There is a call for workers at the different government-constructed sporting facilities in T&T to be given flexible working hours as a means of helping with the growth of sports.
Yesterday, Badminton's official referee PJ Williams said because workers at National Racquet Centre, National Cycling Centre and the National Aquatic Centre among others, have fixed hours of work, from 8 am to 4 pm, it prevents the facilities from being used regularly as a sport is usually played in the afternoon-evening time in this country.
“This means when the different sporting bodies want to use the facilities, usually from 5 pm daily, there are normally no workers, or sometimes the facilities are locked. This is made worse by the reluctance of the workers to stay on at the facilities after hours, and I suppose you cannot blame them, but there is need to change the hours of work at those facilities,” Williams explained.
This situation is further compounded at the weekends, Williams said, as there are usually no workers at the facilities.
Williams said he has already reached out to Douglas Camacho, chairman of the Sport Company of T&T who agrees with him. Williams promises to follow up on attempts to ensure the necessary changes are made so that sports in T&T will not continue to suffer.
Only recently the sport of badminton has had to fight for the use of a court permanently at the National Racquet Centre in Orange Grove, Tacarigua. The sport is among countless other racquet sports that use the facility on a daily basis.
However, unlike lawn tennis and table tennis etc, the sport of badminton uses mats which pose a problem to put down and pick up, every time a tournament or competition is to take place there.
Williams said a resolution was reached recently when several sporting bodies, alongside the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, agreed for badminton to use the court to the southern side of the facility, meaning badminton does not have to constantly be putting down and picking up mats before and during tournaments.
The sport of badminton usually has four key tournaments annually, the Solo Juniors and Seniors, as well as the National Juniors and Seniors. Recently, however, it has added a number of age-group tournaments which have been used for youth development.
Williams believes because of this new development that it is imperative for regular play at the Racquet Centre, which means having workers at the facilities at the hours that sports are being played.