Brown, Burns, Ato for Hampton Games

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s internationally-rated sprinters Darryl Brown, Marc Burns and Ato Boldon are expected to compete at the upcoming Hampton International Games.

Yesterday it was revealed that the Ministry and Sport and Youth Affairs have agreed to sponsor the return home of the speed trio from their bases in the United States for the Games on May 3  and 4. And Clyde Forde, chief co-ordinator and manager of the 2003 Games confirmed that Rawle Raphael, chairman of the Games, had secured sponsorship for the athletes and was desperately trying to contact them. “We understand that Brown returned to the US after the Carifta Games to run at the Penn Relays while Burns is attending university there. Boldon is at his base in Los Angeles,” said Forde.

Meanwhile Forde one of the most knowledgeable athletics officials in Trinidad and Tobago has been assisting in the organisation of the Hampton Games slated for the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. The former secretary of the National Amateur Athletics Association (NAAA), an expert on the interpretation of the organisation’s constitution, is at the forefront of soliciting funds for the successssful staging of the only international track and field competition in Trinidad and Tobago. Hampton organisers have been urging Government for a multi-million dollar grant/loan to made a bold bid for Grand Prix status. However a strong financial commitment from Government has not been forthcoming. In the interim Forde has been making the rounds successsfully gaining the support of corporate organisations to make the 2003 Hampton Games a reality.