The Commonwealth Youth Games did not cross its $35 Million budget, says Sports Minister Shamfa Cudjoe. She was at the time fielding questions from the media during the final news conference for the CYG at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park on Friday.
Cudjoe said “We gave the T&T Commonwealth Games Association (T&TCGA) the full request, they requested $35 million and for this fiscal year we allocated $30 million and we have $5 million for the next fiscal year since the games are happening at the end of the fiscal year we expect that some of the bills will go into next year hence the reason we kept that $5 million. so far the Commonwealth Game Association hasn’t used up its full $30 million yet.” Cudjoe said the TTCGA should submit the remainder of its bills by the end of the month.
She said, “The TTCGA has operated within budget and there is another $5 million to come in the next fiscal year for whatever is left over.”
Cudjoe added that the Hasely Crawford Stadium was refurbished not as part of the CYG but to promote athletics in T&T and to host other games and Carifta in 2025.
Meanwhile, Farley Augustine, the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly said the island is richer and better for the CYG. He said a beach sports arena was created for the games at Black Rock and it is the first and only of its kind in the region.
On Thursday, T&T’s contingent closed out the six-day programme with four medals Makaira Wallace won a silver and bronze medal, and Syndel Samaroo, a bronze as the duo combined to add three medals and the quartet of Sanaa Frederick, Trevaughn Stewart, Solè Frederick and Jamario Russell, earned T&T’s lone medal on the track.
The host ended with 15 medals (4 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze) for an impressive seventh place on the medal table which saw 26 of the 70 countries that participated record medals.
T&T’s swimmer Nikoli Blackman won three of the four gold medals when he won the men’s 50m, 100m and 200 metres freestyle events.
The 18-year-old Blackman who leaves for the University of Tennessee next week signed off from the CYG in his last meet on local soil by winning the 50 metres event in a time of 22.36 seconds to lead a Caribbean sweep of the event with Bahamian Marvin Johnson Jr, taking silver in 22.54, and 18-year-old Wilson, who also heads off to the University of Alabama, third in 22.95.
All four gold medals came from swimming with Zarek Wilson winning the 100m butterfly contest on Tuesday in a new games record time of 53.70 seconds which bettered the 2017 mark of 53.87 set in the Bahamas by Lewis Fraser of Wales.
T&T final CYG 2023 medal count
Gold
Nikoli Blackman (swimming): men’s 200m freestyle
Nikoli Blackman (swimming): men’s 100m freestyle
Zarek Wilson (swimming): men’s 100m butterfly
Nikoli Blackman (swimming): men’s 50m freestyle
Silver
Janae De Gannes (athletics): women’s long jump
Zarek Wilson (swimming): men’s 50m backstroke
Syndel Samaroo (cycling): men’s Match Sprint
Jaidi James (athletics): men’s high jump
Makaira Wallace (cycling): women’s keirin
Bronze
Sanaa Frederick (athletics): women’s 100m
Danell James (cycling) men’s Match Sprint
Zarek Wilson (swimming): men’s 50m freestyle
Makaira Wallace (cycling): women’s 500m Time Trial
Syndel Samaroo (cycling): men’s keirin
Sanaa Frederick, Trevaughn Stewart, Sole Frederick, Jamario Rusell (athletics): 4x100 metres Mixed Relay
Position*Teams*Gold*Silver*Bronze*Total
1*Australia*26*17*20*63
2. England*16*20*10*46
3. Scotland*12*11*5*28
4. South Africa*6*6*7*19
5. Kenya*5*4*0*9
6. Nigeria*5*2*0*7
7. T&T*4*5*6*14
8. Northern Ireland*4*2*2*8
9. Wales*3*6*6*15
10. Cayman Islands*2*1*3*6
11. Canada*2*1*0*3
12. Jamaica*2*0*2*4
13. Jersey*1*2*2*5
13. Malaysia*1*2*2*5
15. Guyana*1*1*1*3
16. New Zealand*0*3*6*9
17. Bahamas*0*2*2*4
17. India*0*2*2*4
19. Fiji*0*1*2*3
19. Uganda*0*1*2*3
21. Sri Lanka*0*1*1*2
22. Barbados*0*0*2*2
22. Isle of Man*0*0*2*2
22. St Lucia*0*0*2*2
22. Namibia*0*0*2*2
26. Antigua & Barbuda*0*0*1*1
26. Cyprus*0*0*1*1
26. Grenada*0*0*1*1
