TT’s Pantin off to Bulgaria for training

Confirmation of this came from TT Badminton Association president Ronald Clarke during the installation ceremony of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Marriot Hotel yesterday.

Clarke told Newsday the talented Pantin, 22, was chosen for the overseas trip since he is widely viewed as one of this country’s elite athletes with the potential to compete successfully at the Olympic Games.

Clarke said his federation has already sponsored the player’s hotel and accommodation as well as meals, but Pantin is yet to receive monies for airfare and will therefore have to lean on corporate Trinidad and Tobago for assistance.

He added also that the player was selected by the World Badminton Training Camp which contacted the local Badminton Association about the vacant slot for the player.

On the request by the World Training Camp, Clarke said Pantin’s name immediately came up following his exploits in recent tournaments.

The 22-year old player who has been seeded second to dethroned champion Anil Seepaul recently, was elevated to the top after he defeated Seepaul in the national final recently. Since then, the player has been making steady strides to the top of the sport in Trinidad and Tobago.

It includes his first-time success at the triple crown after winning the Men’s Singles, the Men’s Doubles and the Mixed Doubles.

He has also represented this country for the past four years (since he was 18 years old), and was also a member of national junior teams in the country for the past few years.

Clarke said further that the players are selected from the five continents by the world badminton body and are put through a rigorous preparation period which is held in different countries.

He said the camps are held in four countries including China, Germany, the United States of America and Malaysia.

This year he said the camp will be held from June 12 to August 12 and the players are expected to go through not only badminton preparation, but overall human development.

Clarke stated that the talented Pantin who has dominated the local badminton scene had been on a Road to Beijing programme recently — whih was eventually scrapped, and the name subsequently changed.

Clarke made it clear that when the player returns, he will walk right into the team which will be preparing for the CAREBACO Championship in Havana, Cuba later on this year.

He will also contest the Solo badminton championship later this year. Efforts to reach Pantin for a comment yesterday proved futile.