Melissa Joseph, 20, is keen on bringing glory to Trinidad and Tobago at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships and 2016 Olympics.

Joseph, is a US-based, American born, WTF Global Licensed Taekwondo athlete, born to TT parents.

She represented the USA, competing at an International level, but has switched allegiances to Trinidad and Tobago.

Joseph is a multiple international taekwondo medallist and has performed at the top “G” ranked status tournaments.

She has displayed resounding ambition and talent, exemplifying a serious nature regarding her career. Such testament to her diversity is that Joseph is a former Miss Horizonte Pageant (representing Trinidad and Tobago) third runner-up in 2012.

She has been selected by the Trinidad and Tobago Taekwondo Association to represent the national team, with two main goals — the 2015 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Chelybinsk, Russia from May 12-18, as well as the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. These games are the dual pinnacle in the world for taekwondo.

Joseph is currently a medical student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, so between studies, charity work and professional competition, her goals are lofty but she believes they are attainable because of her ambitious nature.

Training out of two taekwondo training bases in Orlando and Tampa, Florida, Joseph is intent on pursuing excellence. Persons interested in funding Joseph’s quest for these Games can go to http://www.gofundme.com/r63bq5g. Joseph can be contacted via her fan club email at mjtkdintlmedalist@yahoo.com.

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The Secretary General of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), Mrs. Annette Knott, is representing the National Olympic Committee at the 13^th International Session for Directors of National Olympic Academies (NOA) in Olympia, Greece. The main subject of the programme is the Olympic Values with a special focus on the “The Value of Excellence as an Educational Tool”.

The Session began with the opening ceremony on Sunday 3rd May which followed with a lecture by Mr. Conrado Durantez (ESP), President of the Paniberican Association of Olympic Academies, President of the National Olympic Academy of Spain, on the subject: “The Role of the IOA in the spread of the Olympic Ideal”.

A key moment at the opening ceremony was the laying of the wreath at the stele of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, renovator of the modern Olympic Games. His heart is buried at this memorial at the Olympic Academy.

Also attending from the Caribbean is Dave Farmer Director of NOA (Barbados), Curtis Smith NOA Member (Barbados), Alfred Emmanuel, Secretary General of St. Lucia Olympic Committee and President of NOA (St. Lucia) and Keith Joseph, Secretary General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee and President of NOA (St. Vincent and the Grenadines).

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s female beach volleyball players advanced to the second round of regional qualifying for the Olympic Games in impressive fashion Friday at Ocho Rios Beach, Jamaica. After getting a bye in the first round of the CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association) tournament, the No. 2 seeds brushed aside Haiti 2-0 to secure one of the six places in the second of four rounds of qualifying in the NORCECA (North, Central America and the Caribbean) region. Apphia Glasgow and La Teisha Joseph, quarterfinalists in the opening leg of the NORCECA Tour last weekend in Cayman Islands, got the ball rolling with a 21-12, 21-17 triumph over Djoulissa Marthe and Solaida Pierre. And then Elki Philip and Shenelle Gordon completed the job by whipping Caroline Graham and Graziella Chery 21-11, 21-17. Haiti had beaten Bahamas 2-0 in the first round and the other three first-round winners were also beaten in the second when they came up against seeded countries. Curacao cruised past Martinque, but then went under by the same score line against Barbados, while Jamaica were 2-0 winners over Guadeloupe, 2-0 winners over Aruba earlier in the day. And after a 2-0 triumph over the United States Virgin Islands, Suriname were edged by Cayman Islands. Haiti, Guadeloupe, Curacao and Suriname battled yesterday to determine the two countries to move into the second round of regional qualifying alongside Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and T&T. The top six CAZOVA teams will battle against the top six in the ECVA (Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association) in the second round on a date and at the venue to be determined.  Champions will be crowned in this weekend’s tournament this afternoon after semifinals in the morning. T&T were scheduled to face Cayman Islands yesterday for a place in the last four. The opening round of CAZOVA men’s qualifying will take place in Trinidad at Saith Park, Chaguanas, from Friday until Sunday.

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Ria Ramnarine Graduates with Honours Distinction from the International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program

The International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program (ICECP) honored its class of 2015 in a ceremony held at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The seventh edition of the ICECP – an intensive coaching education program developed by the United States Olympic Committee, the University of Delaware and the IOC – included 33 coaches representing five continents, 33 countries and 14 sports.

Among the 33 coaches, were former World Champion boxer Ria Ramanrine and founder of the ‘Boxing Beyond the Ring’ programme. The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee congratulates Ria for achieving Honours Distinction from the ICECP programme.

“It was a life changing experience,” said Ria Ramnarine. “The ICECP programme enabled me to grow and develop as a coach and an individual. Working on my project, demanded both time and focus which was a little bit nerve wrecking. However, the experience served as an encouragement to move forward. I would like to thank Mr. Lewis, ICECP and Olympic Solidarity for providing me with this amazing opportunity. Many thanks to the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development; Ramsingh's Sports World, CSF Couriers, Bharrath Ramoutar and all those who contributed to my success in one way or the other."

In her advice to future coaches from Trinidad and Tobago who may be afforded the opportunity, “They need to dedicate 7 months towards the programme. Implementing the project takes a lot of time and requires starting your project as soon as you get back home and building a good team. In closing, she leaves these three words “Go For It!”

In the final module, participants presented the projects they completed over the course of the program – which focused on improving coaching infrastructure in their home countries. Ria’s project was the ‘Beyond the Ring’ programme which was aimed at increasing female participation in boxing. The programme extends beyond the sport of boxing to help empower women and girls through self defense and health and fitness.

The 2014-15 program included coaches from American Samoa, Austria, Antigua and Barbuda, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, India, Jordan, Latvia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Serbia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and Uganda. For more information on the ICECP, visit http://www.udel.edu/icecp.

ABOUT ICECP A program of the United States Olympic Committee, the University of Delaware and the International Olympic Committee, the International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program aims at assisting national-level coaches in developing proficiency in the areas of sport sciences, talent identification, athlete development, safe sport, coaching education, coaching management and grass roots sport development. The intended outcome is for ICECP participants to return to their countries and serve as coaches within their respective sports, while becoming foundation builders for future coaches and athletes, and spreading Olympic spirit.