Olympic Gold Medallist Hasely Crawford 

The University of Trinidad and Tobago’s (UTT) High-Performance Unit (HPU), operating within the Sport and Recreation Unit, hosted a successful breakfast meeting and panel discussion on Wednesday 25 June, 2025, at UTT Campus at NAPA.

The event provided an overview of the structure, objectives, benefits and national and regional impact of UTT’s High-Performance Sport Scholarship Programme, and featured discussions under the theme "Developing Homegrown Talent", with a panel which included:

• Olympic Gold Medallist Hasely Crawford
• Antonia Burton, UTT Patriots Athletics Coach, and Vice-President of the North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Track and Field Coaching Association
• UTT Patriots Cricket Coach and former West Indies Cricketer, Anthony Gray
• Quadruple Olympic Medallist Ato Boldon, who joined the event via Zoom.

Olympic sailor and UTT graduate Andrew Lewis shared his testimonial, stating that the student-athlete programme offered through the University was a stepping stone in his Olympic career.

Present at the event was Senator David Nakhid, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, who emphasised the importance for stakeholders in sport to engage with community through creed and ethos. He commended Dr Candice Thomas, Assistant Professor, Centre for Kinesiology, Physical Education and Sport, UTT for her presentation, noting that the data presented could impact national policy as it was well informed.

Also in attendance were Mr Ephraim Serrette, President, of The National Association of Athletic Administrators, representatives from the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee; and former student-athletes, who received U.S. sport scholarships.

The University of Trinidad and Tobago commends the HPU and the Sport and Recreation Unit on a successful panel discussion, and looks forward to seeing all student-athletes achieving academic and athletic excellence.