00:00That's former national cyclist Michael Phillips, who has a penchant for singing and playing the guitar.
00:21It's something he picked up during COVID, and for a newcomer, he's aced it.
00:25That's because he has just released a single.
00:27And one thing's for sure, his love for sport can never change,
00:32which is why he continues to have his event on Arapita Avenue every year.
00:36But it hurts Phillips that sponsors seem less invested when it comes to promoting sporting events in TNT.
00:43Without the events, then you really limit the amount of growth and different aspects of skill development
00:52that comes out of that from massage therapists.
00:55To the vendor or the supplier that is selling sporting supplements and so on.
01:02Less event means that there's less activity, means there's less commerce, means there's less motivation,
01:08means that you may not even need a ministry of sports, because then you can turn it into the ministry of exercise,
01:13because that's all it will be.
01:14Sport is actually a number of people having a focal point with a particular day and venue in place where there's going to be an outcome and a result.
01:26And anything outside of that is fun and exercise.
01:28Many sporting events do not promote alcohol, since the focus is on leading a healthy lifestyle.
01:35As such, Phillips says it's sad that John Public is less interested in sport and more in what is known in local parlance as a wine and jam culture.
01:43People don't realize that carnival is the biggest competitor to sport with regards to sponsorships.
01:48In fact, most, if not all, sport drinks spend more money in carnival events than they do sporting events.
01:54That should tell you.
01:55And sport doesn't have the sin factor to compete with carnival.
01:59So, when you take those things into consideration, not only that, the first prize for the ultimate soccer monarch this year
02:07is more money than all of the other sporting events combined for the year, apart from CPL.
02:13So, it just goes to show you that sport has been treated like facilities, and carnival is treated like an event.
02:21Are sports promoters in the Twin Island country going to become extinct like dinosaurs?
02:25Well, Phillips is always ready to provide some level of training to those wanting to get into that field.
02:32But it all boils down to whether it will pay in the end.
02:35What I will tell you is that I feel there also needs to be, I have to find a way to be able to impart the knowledge and those skill sets to other people.
02:46And, unfortunately, because of those difficulties means there are not a lot of people lining up,
02:51wanting to go into this as what you call, it may not even be considered to be an industry at this point in time,
02:59which is sport promoting, right?
03:01I think we have, it may be categorized as an interest, but maybe not an industry.
03:09Phillips has been religiously holding races on the Diego Martin Highway on Sunday mornings.
03:14He sees it as a stepping stone for youngsters wanting to reach the top.
03:17So, the program that I run, I've been running for the last 16 years, Keep Moving Family and Fitness program,
03:24where people come out, ride, run, walk.
03:26We've been doing that, shutting down the part of the Diego Martin Highway between the hours of 6 to 9 every Sunday morning.
03:33I have seen kids come there in strollers, and now they're competing at the Rainbow Cup,
03:39and now they're going off and making national teams.
03:41That's the length of time I've been putting on that program.
03:44Without that event, all of that stops. All of that interest stops.
03:49As such, he's calling on government and corporate TNT to work hand-in-hand to keep sport alive in the country.
03:57And while doing so, he will simultaneously concentrate on his music,
04:01which includes experimenting with other instruments to keep him going.
04:05When would not want any teams explored?
04:12When would not want any teams explored?
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