According to a police report, the man was in a kneeling position with his face downwards in the drain. The man, whom police believe to be in his 30’s, was wearing only a multi-coloured underwear.

At around 2 pm yesterday, residents of Blanche Fraser Street, San Fernando, contacted police about gunshots being heard in the area. A party of officers from the Southern Division responded but the report they did not see anything unusual. Two hours later, police received information about a body seen in the drain.

When police arrived, they found a huge stone nearby with blood stains near the body. They also found a pair of trousers nearby.

The man is slim built, brown in complexion and of mixed descent. Residents said he was not from the area.

A District Medical Officer visited the scene and ordered the removal of the body.

Anyone with information of the killing can contact the nearest police station or Homicide Bureau Region III at 652-0495.

Investigations are continuing.

Since the country’s Independence in 1962, athletics has been the main medal winner at the Olympic Games .

Athletics has been the only category in which the country has medalled, except for one bronze in swimming by George Bovell in 2004. What about Keshorn Walcott’s javelin gold in the 2012 London Olympics you ask? That too is athletics, which consists of both track and field events including hurdles, shot put, javelin throw, hammer throw, discus throw, long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault and other sports .

In fact, the focus on athletics has been so great that 181 of 255 slots have been filled by its participants .

(Slots is the designation as some athletes participate in more than one event.) Sunday Newsday recently spoke with Dr Basil Ince, Caribbean sports historian, past president of the National Association of Athletics Administration and former minister of external affairs, to get his take on athletics in TT .

In 1959, Ince, 84, won gold and silver medals in the 400m and 4x400m relays respectively at the Pan American Games. Also, in 1976, he served as the manager of the TT track team for the Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, where Hasely Crawford won gold in the 100m race .

Ince was also the first Trinidadian to be ranked in the top ten of the world’s best 400-metre sprinters .

Even within athletics however, Ince said the “field” in track and field, was not as popular and not as developed as track for several reasons .

The first, according to Ince, is that there were very few local professional coaches in these events. Today, he believes local universities should be training and putting out educated coaches to be placed in every school. “When you are a baby, you crawl, then walk, then run. No one had to coach you and tell you how to do it. You just run. In field, it’s different .

You have to have technical coaches and we never really had those sorts of coaches in Trinidad and Tobago.” Ince added that while track was less technical, proper coaching was still necessary. He said the early winners in international track came from Queen’s Royal College (QRC ). These included sprinters such as himself, Wendell Mottley, Edward Skinner, McDonald Bailey and others .

He said the reason QRC had so many international successes was because the coach there, John Grell, had studied abroad and returned to work at the school, and there was a succession of excellent coaches .

“I have been advocating for some time that one of the policies in the country should be to develop athletes in the schools, from primary to secondary. There should be a trained physical education teacher, someone with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, in each school.” The other main reason that track became more popular, was because field events were not very important in the United States .

He said in the late 1940s and the 1950s, most Caribbean runners were trained in the US because athletic scholarships were available to them .

In fact, he said over the years, 90 per cent of the Caribbean athletes who won medals in the Olympic Games and World Championships, including field events, were trained in the US .

“The States is a magnet because you get a scholarship, you can get an education and there are coaches to train them,” Ince said. “It is easy to point out the exceptions because there are so few of them. Keshorn Walcott and Jehue Gordon. I can’t think of anyone else offhand .

“Even in Jamaica, everyone was trained in the US until all these new people like Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Elaine Thompson. That is because Jamaica now has a coaching school for track and field, and is putting out coaches.” Ince said a lot of people in TT did the long jump, hurdles, pole vault and other field events. He said TT had been participating in CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Association) games in field events, including javelin, for years but it was only when Walcott “hit the big time” and won Olympic gold that the event became more popular with upcoming athletes .

He also lamented that if an athlete won a medal in anything other than the Olympics or the World Championships, they received little recognition or support for their achievements .

He said the fact that there were participants in these games proved interest but, again, the country did not have the trained coaches to push athletes to the professional level .

However, he stressed that regularity of competition was also necessary to improve and excel as the environment provided motivation to achieve a goal .

