TTOC- Olympic Day (June 23rd)
Message by the Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe
Minister of Sport and Community Development
The ethos of the Olympic Games celebrates more than athletic excellence; it lauds the human spirit for confronting and conquering insurmountable feats. The Games consistently challenges the human body and mind to climb to a new strata every four years. Whether it’s athletes, sport administrators, leaders, or fans, the Games is undoubtedly the most anticipated event across the world. There is simply no other occasion that perfectly fuses compelling artistry, masterful coordination skills, the finest in athleticism, sorrow and joy, as the Olympics.
On June 23rd 1948, a vision honouring the soul of the Olympics came to life- Olympic Day. This day celebrates the spirit of the Games, and the Ministry of Sport and Community Development joins with the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the rest of the world in marking this significant moment; exactly 30 days before the start of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Drawing from the original pillars, “Move, Learn, Discover”, local organizing committees are executing events and activities to incorporate every single person in this global call for increased physical activity and awareness of the Olympics. Olympic Day is perfectly nestled in between the Ministry’s ongoing suit of sport programmes such as the Pink Reign Campaign, capacity-building courses with the TTOC, and our Community Titan Initiative. These endeavours mirror the principles of the Olympics in terms of harnessing, advancing, and recognizing our sporting talent. We are consistently striving to effectively serve and support our local sporting fraternity by enhancing the delivery of our services, projects and programmes. Like our athletes and sporting organisations, we continue to work assiduously to break the performance standards that we set for ourselves.
This year, Olympic Day and the broader Olympic Games may adopt a new form but we as citizens and sport leaders will continue to rally around our athletes as they chase after Olympic glory. Today, I sincerely hope that we can reflect on the ideals and purpose of the Olympic Games and its ability to unite sporting greats from every corner of the globe. May we also use this opportunity to reflect on our nation’s own Olympic journey to foster a deeper appreciation for our sporting icons and their support systems.
I thank the TTOC for their unstinting commitment to excellence and wish our contingent every success in our Olympic quest. May God bless team TTO and the entire Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.