In line with the vision of the YOG to use existing venues, President Bach started by commending the organisers, “We have an organising committee that was not only an efficient one, but also a very sustainable one. I congratulate them on making excellent use of existing venues and facilities from the 2005 Chinese National Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.”

A popular addition to the Games has been the brand new Nanjing 2014 Sports Lab concept, where roller sports, skateboarding, sport climbing and wushu were showcased in one space attracting some 3,000 visitors per day.  “We are very happy about the success of the ‘Sports Lab’, and we are already are thinking about its future and what role it can play in the Youth Olympic Games,” said President Bach.

Nanjing also witnessed the resounding success of new events such as 5-a-side hockey and an 8x100m relay in athletics; new sports – golf and rugby; and confirmation of the extraordinary appeal of the mixed team and mixed country events. As the IOC President affirmed, “These have been Youth Olympic Games of innovation.”

Social media played a unprecedented role in Nanjing to engage with the young athletes. The #YOGselfie campaign reached over 400 million people in the first 24 hours after the IOC President mentioned it at the Opening Ceremony. In China alone, 56 million people have posted #YOGselfie and 147 million #nanjing2014. Some 600,000 interactions were also registered via YOGGER, a key given to each participant to share contacts.

The athletes were also given the opportunity to take part in a number of fun and educational activities that will not only help them better understand important issues such as leading healthy lifestyles and the dangers of doping, but will also teach them about the meaning of the Olympic values and what it means to behave in a socially responsible manner. The Culture and Education Programme in Nanjing attracted a record number of 100,000 participations and aims to help those taking part in their future careers.

President Bach finally commended the seamless organisation and the efficiency of the Chinese hosts, and praised the volunteer programme, which will be one of the many strong legacies of these Games.

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It is imperative that the TTOC, NSOs, the Minister of Sport , Ministry of Sport and Sport company of Trinidad and Tobago have a shared vision and consensus on the way forward.

Change brings with it uncertain , doubt ,confusion and a loss of confidence.

Knowing what are our shared  priorities , getting them right and following  them will be a critical success factor if local sport is to overcome the perceived crisis it has fond itself in. We can't  act as if all is well. It is not. Its not business as usual.

When times are good there is a margin for error.

With Rio 2016 on the horizon there is no margin for error.

There are issues that must be addressed .

We can't allow red tape and bureaucracy to become an insurmountable obstacle.

We have a duty and responsibility to approach the current situation with a sense of urgency. We don't have the luxury of time.

The journey to achieve Olympic and World level sporting success is a long and difficult one  we are almost  to Rio 2016 . We can't afford to slip up.

We run the risk of 8 to 12 years of planning  going down the drain.

The planning for 2020 and beyond is already in train.

There will always be setbacks and detours but how we react will determine if we remain on course for success or not.

Trinidad and Tobago's Akanni Hislop placed fourth in the Men's 200m A final when the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games continued at the Nanjing Olympic Sport Centre Stadium yesterday.

The T&T athlete clocked 21.57 seconds out of lane two as USA's Noah Lyles powered away for the victory in 20.80. Jamaica's Chad Walker, who was second across the finish line in 21.19 seconds,  was disqualified and that promoted Botswana's Boboloki Thebe to silver (21.20) and Chinese Taipei's Chun-Han Yang (21.31) to the bronze medal position in a race in which Italy's Filippo Tortu did not start. Hislop, who was fifth across the line,  also benefitted to move up one spot to fourth.

On Saturday his T&T teammate, female hurdler Jeminise Parris finished fifth in the A finals of the Women's 100m hurdles.

Parris completed her race in 13.76 seconds, after she had qualified in  a personal  best time of 13.62 from Wednesday's  preliminaries.
Also yesterday,  Anduwelle Wright leaped to 7.21 metres to win the B finals of the Men's Long Jump. He improved 29 centimeters from his preliminary jump to take the B finals victory.
In beach volleyball action at the Youth Olympic Sport Park, the T & T pair of Chelsi Ward and Malika Davidson put up a fighting effort but did not advance past the round of 24 when they lost in two straight sets to Argentina 21-13, 21-13.
And in sailing, after three straight days of no racing because of a lack of wind, 15-year-old Abigail Affoo placed 17th in today's race at Jinniu Lake which was run in five knots of wind and heavy fog. Affoo finished 28th overall in the Women's One Person Dinghy.
T&T's YOG silver and bronze medalist Dylan Carter left the camp Saturday as his departure was pre-arranged for him to return in time for school at the University of Southern California in  Los Angeles.

FIFA INSTRUCTOR Patrick Beckles was impressed with the FIFA Members Association Administrative and Management Course, which concluded on Friday at the VIP Lounge, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

A total of 44 persons attended the four-day course, including club officials and match commissioners.

Beckles, a former general secretary of the Barbados Football Association, stated, “for me, the course was a pleasure. I think the wonderful thing about it was the tremendous amount of interaction and discussion between the participants. That, in itself, set the tone for the course.”

Beckles continued, “and we had a wide cross-section of persons of both ages, interests and experiences. And the discussions formulated allowed us to be able to present some proposals to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) executive for them to be able to consider.

“It was not just a course which was theoretical but some very practical solutions to some challenges, both for the TTFA at the level of the executive, but also the regional leagues, and some of the other interest groups - women’s football, beach football, futsal.

“We were able to generate some proposals, which now the football family has to consider to work with, and to be able to see where we can take them,” he added.

Asked about his role in the global game, Beckles responded, “I’m a consultant in football. I do consultancy for both FIFA and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). I have been since 2009.”

He continued, “I’m also a match official. I have worked extensively at World Cups. I have functioned as a security officer. One thing I would wish to say is that a lot of my training took place right here in Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, this was an opportunity for me to give back.

“Yes, I have travelled extensively. I worked throughout the Caribbean (and the Americas), Asia, Europe, the Middle East. But they always say there is no place like home. For me, the Caribbean is home,” he ended.

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