Sporting grounds Ince told Sunday Newsday that the local physical infrastructure was “not that bad.” He recalled his days in the 40s and 50s when runners trained on small grounds across the country with lanes marked out in the grass. “It was only when Hasley Crawford won the gold in ‘76 that the stadium was erected in his honour and the country had a proper track.” Now, there were five main stadiums with proper tracks across TT but he said they were not really necessary to train sprinters .

He added that when he went to the US to study, he noticed almost every high school had a track but he did not believe that it put our runners at a disadvantage .

Instead, he believed more well-marked recreation grounds were needed so athletes would not have to go far to train, as long as the track was not rocky, bumpy or had holes so as to reduce injuries, running on grass was fine .

“Track people only need a pair of shoes, a shorts and a vest, and they could go anywhere and run. Field people need more .

Both the public and private sectors have to help erect structures on recreation grounds, maybe build some showers, and supply equipment.” Ince said a lack of support for sports had always been an issue including arranging and promoting meets, equipment, places to train, and scholarships .

He recognised that Government had a lot to do with a relatively small amount of money .

Therefore, he suggested to athletes that they participate in as many meets as they could, win, and then go to Government or private institutions and ask for support .

In that case, the likelihood of a positive response would be increased if the institutions had proof that the athlete was a good investment .

That is why, he said, it was important to have the facilities, coaches and equipment in every school as that system would give children a good base, the opportunity to excel after school and to, possibly, one day, represent the country internationally .

And there are now many more opportunities for youths to prove themselves than there were in Ince’s time. He said back then there were the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, and the Pan American Games .

He recalled that in 1983 the World Championships started and after that, a number of youth games were created which allowed youths to travel the world, gain experience and better prepare them for professional sportsmanship .

Para athletics According to one website, TT first participated in the Paralympic Games in 1984, sending eight athletes to compete in athletics, swimming and weightlifting .

That year, Rachael Marshall won two gold medals and one bronze in athletics and swimming respectively .

TT again sent representatives in 1988, and 2012. In 2016, TT was represented by Akeem Stewart, Nyoshia Cain, and Shanntol Ince, in athletics and swimming. There, Stewart won gold in the men’s javelin and silver in the men’s discus, while Cain won bronze in the Women’s 100-metre race .

In July at the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017, Stewart, 25, won two more gold medals .

He broke his own world record in the men’s javelin throw and set a new one in the men’s shot put .

He competes in both open and para athletics and is the holder of the open shot put national record .

Stewart told Sunday Newsday that, in his experience, Government did not support athletes in their training but would provide them with plane tickets to compete for national events. He personally received financial support from private entities .

He said when he started training in field events, he invested in his personal equipment although it was very expensive .

He also used substitutes for certain equipment such as weight plates as discus, and lamp poles as weights .

“There were a lot of problems but I never let that hold me back .

I was self-motivated and determined.” The bigger problem that was “killing the field events” was a lack of competition as there were only three to five local meets annually .

“That is very tough because if the athlete does not have enough competitions before the major championship, you are sending the athlete to fail. So it’s tough,” he said .

Ince said over the decades there had been very little improvement when it came to support for field athletes. He said there had been an increase of interest in the field events since Walcott’s gold medal and so he donated some of his older equipment for the use of younger athletes at track and field clubs in Tobago .

Recognising the difficulties Stewart had, and still has to face, Ince said, “Akeem is charting the way for other people who compete in paralympic sports. Now people are more aware of it… When you are paving the way it’s harder for you than for everybody else.”

