MINISTER of Sport Brent Sancho yesterday said he aims to restore pride in sport, saying it holds the potential to address social ills.
“For me I want to bring pride back into Sports,” Sancho told reporters moments after being sworn in at President’s House.
“In the next couple of months, or however long my tenure will be, I want to make sure there is pride and that we get the right funding to our athletes so that they represent our country in the right way.
We have an abundance of talent in this country, although we have not given them the correct support.” Sancho, a former national footballer, represented this country at football’s biggest stage in 2006 when the Soca Warriors competed in the World Cup for the first time.
Yesterday he said sport played a role in society.
“Sports is such an important component in our country,” Sancho said. “It could help alleviate some of our social ills.”
Of comments that he was not qualified for the task, Sancho said, “I have spent most of my career serving this country and I look forward to being of continued service and I look forward to it. I can’t wait to start working. There will always be criticisms. I will let my work be the judge of what I do. I am looking forward to get the job started. I will start to work right away.”
Meanwhile, Sancho has relinquished his role as managing director of Central FC, the top team in the 2014-2015 Digicel Pro League season. The operations director Kevin Harrison will take up the mantle as the team’s managing director.
In a story on the League’s website, Harrison stated, “he (Sancho) won’t be involved in the club. It is something that we discussed.
“It is a good move for him although, politically, its not the best time to take that position with all the controversy that’s going on.
The English-born Harrison added, “but he has steady hands to the ship. He is just a neutral person and he is doing it for Trinidad and Tobago. We don’t know how long it will be for because elections (are) around the corner, but maybe he can steady things, being a sensible head.”