Each year on June 23^rd, over 200 National Olympic Committees from around the world join together to celebrate the birth of the Modern Olympic Games. This year, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) commemorates the Olympic Movement at Olympic House from the 23^rd to 26^th June 2015.

Today (23^rd June 2015), the TTOC will open its doors to the public to come learn more about the Olympic Movement and Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic history.

From the 24^th to 26^th June, the TTOC will host Preschool and Primary School children from Trinidad and Tobago with the aim to promote fitness, well being, culture and education, while promoting the Olympic values – excellence, friendship and respect – and the three Olympic Day pillars – move, learn and discover.

The children will engage in playground games, learn about the Olympic Movement and T&T’s Olympic History and discover our Elite Athletes and the vision of achieving #10Golds24 (10 or more Gold medals by the year 2024).

This year’s celebration will also have the inclusion of the Drama Making A Difference (DMAD) Company who will use the medium of drama and theatre arts to educate the children about the Olympic Movement and the values.

The tradition of the Olympic Day has a long history. This event was timed to coincide with the date of June 23, 1894, when Pierre de Coubertin and his supporters have revived the Olympic Games and created the International Olympic Committee (IOC).  The First World Olympic Day was celebrated on June 23, 1948.

The TTOC expresses thanks to Guardian Group, Lisa Communications, BPTT, Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago House of Assembly, Columbus Communications, Flavourite Ice Cream, Blue Waters and Bermudez for being apart of Olympic Day 2015.

#10golds24 has set clear performance targets for Trinidad and Tobago’s high performance system. These targets are challenging and will require new and innovative approaches in order to achieve them. One area that #10golds24 can make the largest gains to meet and sustain these targets is to lead the development of a system that can deliver improved results over the longer term.

Many countries have tried and failed to initiate and implement successful High Performance systems. This failure has been largely due to a “one size fits all” approach with the application of models that are often ignoring critical cultural and environmental factors.

The success of #10golds24 approach to high performance system building will be centered on the alignment and better use of existing structures in conjunction with the integration of new and innovative approaches. To this end, #10golds24 will play a greater role in the development of athletes, coaches and technical leaders.

What is System Excellence?

It is an evidence-based approach centered on creating sustainable and repeatable podium performances by:

• Fostering the systematic development of world class athletes, coaches and technical leaders;

• Ensuring we have the right athletes in the right sports and that they are given the right support at the right time; and

• Ensuring we use our resources in the most efficient and effective manner for the best performance gains.

What is the scope of #10golds24?

It is defined by a three-pronged approach in the areas of:

• High Performance Coaching and Technical Leadership;

• High Performance Athlete Development; and

• High Performance Strategy.   



What does it mean for sports?

• #10golds24 will be working with national sport organisations to create High Performance Coaching and athlete development and Technical Leadership plans.

• High Performance Athlete Development plan will initially focus on Podium Pathway and Gold Medal Profile components.

• Coaching and Technical Leadership plan will initially focus on succession through alignment with the Podium Pathway.

• National Sport System partnership

Integrated Sport Science

Integrated sport sciences can be defined as sports medicine and other team management professionals that support coaches and athletes/teams.  These may include a physiologist, sport psychologist, biomechanist, nutritionist, physical therapists/athletic therapist, and a physician. Additionally, a performance analyst may be part #10golds24 to support the use of various new innovations in video and technology for the purpose of performance enhancement. Other professionals (including sport administrators) may be included depending on the nature of the sport and the specific needs of the coaches and athletes.

#10golds24 works regularly with the coaches and athletes to ensure athletes receive world-class care and support for their training, recovery and competition programs.  
The goal of #10golds24 is to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago athletes are healthy, fit and psychologically ready for optimal performance.

The delivery of sport sciences and sport medicine services is always athlete-centered, and coach driven, thus requiring continuous communication and integration between the coach and the team of experts that support the athlete and/or team.

