Former World and Olympic Champion Michael Johnson interacted with over 30 coaches and other individuals involved in sport and the development of local athletes when the two-day Michael Johnson Performance workshop on concepts and approaches to improving athletic performance concluded yesterday at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee house on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.

Johnson interacted with participants for about 45 minutes through a live Internet stream.

The workshop is a collaboration between the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) and BPTT.

Tied to the TTOC's drive to achieve ten Olympic gold medals by 2024, the workshop, the third of its kind, has as its theme ?Perfecting Performance-Striving for Excellence-Faster, Stronger, Higher.?

Drew Coffee, one of two MJP facilitators, is on his third such mission to TT; he explained MJP's role as one of exposing the participants to new approaches and ideas.

?It's just about revamping the coaches, enhancing it, not necessarily changing it,? the former Abilene Christian University football player said. He added that he expects the workshop will serve to ?expose a systematic approach to training, and overall, improve athleticism.?

Having done two previous stints in TT in 2014, Coffee observed the approach to preparation and training is not nearly as intense as what is the norm in the US. ?Ideally, if you're talking TT and the Carnival season is approaching, you can see that there's a high-performance mentality toward getting ready for Carnival,? he argued. ?So if we could just use some of that same mentality to, not necessarily train, but drag that into sport, I think that would help reach our goal of ten gold medals by 2024.?

Coffee's co-facilitator, MJP's Global Performance Director Lance Walker could not make the trip; yesterday, Walker delivered an online presentation on the qualities a coach ought to possess.

Coffee, a Regeneration and Recovery Specialist, said it was not that MJP had it all figured out. ?There are certain things that people are not gonna agree with,? he admitted. ?But exposing them to what we deal with is a big thing, because then you can now take that back with you to whatever athletes you're working with, you can share that with them, with other coaches in the field on the island.?

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Brian Lewis, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), believes this country can market itself to be the Beach Games capital of the world.

In a media release, Lewis revealed that the TTOC National Beach Games is on the drawing board and believes the scenic beaches make TT perfect for these types of tournaments.

“Trinidad and Tobago’s participation at the inaugural World Beach Games is the goal. Last year the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC) approved a proposal for the first World Beach Games,” he explained.

The Beach Volleyball will be one of the marquee sports at the World Beach Games and with this country recently hosting the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Caribbean Zone Men’s Beach Volleyball Qualifier which was won by TT, Lewis is encouraged.

Lewis noted the Olympic Qualifier, hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation (TTVF), was “not only important for the teams contesting for qualification for the Rio Olympics, but it was an opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to showcase its ability to host a high profile Beach Volleyball event.”

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Lance Walker, Global Performance Director, at the Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) Center, highlighted the difference between troublemakers and rebels. He urged the participants to become rebels by thinking big, being passionate and creating solutions instead of complaining. Walker was speaking during the closing session of the two-day bpTT/TTOC MJP High Performance workshop which concluded at Olympic House, 121 Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, yesterday.

Participants also heard words of wisdom from MJP founder and Former World and Olympic Champion Michael Johnson who said, “Teaching athletes is an important component of coaching athletes”.

During the afternoon period, Drew Cuffee (Regeneration and Recovery Specialist) engaged attendees in a practical session; introducing the MJP system that focuses on exercises surrounding Dynamics, Power, Movement, Force, Metabolics and Regeneration.

TTOC President, Brian Lewis, told the workshop that the TTOC is determined to create regular learning opportunities for High Performance coaches and trainers in Trinidad and Tobago. “Like Lance (Walker) said we need to be a network of rebels not troublemakers for there to be transformation in TTO Sport” said Lewis.

Lewis pointed out that a similar type of workshop would cost between $2000 - $5000 TT dollars, but the TTOC offers the workshop for free as the focus is on capacity building.

The workshop was well received by participants who expressed the view that it could have been longer, given the volume of information on offer.

“It was impressive and first world with lots of invaluable information. I will be tapping into the resources offered. Thank you, BPTT, MJP, Drew, Lance and TTOC for the opportunity” said Claire Orr, TT Cycling Federation Assistant General Secretary.

Those attending the High Performance Workshop which had as its theme: “Perfecting Performance – Striving for Excellence – Faster, Higher, Stronger” received a certificate of participation.

The TTOC expressed thanks to High Performance partners Michael Johnson Performance, Bp Trinidad and Tobago and Adidas for their continued support in making the ongoing High Performance Workshops possible.