SPRINT STATS

Olympic Games

1964 Tokyo

* Wendell Mottley–400m, silver

* Edwin Roberts—200m, bronze

* Wendell Mottley, Kent Bernard, Edwin Roberts, Edwin

Skinner–4x400m relay, bronze

1976 Montreal

* Hasely Crawford–100m, gold

1996 Atlanta

* Ato Boldon–100m, 200m, bronze

2000 Sydney

* Ato Boldon–100m, silver/200m, bronze

2008 Beijing

* Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender,

Richard Thompson, Aaron Armstrong–4x100m relay, gold

(upgraded from silver after US stripped of medal for doping offences)

* Richard Thompson, 100m, silver

2012 London

* Keshorn Walcott— javelin throw, gold

* Marc Burns, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender,

Richard Thompson— 4x100m relay, silver

* Lalonde Gordon—400m, bronze

* Lalonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon, Renny Quow, Deon

Lendore, Machel Cedenio, Ade Alleyne-Forte—4x400m relay, bronze

2016 Rio De Janeiro

Keshorn Walcott—javelin throw, bronze

World Championships

1995 Gothenburg

* Ato Boldon—100m, bronze

1997 Athens

* Ato Boldon—200m, gold

2001 Edmonton

* Ato Boldon—100m, bronze

* Marc Burns, Ato Boldon, Jacey Harper, Darrel Brown—

4x100m relay, silver

2003 Saint-Denis

* Darrel Brown—100m, silver

2005 Helsinki

* Kevon Pierre, Marc Burns, Jacey Harper, Darrel Brown–

-4x100m, silver

2009 Berlin

* Renny Quow—400m, bronze

* Darrel Brown, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Richard

Thompson, Keston Bledman, 4x100m, silver

2013 Moscow

* Jehue Gordon—400m hurdles, gold

2015 Beijing

* Renny Quow, Lalonde Gordon, Deon Lendore, Machel

Cedenio, Jarrin Solomon—4x400m, silver

2017 London

* Jareem Richards—200m bronze

* Jarrin Solomon, Jereem Richards, Machel Cedenio,

Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow–4x400m, gold

Tourist alerts in different countries are advising citizens of the danger of vacationing in Trinidad, and now Tobago.

Can violent crime be eradicated? The answer is no. That pernicious evil in us–the inheritance of original sin–can only be brought under control, minimised but never fully eradicated. Violent and white-collar crime will, therefore, always be with us.

But are we doing enough to minimise them? Clearly not.

This is because nobody wants to touch the proverbial “big fish.” We refuse to believe the problem is a low detection rate. Our police have undergone training in Canada, the Unites States, the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany etc. We refuse to accept our police officers do not know how to detect and solve crime.

Why then this state of inertia? One inescapable reason is that powers higher than the police are preventing them from doing their job to the full extent.

The small size of our twin-island republic implies that the elite protects the elite. They form a tightly knit cabal that is almost impenetrable and from whom religious organisations benefit whether knowingly or unknowingly.

To assuage our collective guilt, we quietly allow the lower income group, often with little education, often illiterate, from disadvantaged families and geographically neglected areas to pay the price. They become the victims of hard labour or the hangman’s noose, notwithstanding the monstrous crimes some have committed.

Capital punishment in this parlous state of affairs will not solve our crime problems but only gives us the temporary satisfaction of washing our hands like Pilate.

We need aspire to a higher morality: as Jesus says to Peter in today’s Gospel: “It was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven: (Mt 16:17). We have been too concerned about what “flesh and blood” has to say to us in doing our duty–political patronage, the strong arm of business, the lure of money, our peers, promotion and job security. We forget many of our “heroes of faith” are martyrs.

We need more people–including clergy, no matter the ilk–to witness to public morality costing nothing less than everything. As the fourth century Church Father Tertullian observed: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”–both physical and metaphorical.

A moral society is the higher aim of politics. What we have been hearing for decades is ‘ole talk’ when it comes to moral reconstruction.

If we default on that goal as Church and society then we should point a finger at ourselves as we celebrate our 55th anniversary of Independence and sing lustily “yuh hear lie? King Liar! Teacher Murphy say if yuh tell ah lie yuh going to hell as soon as yuh die.” For that is what we’ve become–liars who give lip service to the vision of a moral society.

During a media tour of housing developments in St James, Valsayn, Arouca and Arima, Mitchell said Government was working towards delivering some 8,000 homes to HDC applicants by the year 2020, as it seeks to reduce an ever-growing backlog in applications at the State entity.

Mitchell estimated that the keys to some 700 homes will be distributed by the end of the year.

Moonilal was not impressed.

