By Raffique Shah
September 20, 2025

Thousands here in Trinidad and Tobago who watched the recent World Athletics Championships do not know how fortunate they are to have live telecasting of the prestigious event. A mere 20 years ago there was limited coverage of such events, and very often television and radio stations paid huge sums of money to earn the right to carry the events; both audiences and owners/managers felt cheated. You don’t have to be a fan of athletics or any sport to appreciate what it means for nationals of any country to see their representatives on these international stages-stadia, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc.

My generation and those before and after us never enjoyed live coverage of any major sporting event. In fact, there were instances when stations had to pay to carry the results. It was that absurd. In 1964 the Olympic Games were held in Tokyo. Trinidad and Tobago had just emerged as an independent nation. For the first time in history we were getting coverage, because by then, TTT had been launched as the first television station and a wave of nationalism swept this country. This country’s quartet of Wendell Mottley, Edwin “Peewee” Roberts, Edwin Skinner and Clifton Bertrand made the finals of the 400m (Mottley), 4x400m, and 200m (Peewee), cupping silver, bronze and bronze respectively.

I was not in Trinidad for those historical performances by our athletes. I had left weeks before to attend Sandhurst, but I recall there was television at the military academy. Britain had some of the finest track and field athletes in the world at that time, more so because athletes from its colonies ran as British athletes. In many colonies that created tension. Athletes who refused to run under the British flag never made it to these big games, even if they were better performers than those who ran for Britain. I recall controversies when top performers were not allowed to compete against the “mother country”. And, in the Tokyo Olympics, I remember well that I was the only person in my company who cheered on T&T as they put a flogging on bigger nations.

I should add that athletes who ran under the British flag received better treatment than their own athletes. They felt compelled to bow to the British sports bodies who gave them all the opportunities they needed that were available. In most sports-football, cricket, etc.-the bosses applied the nationality rule rigidly in instances. In such cases, athletes often swore allegiance to Her Majesty and competed where and when they were invited. I remember how proud I was that night as I watched television images of my team performing as they did. Tears came to my eyes. I remember facing a barrage of “fatigue” from my classmates. I easily dismissed them, but I registered in my mind another black mark against the British.

To further explain: the colonisation of sports, which remains to this day, is a weapon in the hands of the controllers. I know of at least one instance in which this issue of which flag athletes should perform under, caused a lifelong break in friendship. McDonald Bailey was a top 100m sprinter, who I believe was born in Trinidad where he started to show his class in athletics from an early age; he ran among the fastest runners in Trinidad. I do not recall the reasons why he migrated to Britain, but I know when he would compete in major games in the 100m, he had earned the nickname “Black Flash in White City”—black being the colour of his skin, and flash signalling his speed as a runner. He was attending school in Britain when, because of wars, all the games were pre-empted, but in the limited cases where he competed, he was most impressive. He held a few records and often won when he competed.

And Mac easily gave up any connection with Trinidad and Tobago in order to become eligible to compete for Britain. By the time the Second World War had ended and the games resumed, Mac was still performing well, but not at competition level. By then, Britain was mesmerised by the “Oxford Four” who ran their way into history by combining their efforts to break the four-minute barrier in the one-mile race. Roger Bannister had piloted and ran the anchor leg of the famous one-mile race. Britain turned to the middle distances that suddenly became attractive with names such as Emil Zatopek, the Czech runner who competed in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

As I watch the youngsters Jereem “The Dream” Richards and Keshorn Walcott do us proud at the Worlds, I could not help but recall the drama that preceded and accompanied their predecessors at Tokyo. How lucky we are that while these fellas train with foreign coaches and use foreign facilities, they still choose the Red, White and Black with absolute pride.