#10golds24 pursues excellence and facilitates a sport innovation and applied sport research program. The overall goal of this approach is to increase the frequency of Trinidad and Tobago’s podium appearances at Olympic Games through strategically designed programmes.

10Golds24 aims to cultivate a system of excellence that clarifies the development pathway and performance management system that holistically foster, mentor, nurture and develop Olympians and Olympic Champions.  
Training to be an Olympic champion is a full time commitment that demands both discipline and dedication to maintain competitiveness and to win medals. Elite and high performance athletes competing in individual and team sports must dedicate time, money, and energy to their athletic endeavors.   
Signaling a new mindset, a new attitude and a new approach where the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) targets the big goal and the big dream of ten Olympic gold medals by the year 2024. Establishing a change in culture entails breaking down barriers with new and innovative approaches. Thus, this approach intends to sensitize the nation about the reality that exist with out National Athletes in an attempt to encourage support of our athletes on their journey to fulfilling the Olympic Dream.  
The goal of #10Golds24 was launched on the 26th December 2014. On 25th January 2015, the TTOC President, Brian Lewis, participated in the Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon to raise awareness on funding for the Athlete Welfare and Preparation fund. The Fund is envisioned to be independent, transparent, accountable and non – governmental.     
Many of TTO Elite and High Performance athletes are not financially well rewarded and would not have an opportunity to reach their potential without financial support. Financial support or the lack of it across the stages of an athlete's long term development have ended or compromised the dream of many talented young men and women.  
The training to compete and to win phases of an athlete's long-term development is particularly critical. As is what happens after their competitive life is over.  
The aim of #10golds24 athlete welfare and preparation fund is to provide financial assistance to our nation’s Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes to enable them to train, recover and compete. The fund aims to assist athletes in the following aspects:

• Direct support (stipend) and out of pocket expense

• Medal bonus

• Health and Accident Insurance

• Internships with Corporate T&T to prepare for life after elite sport

• Life skills training

Paris is to make its long-awaited entrance into the race for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games on Olympic Day - June 23.

After a prolonged period of assessment, the French capital will confirm its intention to take its place on the start-line, alongside Boston, Hamburg and Rome, at an event at the Maison du Sport Français featuring leading athletes and key politicians.

A second, more politically-oriented launch is expected on French National Day, July 14.

The city has not hosted the Summer Games since 1924 and its last three bids - in 1992, 2008 and 2012 – came to nothing.

Even so, given Boston’s well-publicised problems, it will probably enter this latest contest in what past bidding history suggests is the perilous position of frontrunner.

In a fascinating, though not unexpected, twist, media invitations to Tuesday’s event have been distributed by Vero, the consultancy headed by Britain's Mike Lee, one of the architects of Paris’s downfall in the keenly-contested 2012 race won by London.

Vero worked closely with Bernard Lapasset, the World Rugby President whose input has been critical in navigating the French political establishment to a position where it was prepared to countenance another bid, on the successful campaign to get rugby sevens into the Olympic sports programme, commencing at Rio 2016.

Lee also worked on Rio de Janeiro and Pyeongchang's successful bid to host the 2016 and 2018 Summer and Winter Olympics respectively.

He was also closely involved in Qatar's hugely controversial campaign that led to them being awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Lee is also currently guiding the campaign of former London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe to succeed Lamine Diack as President of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Other key figures in the new bid are expected to include Tony Estanguet, the personable 37-year-old triple Olympic canoe slalom champion and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission member, Etienne Thobois, a director of the Keneo consultancy and former French badminton champion, and of course Anne Hidalgo, the city’s Mayor.

"We are working with Bernard, Etienne and the Paris 2024 team," Lee confirmed to insidethegames.

The Hungarian capital Budapest is widely expected to join a race that will play an important part in shaping the IOC’s public image at a time when top sports organisations are coming under unprecedented scrutiny.

It is not impossible that other cities may yet follow suit before the September 15 deadline.

The winner is set to be chosen by IOC members in 2017, at the body’s 130th Session in the Peruvian capital of Lima.

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