The sport of freediving in Trinidad and Tobago stands poised for transformative development following a pivotal meeting between national record-holder Victoria Deonarine and Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Phillip Watts. The December 9 discussion at the ministry’s offices marked a potential turning point for the previously niche activity, now positioned for recognition as an official national discipline.
The 18-year-old Williamsville student, accompanied by coaches Saif Mohammed and Danielle Bachew, detailed her recent athletic breakthrough at the Blue Element competition in Dominica. On November 21, Deonarine shattered her own national record by achieving a remarkable 45-meter dive, capturing ministerial attention and sparking institutional interest.
Minister Watts, having monitored Deonarine’s performance during the international event, initiated the post-competition meeting where he committed substantive support for her international competitive aspirations. This institutional endorsement represents a significant advancement for both the young athlete’s career and the sport’s development within the Caribbean nation.
Deonarine described the challenges previously facing freediving enthusiasts, including inadequate funding structures, underdeveloped club infrastructure, and limited training facilities. Her earlier application for Elite Athlete Assistance failed to materialize, forcing reliance on community donations from friends, family, and strangers to finance her Dominica participation.
Training limitations further complicated her preparation. Requests to utilize the National Aquatics Centre proved unsuccessful, while corporate facilities required club affiliations impossible for unrecognized sports. Deonarine consequently conducts most depth training in northwestern peninsula waters capable of accommodating 40-plus meter dives, with alternative sites in Las Cuevas and Speyside, Tobago proving logistically impractical for regular training.
The ministerial recognition effectively addresses these systemic barriers. Deonarine emphasized how this support “could make it a lot easier for me to compete in future competitions” while acknowledging Watts’ recognition of her “potential to be on that same level as international competitors.”
Beyond personal athletic ambitions, Deonarine envisions broader developmental impacts. “This meeting basically takes one step to make the sport into a club or a community,” she noted, expressing particular enthusiasm about “the growth that the sport’s getting” through institutional validation.
The St Stephen’s College student maintains ambitious objectives extending beyond national records to international competition and inspirational representation. “When people see TT athletes in these competitions,” she affirmed, “it means a lot for TT.” With ministerial support now secured, Trinidad and Tobago’s freediving community anticipates accelerated development and competitive emergence on the global stage.