It is still uncertain whether the Skinner Park facility in San Fernando, which claimed the life of cyclist Colin “Creepy” Wilson on the opening day of the Easter International Cycling Grand Prix, was certified for the event.
Former T&T Cycling Federation (TTCF) president Frank Gittens, who is now serving as a commissaire, confirmed yesterday that the facility was certified. However, this stands in stark contrast to an official UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) document, which lists the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva, as the only certified facility in T&T to date.
The UCI list, provided by former TTCF president Robert Farrier, showed all certified facilities globally; currently, only the NCC is included for T&T.
Gittens, who previously held the top leadership position in local cycling, noted that his role as a commissaire carries significant weight regarding the execution of local and international events. A commissaire’s responsibilities include race monitoring, ensuring safety oversight (Verifying that the race course and equipment meet safety standards to protect both riders and spectators), dealing with conflict resolution (Addressing disputes and issues to maintain the integrity of the event), and interacting with race officials, teams, and athletes to convey decisions clearly and effectively.
When asked if the facility was certified, Gittens answered in the affirmative. He told Guardian Media Sports that the federation’s only blunder was the assumption that fencing removed for Carnival activities earlier this year had been replaced with its original structural integrity.
Regarding whether the event was UCI-sanctioned, Gittens explained that there are different classifications of certification.
He said, “I would say yes, it was UCI certified. Certification is in light of the events you want to hold on it. Skinner Park would not be certified for an Olympic event or Commonwealth event. The Couva track is of the Olympic standard, so, in certifying, there are different categories for the different types of events. If you want to set or attempt to break the world record, that could only be done on an appropriate track. They wouldn’t create riding on the road with a track.”
According to Gittens, “It had the Easter Grand Prix events, the local events. It had the Caribbean Championship events and the UCI event, and there were sanctions for all three. Going back to how the conversation started, I was not the commissaire for all the events; I was the commissaire for the local events. For the Caribbean Championship events and the UCI events, there was a UCI commissaire here. The track was certified previously, and it is documented that it is approved for cycling.
“Where I would say we made a blunder is that they previously had Carnival activities in the facility, and they removed the barriers to facilitate the trucks and the bands, and so, it appears that they did not replace it in a secure manner. The welding, some of the welding was just tacks that broke loose on impact.
“They had removed part of the fencing, and where they removed it is where he collided with, and it broke and damaged him,” Gittens explained.
Gittens said further, “With the installation of the fence, there wasn’t a detailed structure inspection on the fence, on the rail. We were of the assumption that if a fence was there and you removed it, you would put it back with the same integrity. So that was the shortcoming of the cycling fraternity, because it’s not one person who went and looked at it and shared any concern.”
Meanwhile, Farrier criticised the federation’s decision to add the novice riders with the masters events. Wilson’s crash took place as he attempted to navigate away from novice rider Sanjeev Sonilal of the Rigtech Sonics, who went down on the track.
Farrier, the founder of local club DPS, noted that there had been previous attempts to discourage mixing these categories.
“This is not a normal practice in cycling,” Farrier said.
