PRESIDENT of the TT Sambo and Combat Sambo Federation Jason Fraser said the Government and corporate bodies need to play a more active role in sport. Fraser’s comments come on the heels of his organisation hosting the Caribbean International Invitational Open Combat Sport Championships at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva, on the weekend.
The unique combat sports event saw amateur and professional mixed martial arts, grappling, boxing, combat sambo and women’s sambo under the same roof for a weekend of hard-hitting action.
The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs supported the event financially, but Fraser was hoping Government officials would have attended the event to give that moral support to the athletes.
Fraser said, “When I say lack of support from Government, I am talking about the actual physical turning up at the event. Earlier on in the week, the Minister of Sport (Shamfa Cudjoe) promised to be there, her speech was written (to speak at the event). At 5 pm or 5.30 pm when I was calling to find out what time the Minister is coming so we could put all the protocols in place to escort her inside, we were told ‘No one called you to tell you the Minister is coming? Nobody from her secretariat?’ I was like ‘no’. This was real heartbreaking.”
Fraser said combat sports is a valuable means to harness energy in young people and give them a positive avenue to express themselves. He said athletes would be motivated to compete even harder knowing there is a crowd of top officials looking on.
Fraser added, “If corporate TT and Government agencies including tourism, culture, sports and community development don’t put their hands on deck and put all their resources that they could together we won’t progress. I am saying that if all these agencies don’t put their hands together collectively when we having events like this (we won’t move forward).”
He said hosting world class events such bas this can be a great boost to the local economy.
“Everybody benefits, the taxis, the hotels,” he declared.
Fraser said the mission of the event was achieved, as bouts were held in a number of combat sports. “I think overall the objective of the event was accomplished in terms of trying to bring all the combat sports (together) like a combat sports festival weekend. It was something that was never done before in the Caribbean and we accomplished that goal,” Fraser said.
The highlight for him was having world-renowned and current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts referee Herb Dean in TT. “It was really an honour to have Herb Dean here...having him in TT (was great) and he was so excited with the quality of athletes that he saw and he committed to me that he is going to be back soon.”
Fraser commended Flow Sports for showing the event live, while National Lotteries Control Board was among the other sponsors.