the amount and extent of press coverage - over 10 days of coverage kept disability sport in the public eye much more than would have been possible otherwise.

While the emphasis of this phase of the project was directed toward the development of coaches and athletes in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair athletics, the International Wheelchair Sport Development team members also took this opportunity to introduce wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis to interested individuals in Trinidad.

In addition to the sport-specific areas of the project, International Wheelchair Sport Development has undertaken to provide Trinidad with the expertise, technology and avenue to materials whereby they can construct their own wheelchairs at a final cost that will make them much more affordable to the general public. The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago, through Mr. Hazely Crawford (Olympic 100-m gold medalist), has committed to assisting in this venture, which they see as not only providing for the need within Trinidad but throughout the entire Caribbean region.

The wheelchair basketball training and instruction was put to a test on the final day of the program when all the members of the International Wheelchair Sport Development team challenged the Trinidad athletes to a friendly basketball game - friendly, that is, until the players were introduced to the enthusiastic, pro-Trinidad crowd, who not only made sure that their local press and television stations were in attendance to record the event, but even invited the Caribbean Sports Network. To say that it was spirited would only mildly describe a game that was punctuated by helpful on-court suggestions between players - with coaches freely moving from one team to another to help, learn and ensure that they were part of the winning team.

"During all of the training sessions, and at the game here today, I was amazed that what the athletes, coaches and administrators of disability sport here in Trinidad may lack in knowledge and techniques, they more than make up for with dedication and desire," noted Jerry Tonello.

Mr. Neville Chance, Director of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, has said that "Trinidad has a very rich tradition in sports. We will always encourage these athletes to go to greater heights. We will assist them in their attempts to strive always for excellence."

The third phase of the International Wheelchair Sport Development’s Trinidad Project was planned for July, to continue the training in wheelchair athletics and wheelchair basketball and formally introduce wheelchair tennis and weightlifting. More "tremendous two-way learning" is sure to take place.

For more information, please contact David Hinton, President, International Wheelchair Sport Development, 1653 Meadowbrook Road, Gloucester, ON, K1B 4W6; tel.: (613) 744-0215.