“Mr Mitchell has engaged in public grandstanding – complete with hard hat and boots – while insisting that he will construct 8,000 units over the next 36 months despite his miserable record of non-performance,” he said in a statement.

“The Minister’s circus was doubtlessly aimed at capturing media attention after two years of wretched failure and obscurity, even in a Government of hopeless under-performers.” Moonilal said Mitchell must identify a single house built under his stewardship over the past two years and provide specifics of the planned construction of 8,000 homes over the next three years.

“Mr Mitchell must provide precise details of his construction plan since there is no indication of any preparatory work. Previous incomplete housing projects have been abandoned and left to decay.” Moonilal claimed the housing sector has collapsed with “heavy equipment worth billions of dollars rusting and idle and thousands of skilled industry workers unemployed.” Moonilal said Mitchell’s “chronic failure” contrasts that of the People’s Partnership administration, which, he claimed, delivered more than 10,000 homes, built communities, regularised squatters, expanded the rent-toown programme and introduced public-private partnership construction projects.

The former government’s Land for the Landless programme, he said, provided subsidised lots to low and middle-income families.

“In opposition, the PNM had ridiculed the delivery of 100 homes to families each week, but Mr.Mitchell has not been able to hand over the keys for a single house constructed by his Government,” Moonilal said.

“Mr Mitchell’s promise of 8,000 homes in three years is as vacuous as his own performance as Minister of Housing. If the Minister can identify any achievement since his appointment, I will also believe there is no corruption in the lease of the vessel Ocean Flower 2. “

The two-day championship paired past winners with novices across all four divisions (A, B, C and D).

Whilst this was a gross competition, there were also net prizes awarded.

The overall club champion was national player Arjoon Samlal, who copped the A Class.

Dubay took the top spot in the B Class, Awong was crowned the winner in the C Class and Sagram won the D Class.

RESULTS A Class

1 Arjoon Samlal
2 Dave Rajkumar
3 Suresh Jagessar

Best Net: Deryck Chanardip

B Class

1 Franklyn Dubay
2 Kumar Ramcharan
3 Amir Ali

Best Net: Amral Ali

C Class

1 Curtis Awong
2 Stephon Singh
3 Pooran Singh

Best Net: Ishanand Lalbirsingh

D Class

1 Eddison Sagram
2 Rahmzan Ali
3 Rol Seecharan

Best Net: Selwyn Henry

Who decides what is a good book as opposed to an inferior book on any particular topic? Can all the local school books pass muster in an international book fair? Or am I asking foolish questions? Why do pupils have to cart around all their books at the same time? Is this necessary or just a “Trini to the bone” kind of behaviour?

LYNETTE JOSEPH Diego Martin

Jamiel Hardware (fifth minute) and Fabien Reid (56th) found the back of the net for Jamaica while defender Kevon Villaroel (10th) replied for the hosts, who used this game as preparations for their forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Zone Final Round Qualifiers against Honduras (at home on September 1) and Panama (away on September 5).

“I was a bit disappointed with the first goal that we conceded,” said Lawrence, during the post-game media interview. “I thought it was too soft. It’s not the way that we wanted to start the game.

“(Afterwards) the boys did well to get themselves back into the game,” continued the TT coach. “I think we had too many chances.

“We need to start putting away all these chances because, at the end of the day, goals win matches. Jamaica (then) made it very difficult for us.

The boys stuck at it.” Lawrence, as well as the TT players, were noticeably at odds with decisions made by Guyanese referee Sherwin Johnson, including Reid’s decisive goal, which he allowed, despite huge protestations by hosts.

Lawrence pointed out, “We looked at it on the video clip. It came off the guy’s shoulder. I think it was a fair goal.

“We thought it was (a) hand ball at the time so I compliment (the referee) on that. At least he got one thing right,” he added.

