It followed news that a number of initiatives in the past six months has seen 37 athletes identified, 24 coaches trained and the promotion of Paralympic sport in the country generally enhanced. 

Launched at the beginning of this year, the Equal Halves initiative is funded by the Grant Support Programme of the Agitos Foundation and aims to raise awareness, identify potential athletes, and train coaches in Paralympic sport.

The TTPC ran a number of television and radio interviews ahead of a special Para-sports exhibition on January 21 at the Gulf City Mall in Lowlands Tobago, where more than 1,000 people attended, including 144 students from 12 schools, along with Jomo Pitt, Assistant Secretary in the Division of Education, Youth and Sport in the Tobago House of Assembly.

That was followed by a number of sport camps which helped to identify talented young athletes in several sports, including 10 in athletics, 14 swimmers, five in judo and eight table tennis athletes.

The TTPC also held a three-day Caribbean Coaching Certification Workshop to help 24 coaches gain certification specifically for coaching Para-athletes.

"[We're] making playground to podium not just a thought, but a reality," said Atiba Antoine, secretary general of the TTPC.

"People approached the exhibition with open minds, and we were able to dispel several myths about persons with impairments not being able to play competitive sports.

"It is only through education that we can change people's minds, and then in turn change their lives.

"Currently we have two well known athletes - Shanntol Ince in swimming and Carlos Greene in shot put and discus.

"I would like to see eight more athletes come to the fore."

Shanntol Ince was one of only two athletes from Trinidad and Tobago to appear at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London ©Getty Images



Following the exhibition in January, the Tobago Ministry of Sport offered the TTPC a permanent office, along with staff, at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago.

Antoine added that the TTPC plans to focus on talent identification in the coming year while maintaining their commitment to education.

Tennis coach Francine Look Hong took part on the Equal Halves programme, helping to deliver some of the sessions and hopes that future initiatives will focus on delivering more dedicated athlete workshops.

"If I could, [I would like to] arrange set sessions in which the athletes must train, attend workshops and have the opportunity to interact with each other," said Look Hong.

"At competitions, our group will naturally root for each other with enthusiasm and compete knowing they have done everything possible to be properly prepared, and that they have the support of familiar faces in their team members."

At London 2012, Greene and Ince were the first athletes from Trinidad and Tobago to compete at a Paralympics since Peter Tudor, Stephen Abraham, Bernard Beaumont and Peter Loveland appeared at the 1988 Games in Seoul.

Rachael Marshall is the only athlete form the country to have medalled at a Paralympic Games after she took javelin and shot put gold, as well as a swimming bronze, at New York in 1984.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related Stories
April 2014: Agitos Foundation calls for grant applications to support Para-athletes
December 2013: Agitos Foundation Grant Support Programme hailed after worldwide progress in 2013
November 2013: Agitos invites NPCs to apply for its Organisational Capacity Programme
November 2013: "We want to change lives" claims Agitos Foundation as IPC General Assembly opens
October 2013: More than 30 Para-sport projects to receive funding from Agitos Foundation