By WALTER ALIBEY Saturday, September 6 2008

A DEVELOPMENT programme has been put in place to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago’s boxers qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

At a launch at the VIP Lounge of the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Thursday, Co-ordinator at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) Ken Butcher said he was anxiously awaiting the 2012 Games.

He expressed the view that there are six components, which, once maximised to its fullest, will ensure that local boxers qualify for the Olympics.

The UTT official was speaking about the ongoing coaching course which is being held for past and present boxers as well as coaches.

The Amateur Boxing Association of Trinidad and Tobago (TTABA) is led by Cecil Forde who has praised the intake of young talented and budding boxers at the UTT. The Amateur Boxing Association is currently in the process of spotting promising boxers through the Community Outreach and School Programmes and is focusing on their future development.

The association has also embarked on a process of separating the elite boxers from the novices while continuing their development.

According to Butcher, in the field of education there are more boxers being taken into the UTT while ongoing relations between this country and regional boxing powerhouse Cuba, have made development easier.

He revealed also that two young boxers, Chimere Taylor, a member of the TT women’s boxing team, who is preparing for the Pan American Female Boxing Championship to be held here in October and Kelon Calliste will pursue courses at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Forde said that the ABA has recruited the service of Sports Psychologist Cuban Maria Antonia Riera for three weeks to work during the ongoing coaching course.

He revealed that the duration of Riera’s stay who is also a doctor of Sport Science in Cuba has been extended by 10 days.

Riera congratulated the UTT and the ABATT for its vision to host the coaching course and called for similar courses to be taught at the UTT and thereby ensure that there are more qualified coaches in TT in the next three years.

National boxing coach Vincente Martinez said they are looking at conducting another course in January and in December next year.

Among them he said will be one for Sports Medicine.