LOCAL?SPORTS?authorities need to be more proactive in offering support to talented athletes, rather than looking to come on board after the hard work has been done.
So says Trevor Farley, coach/player of the Barbados table tennis team that competed at the 20th Commonwealth Games recently held in Glasgow, Scotland. The men’s team finished ninth in a tournament that attracted 28 countries while the women finished 17th.
“Going to these high level tournaments every four years is not going to be enough,” Farley told MIDWEEK SPORT following harsh comments from Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) officials after the Games in which Barbados won a solitary medal through Shane Brathwaite in athletics.
Farley argues that it is important for local players to train and compete at a high level on a consistent basis.
“The sports authorities should put things in place where persons should benefit more. Our team never benefited from any training overseas or at any high level before the tournament.
“There are facilities out there and things you can do to achieve this level. Even the Caribbean countries went to many training camps before the games. St. Vincent went to the Dominican Republic, the Jamaicans went to China and the Trinidadians went to Sweden. One Trinidadian, he plays in France at a high level all the time and we were still able to beat these guys.
“I think with our natural talent and with some of the resources these people have, that combination could see us doing better every time,” Farley said.
The former Caribbean singles champion said officials must stop thinking about sport as just playing a game.
“The players we are up against make a good living from table tennis. If we can push sports not only table tennis to that level it would be better than waiting for people to reach the top and then jumping on a bandwagon,” Farley said.
The former Caribbean champion would like to see local authorities doing more for sportsmen and women so that these players with potential to achieve at a high level would not have to struggle and fight largely on their own. When they receive meaningful assistance it then puts the athlete in a better position to help others who follow them.
While aware that the BOA already has a progamme to assist athletes Farley contends that more needs to be done especially for a sport like table tennis.
“I was an athlete with a lot of potential. I can say I benefited from going to coaching courses but as a player I never benefited from them in that area. I have gone to many tournaments but because of my standard of play. I qualified for those games.
“I think the Ministry of Sport can do more,” said the ITTF Level three coach.
“I remember when I won the Caribbean championships, the CAC games were a few months away. We were met at the airport with a lot of fanfare and there was a representative from the Ministry.
“We had done well that year. We brought home most of the medals from that championship. Then I never heard further from them. It put a damper on me and I was not in that frame of mind anymore to do well at CAC,” said Farley. He promised that he would get the minister to do something for table tennis.
