Raphael selling Hampton for $3m

This depends on the outcome of discussions next week between the president of the Hampton International Games Incorporated Rawle Raphael and officials of an interest party who prefer to remain anonymous for the time being.

Raphael, a former member of parliament and government minister is putting up the organisation for sale quoting a $3 million price tag.

Hampton has been in existence for the past 55 years.

He noted that the asking price is being considered by the interested group and negotiations will continue next week.

The offer for purchase came on Monday following the staging of the 32nd Hampton International Games at the newly refurbished Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. High point of the 2006 Hampton International Games was the fastest 200 metre dash recorded for the year on Sunday when Jamaican Christopher Williams clocked 20:19 seconds to win the event.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Aaron Armstrong was second in 20.57 seconds while another Jamaican, Xavier Brown earned third place in 20:83.

However the Hampton Games were staged without any prizes being distributed when the club failed to solicit a $300,000 donation from the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SCOTT).

Government had earlier provided $500,000 towards the hosting of the games with a promise of an additional $300,000 from SCOTT headed by Gerard Ferreira.

“Despite the problems that surrounded the staging of the games, it came off quite good,” Raphael said on Monday.

He said the satisfactory level at which the games were organised and staged has prompted the interest of the company to approach him to buy out the organisation.

The new owners of the club, which was founded by former national 200-metre sprinter George Hernandes in the 1950s, will automatically earn the rights to organise the annual international games.

Raphael pointed out that the club is a non-profit organisation which survives on the assistance of the private and public sector.

The Hampton International Games Incorporated he said, was founded in 1951 as a sports club that once dominated netball in the Port-of-Spain Netball League (PoSNL).

However the first Hampton Games was staged 20 years later. Raphael said the first games were fully supported by the government in power — the People’s National Movement (PNM) and then leader Dr Eric Williams.

“It was the Hampton PNM Games” Raphael said.

The club consists of 65 members which include coaches Marilyn Bradley and Noel Highland, son of the late Hugh Highland, a former national sprinter in the 1960s who died last month.

According to Raphael, the club started organising the games back in 1959 and has continued their development to date.

Raphael however expressed disappointment in the support the club has received from the parent body for athletics in Trinidad and Tobago, the National Amateur Athletics Association (NAAA).

He claimed that with clubs like Hampton with a rich history and tradition, attempts should be made to embrace their initiatives which have always been focused on development.

“The NAAA should therefore consider my club and others and determine which activities they have lined up for the year, and include the activities of these clubs when they are submitting their budget to the Government,” Raphael declared.