The participants were:

Nicole Fuentes (TT Gymnastics Federation), Sean Morrison (TTVF), Gerard Franklin (Tobago), Mark Alexis (Tsunami Swim Club), Rheeza Grant (TTVF), Brij Parasnath (Caribbean Sport Specialists), Shurland Hartley (West Penn Athletics), Claire Orr (TTCF), Roger Frontin (TTCF), Edward Marchan (Paralympics), Josiah Morales (Eagles Aquatics), Curtis George (West Penn), Jenelle Nedd (MOS/NAAA), Ronald Rogers (UTT/TTCB), Kiron Simmons (UTT), Angel Ottley (UTT), Reynold Lovell (UTT), Shayne Cooper (NAAA), Rodney Liverpool (TTDF), Terron Abner (Marabella Family Crisis Centre), Jo-Ellen Redhead (MOS), Antonia Burton (NAAA), Gregory Seale (Movement Mechanics), Ashlee Alonso (Movement Mechanics), Courtnee-Mae Clifford (TTVF), Nataki Akii-Bua (Ventures Hockey Club), Pau Voisin (NAAA), Colin Syriac (Bike Smith Cycling Club), Jeffrey Claverie (QPCC), Mark Pouchet and Kelton Thomas (TTBBFF).

United States Olympic Committee announce its men's relay have been disqualified from the 4x100-metre race at London 2012 Olympic Games

T&T men’s sprint relay team, which won bronze in the 2012 London Olympics, may be upgraded again after the entire US relay team was stripped of its silver medal yesterday as a result of Tyson Gay’s doping case, two officials with knowledge of the decision as reported by the Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been announced.

The International Olympic Committee notified the US Olympic Committee by letter that the 4x100 relay team has been disqualified and all the medals withdrawn, the officials said. The letter asks the USOC to collect the medals and return them to the IOC.

Gay returned his own medal last year after accepting a one-year doping suspension and the loss of results going back to July 2012, but the status of the US second-place finish in London and the medals of Gay’s relay teammates had remained in limbo until now.

President of T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) Brian Lewis yesterday said that he has received no official confirmation on the development.

“I haven’t seen a report from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but we are looking forward to the official confirmation. We have to wait on the IOC to do additional deliberation, to confirm whether or not the silver medal will be reallocated,” said Lewis.

Under international rules, an entire team can be disqualified and stripped of medals because of doping by one member.

Gay was a member of the American team that finished second in London behind a Jamaican team anchored by Usain Bolt. The Americans set a national record in the final with a time of 37.04 seconds.

The other US team members losing medals are Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Ryan Bailey, Jeffery Demps and Darvis Patton. Kimmons, Gatlin and Bailey ran in the final with Gay.

It will be a second upgrade for local quartet of Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender and Richard Thompson, who some three years ago moved from fourth to third after the Canadian team of Justyn Warner, Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith and Jared Connaughton, running the third leg and on the final turn, had taken one step on the lane line, earning the team an automatic disqualification.

Lewis was adamant about the TTOC joining with the global anti-doping community, with a clear focus on protecting the clean athlete.

“TTOC has been rigourous in protecting the rights of the clean athlete and this development only highlights the need to do so.”

Gatlin, who is in Qatar for the opening Diamond League meet of the season tomorrow, told AP that he was not aware of the decision and had no comment. Gatlin, who won the 100-meter gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games, served a four-year doping ban from 2006.

Gay tested positive for steroids at the US championships in 2013. He received a reduced suspension—rather than a two-year ban— because he cooperated with the US Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation that led to an eight-year ban for his former coach, Jon Drummond.

Gay’s results were annulled going back to July 15, 2012, the date when he first used a product containing a banned substance.

If the London medals are reallocated, the silver will go to T&T, who finished third in 38.12 seconds. The bronze would go to the French team which placed fourth in 38.16 seconds.

“Our athletes were denied the opportunity or moreso the glory to stand on the podium and receive the silver medal. This latest development strengthens the unwavering effort of the TTOC in protecting the rights of the clean athlete,” said Lewis.

The rules of track and field’s world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, mandated that the entire US team be disqualified, but the final decision was up to the IOC.

Drummond was the coach of the US relay team in London and placed Gay on the team. According to the USADA decision in Drummond’s case, the athlete took a banned substance in July 2012 with the coach’s knowledge.

The IOC has previously stripped US relay teams of medals retroactively for doping, including three teams from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The US was stripped of gold in the women’s 4x400 and bronze in the 4x100 following Marion Jones’ admission of doping. Jones returned her medals, but her teammates appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to keep theirs and won their case in 2010. The court said IAAF rules at the time did not allow entire teams to be disqualified because of doping by one athlete.

The IOC also stripped the US men’s 4x400 relay of their Sydney gold after a doping admission by Antonio Pettigrew.

In 2012, American runner Crystal Cox was stripped of her gold medal from the 4x400 relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics after admitting to doping. The IOC did not disqualify the rest of the team because it was unclear which rules were in effect at the time.

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