media_artricles :: 2014

Top athletes concerned over crime

The spate of murders that have gripped this country has not escaped the attention of tops athletes Jehue Gordon and Cleopatra Borel.

Up to press time the T&T police service had confirmed 13 murders already for 2014.

Gordon and Borel are just two of this country’s many athletes whose accomplishments gradually serve to repair T&T’s international reputation which was being tarnished as a result of increasing crime.

Interviewed, Gordon said, “We need to instil more traditional morals and values in the younger ones. Too many young people these days (are) making children and they just not bringing them up in the way they are supposed to do. But for me, it’s just having a close relationship with God and understanding his real purpose for us as humans on this earth.”

He added, “Sport itself drives pride and unity and when athletes compete on the world stage, we gather a lot of eyes. A lot of the younger ones, especially, strive to become just like the ones who bring joy and pride to their country. I would say that we do play a critical role in terms of motivating the younger ones, but we shouldn’t go out there to try to and motivate the younger ones. We should just be able to go out there and do what we love doing and that in itself will be a motivator for the younger ones.”

Borel said athletes saw themselves as ambassadors. She said she knew a lot of people who read the newspapers backwards because they preferred to look at sports and positive news before they looked at the rest of the paper.

“I encourage a lot of young people to take part in track and field, take part in the different sport and really push yourselves. There are lots of opportunities for education through sport. Sport teaches us discipline. It teaches us discipline and hard work. It can bring values to our young people. When you look at the crime situation, you have to go after young people because the criminals go after them. We have to go to our youth with the same passion and sport can be the vehicle to get through to young people,” said Borel.

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