It has long been said that the Olympics is war by other means. If this is so then T&T keeps sending boy scouts into a world War. Yes, boy scouts promise to be always ready and to do their best.
I keep hearing from some of the Caribbean and T&T athletes after they have exited their event that they were "happy to be here" and from others who went deeper into the competition "I just wanted to make the final." I always thought that the Olympics, outside of its creed, was about winning medals. Apparently, officials and athletes set different goals when participating in these games. Some go for experience, the green ones want to be part of history, others attend because they met the qualifying standard, the more ambitious ones to make the final, and a handful, to medal. The TTOC was quick to declare the size of the contingent (quantity) and the camp from which the athletes will launch their campaign but gave no indication of quality and the possibility or probability of our athletes medaling.
If you are to achieve ten golds by 2024 the process must be more systematic so the outcome is more predictable. Right now there is no process, only rewards if the goals are achieved. With this method you cannot claim that the rewards were the driving force behind the performance. The financial support to elite athletes is like reaping what was not sown. A new crop of athletes from a nursery is needed for 2024 and put the aged and tired legs of the present team out to pasture.
Our Olympic team of the future should have:
1. no one going to these games "for experience." There are the National Championships; CAC Games; Pan American Games; Commonwealth Games and even the World Championships where athletes can gather experience.
2. met the Olympic qualifying standard. However, if we are looking for athletes to medal they must also have a world ranking in the top ten achieved in the year of the Olympics, preferably from the World Championships closest to the Olympics.
3. the "Top Ten" rule as the guiding principle. This will help the selectors to be wary about athletes that trot the globe outside of Olympic season winning meets in the absence of the top guns. They too must meet the ultimate standard when the bells toll for Olympics.
4. T&T's best. However, best will count only if the athlete is in the world top ten leading up to or in the year of the Olympics.
5. been selected by a committee that has a clear cut policy on athletes with dual citizenship wanting to represent T&T as country of second choice. The top ten policy solves this problem. If these people have a top ten ranking I am almost certain that they will not have to seek refuge in their second home and patriots will not get bumped accidentally or intentionally.
6. guilty feelings taking an athlete to the Olympics simply to chalk up attendances for record purposes. If the person does not medal by the first or second games, age sets in bringing diminishing returns. Even where a gold was achieved in the "earlies" the colour tends to fade with the passage of time. The world top ten still applies.
7. given the population the assurance that the athletes are drug-free. I would hate to know that the hard work was rewarded with gold and because of a delinquent colleague the country was penalised with disqualification. There must be no forgiveness for drug cheats.
8. Participation in a "new sport" should not in any way be pampered by lowering the standard. These athletes, too, must step up to the plate.
TTOC, if our athletes cannot take the heat get them out of the kitchen. With our revised standards ,Tokyo and beyond look out for T&T because we are coming! Not like warriors but like savages satisfied with only gold!
Lennox Francis,
Couva
