Solo $25,000 for CAREBACO Championships

SOLO BEVERAGES LIMITED of Barataria are spending over $25,000 to outfit Trinidad and Tobago’s national senior and junior teams (30 players and officials) for the 2003 Caribbean Regional Badminton Championship (CAREBACO) which will be hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association (TTBA) from July 11 to 19.

Among the latest beverage produced by Solo is the RC Edge which has become the official drink of the tournament, which will be staged in two phases. And RC Edge,  a special energy boosting drink, will also be the official logo insignia on the team’s track suits and playing uniforms, along with that of the officials. TTBA treasurer Patrick Cunningham, is a certified Pan-American umpire and he will head of the CAREBACO technical delegation. He received the uniforms and  track suits from Hayden Charles, director of Solo Beverages, at a presentation function in Barataria yesterday. Also attending  the handing over of the cheque were TTBA president Ronald Clarke, TTBA secretary Stephanie Mitchell, former national champion and senior coach Trevor Smith (Sales Manager at Solo), eight-time women’s singles champion Sabrina Cassie who is also employed as a sales representative with the Solo Company; national junior (under 19) male triple-crowned champion Rahul Rampersad and girls under 17 and 19 champion Vicki Singh.

The Company’s wide range of products and Aqua Pure Water will be readily available to all the 120-odd international players plus the regional contingents and officials who will be on show for eight-day extravaganza, which is slated to become the biggest and most exciting CAREBACO tournament ever held in the region. The regional title matches will be contested between July 11 to 13 with two major sessions from 9 am to 1 pm, and then from 6 pm to 10 pm. The International Section be will be between July 15 to 19 with astarting time of 9.00 am. Matches will continue through to 10pm. The Local Organising Committee headed by insurance executive Robert Dumas, have also secured sponsorship from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Computer Controls Limited, TIDCO and Crowne Plaza , the designated official hotel of the tournament.

TTBA have so far received just over $200,000 in sponsorship but are still short $60,000 of the overall projected expenditure. Members of the LOC are appealing to corporate TT to come forward and assist the TTBA to be able to successfully host this year’s series and  make it something special for the international, regional and local participating players. Triple-crowned men’s champion Anil Seepaul will head the male senior contingent, which has already been boosted with the return of former national champion Darron Charles who is on ascholarship programme in Cuba and Canadian-based Glendon Thomas who is expected to join the senior squad, which has been undergoing intensive training under the guidance of coach Daron Dasent a former national singles champion. Ex-national doubles champion David Lee Kim is the coach of the junior team. Both teams are currently in training every day at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex from 5 pm.