Marcus Joseph was recalled to the national team, and he had a mixed performance as the lone striker. According to Lawrence, “I think it took him a bit long to settle into the game. He wasn’t himself, the Marcus that I know. I think he rushed things a little bit.” Another player recalled by Lawrence was winger Cordell Cato, who missed the pair of qualifiers in June – away to the United States and Costa Rica, for disciplinary reasons. “It would have been difficult for him on the night because he hasn’t played for a while,” Lawrence said. “But I thought he gave everything. The idea was to give him 70 minutes but he said to me ‘I’m going to go the whole 90 minutes’.

I think it will be good for him, going into the Honduras game.” Jamaica coach Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore, commenting on the game, noted, “It wasn’t all about a win situation. We wanted to help our Caribbean neighbours in terms of giving them a good practice game, going into their two World Cup qualifying games. I think we did just that. The added bonus is just the victory.”

Rajarajan’s rise through the badminton world rankings has been impressive this year. Currently living and training in Denmark, he noted that it was the mental aspect of his game that has been the impetus for his improved performances in 2017. There were times in the past he noted, that he would lose close matches but has since turned that trend around with a more confident approach to his game. Rajarajan has made many sacrifices as he seeks to break into the top 16 in the world and earn a place on a very competitive Indian team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

His regimen includes training twice per day, six days per week for between four to six hours per day. He cites the quality training he receives in Denmark as the reason for his move from India within the last year. This ambitious 20 year old business student has hopes of breaking into the top 100 in the world by end of the year.

Jamaican Samuel O’Brien Ricketts competed in three semifinal matches Thursday night and advanced to one final. The determined Jamaican came up against a veteran of the game Kevin Cordon.

After an easy first set win for Cordon, Ricketts, buoyed by the crowd, upped his game and left a clearly frustrated Cordon working harder than he might have expected against his less celebrated opponent. At one point banging his racquet on the court in frustration, Cordon eventually won the second set, taking the match 21-12 21-19. Ricketts would have a similar result in the mixed doubles as he, along with his partner Katherine Wynter, could not get past the No. 4 seeds lost to the Bruno Barrueto Deza and Ines Castillo as they lost in a tough three-set match, 18-21 21-15 21-18. He progressed in the men’s doubles however with a 13-21 21-19 21-8 victory over fellow Jamaicans Denis Coke and Anthony Mcnee.

The top seeds in the women’s draw remained on course to meet in the finals as American Jamie Subandhi had her toughest match to date as she defeated Peruvian Fernanda Saponara Rivva, 21-11 23-21. No. 4 Daniela Macias had a much tougher time against her compatriot Paula La Torre Regal.

The players, who clearly knew each other’s game well, traded points in the first set with the fourth seed losing 24-22. She regained her composure player and pulled back the match in a hard fought second set, 21-19. Macias went on to take the match 22-24 21-19 21-11.

The Women’s Doubles will see Peru vying for gold against the Dominican Republic. The Peruvian pair of Nishimura and Macias was too strong for the American duo of Lee and Lee, defeating them 21-11 21-16. The Barbadians Riviera and Williams gave a good account in the first set losing out to Jimenez and Sanchez from the Dominican Republic 20-22. The second set proved to be an anticlimax as too many errors crept into the Bajan game and they lost the match 22- 20 21-14.

The Men’s Doubles will pit Ricketts and Henry against the Americans Phillip Chew and Ryan Chew as the Americans had an easy win against Fanus/Thorpe (Barbados) 21-9 21-8. In the final matches of the night two Peruvian mixed doubles pairs defeated their semifinal opponents to reach last night’s final.

Daniel la Torre Regal and Danica Nishimura faced Barruetto Deza and Castillo for the rights to be crowned the best mixed doubles pair in the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation.

This result was the fourth loss in a row for the Dennis Lawrence- coached Trinidad and Tobago outfit, following 2-0 and 2-1 away defeats to the United States and Costa Rica in respective 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Zone Final Round Qualifiers in June, as well as a 3-1 setback away to Ecuador in July.

Defender Kevon Villaroel got the lone strike for TT , in an entertaining first half, but the hosts were unable to gain the morale-boosting win they were seeking against the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup runners- up. This game served as the final practice match for the Trinidad and Tobago team, ahead of their pair of World Cup Qualifiers against Honduras (at home on September 1) and Panama (away on September 5).

