Minister Smith heaps praises on TT swimmers

The TT squad returned home with an overall fourth place finish and the highest number of points accumulated since 2013.

Stating the constraints towards scheduling the reception at the Piarco International Airport due to the varying flight times, the Ministry of Sport and the SporTT Company took the option of setting up an official event at the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT)’s headquarters.

The participant athletes, officials and parents were honoured by the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Darryl Smith, who congratulated the Trinidad and Tobago team for their accomplishments.

At the ceremony, Smith spoke about the importance of the role parents play in sacrificing their time, effort, energy and resources for them to have future successes in their sport.

He stated, “I’ve seen the sacrifices the parents make for the athletes especially when it comes to their child’s training, development, education and nutrition and, in most times, they are the ones who instill proper morals and routines for them to follow.” Smith continued, “without these guidelines and values being enforced at home, they (the athletes) would not have the self disciple, confidence and true sportsmanship embedded into their system.” He also motivated the swimmers to use the investment given to them for greater use and focus their efforts also on their academic development and make their parents proud, both in and out the pool.

One of TT’s stars in the Bahamas was 14-year-old gold medallist Jada Chatoor. She said, “the team was really united over in the Bahamas as everyone supported each other in their races, be it on the sidelines cheering on or in the stands and those experiences both in and out of the water are definitely treasured.” Wendell Lai Hing, president of ASATT, was unable to attend the reception, however, he extended his congratulations to the athletes and is confident of their development.

The Minister is highly anticipating the CCCAN tournament scheduled to be hosted from June 22-July 2, at the Aquatic Centre