While the fans, which ranged in the region of 7,000, were still entering the venue, Jamaica were ahead 1-0. In the fifth minute of play, Marvin Morgan swung in a diagonal ball from the left which met his fellow winger Jameil Hardware, inside the penalty box. Hardware evaded a challenge from a TT defender before thumping a left-footed shot high over goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.

TT left-back Villaroel, who was partly culpable for the Jamaica goal, atoned in spectacular fashion five minutes, as his cross, from deep, sailed over the head of Jamaica goalie Shaven Paul and nestled to his top left-hand corner.

As the game did not fall on a FIFA international date, both teams fielded mostly local-based players, though Trinidad and Tobago had the luxury of two overseas-based pros in their ranks – wing-back Aubrey David, who was used in central defence, and winger Cordell Cato.

Cato, who was dropped by Lawrence ahead of the aforementioned US game for disciplinary reasons, was one of the few bright sparks for TT as he showed good awareness and energy, on both flanks, while David looked comfortable in partnership with Triston Hodge in the back. In the 17th minute, Cato, on the right, returned the ball to the overlapping Alvin Jones whose pass into the penalty box was struck wide by midfielder Hughtun Hector.

Striker Marcus Joseph capitalised on a defensive lapse by the Jamaicans and fed defensive midfielder Jared London who sent his effort wide. On the opposite end, a poor clearance fell to Reid who narrowly missed the target from outside the penalty area.

Both teams made a few changes in the second half, but Jamaica, who threatened early when Ewan Grandison tested Phillip with a low drive from outside the penalty box, regained the lead in the 56th.

Jones was booked for a foul by referee Sherwin Johnson of Guyana and captain Michael Binns’ freekick came off the body of Reid before going to the right of Phillip – though the TT players protested vehemently for an apparent handle-ball.

In the 66th, Hashim Arcia, who replaced Hector at the half, was denied by the alert Paul in goal, while Joseph spurned two good chances to equalise, in the 69th and 73rd.

However, while the decisions of the referee consistently raised the ire of Lawrence, there was a moment which may reignite a debate on the security system at such events. A goal by Jones, in stoppage time, was disallowed for off-side but a fan, from the north-eastern end, comfortably ran onto the field to congratulate Joseph, and he calmly ran back to the stands, without any intervention by the stewards on the ground.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Marvin Phillip (capt); Triston Hodge, Aubrey David, Kevon Villaroel, Alvin Jones; Jared London, Curtis Gonzales (Neil Benjamin 80th), Cordell Cato, Nathan Lewis (Tyrone Charles 61st), Hughtun Hector (Hashim Arcia 46th); Marcus Joseph.

JAMAICA: Amal Knight; Ladale Richie, Rosario Harriott, Ricardo Morris, Javain Brown; Michael Binns (capt), Marvin Morgan (Alex Marshall 69th), Jamiel Hardware (Kaheem Parris 80th), Ewan Grandison; Fabien Reid (Rondee Smith 85th), Shamar Nicholson (Jermaine Johnson 72nd).

Jamaican Valaine Clarke and Indian Amritalakshmi Shanmugam defeated Jones and Tom Yew 6-2, 6-1 to advance to today’s final. In the other semifinal, American Jackeline Lopez and Ariana Salgueiro-Estela of Puerto Rico outlasted American Odette Beagrie and Japanese Remika Ohashi 7-6, 7-6.

On Thursday, Kamran McIntosh- Ross of TT defeated his countryman Nathan Valdez 6-3, 6-1 to win the boys Under-14 singles title. Alexis Bruce of TT could not win the girls Under-14 singles title, after falling to Sarinah Maduro of Curacao 6-1, 6-4.

In an all-TT final, Isabel Abraham and Keesa Lee Young lifted the girls doubles Under-14 title after defeating Aalisha Alexis and Shauna Valentine 7-5, 7-5.

In the boys doubles Under-14 final, Kyle Kerry and Ethan Wong of TT went down 4-6, 2-6 to Aidan Bousquet and Maxx William of St Lucia.

Today is the final day of the Under-18 tournament with matches serving off at 9 am.