Sports
Jonathan Ramnanansingh
Just Living Daily (JLD) Cycling Academy and Heatwave Cycling Club have issued a joint pre-action protocol letter to the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TTCF), through attorney Dr Emir Crowne, on their decision to hold trials for the 2026 Pan American Track Cycling Championships on January 17.
Both clubs threatened legal action against the TTCF on November 19, calling on the body to cancel its “impromptu trials” for the February 16-22 meet in Santiago, Chile, and to follow its own selection policy.
The letter requested the federation “act within the parameters of the selection policy and exercise its discretion (acting fairly and reasonably) to select riders based on objective and recent results on or before November 24.”
Crowne’s letter came as a result of a meeting of the TTCF general council members on November 17, who “voted in favour” of holding the January 17 trials “in fairness to all cyclists”.
The meeting was convened to settle concerns raised by both clubs over the timing of the trials and to determine whether they should continue as scheduled.
The selection policy requires that all trials and team selections take place no later than 12 weeks before any international meet, ensuring enough time for registration, funding approvals and travel logistics.
With the Pan American Track Cycling Championships starting on February 16, the last day the federation could legally stage trials was November 24.
However, the TTCF announced on November 10, that it would hold mandatory trials for elite and under-23 riders on January 17.
The Pan Am Champs usually fall in April, but the federation was informed of the earlier date by the International Cycling Union back in June.
The clubs argued that the federation had more than enough time to stage the trials in accordance with its own policy. They added that setting a January date that “ran contrary to a long-established selection policy” would also interfere with the training cycles of riders based abroad.
Given these circumstances, the clubs said the federation should use its discretion to pick the team based on athletes’ most recent and measurable results.
According to the pre-action protocol letter, the federation’s “failure and/or refusal to follow its own selection policy” amounts to “a breach of the agreement governing the relationship between the parties,” is “negligent,” and “a breach of legitimate expectations.”
The attorneys described the use of the emergency meeting to advance the trials decision as “a breach of the executive’s fiduciary duties and is an abuse of its powers.”
The clubs also raised concerns about athlete preparation requirements, singling out a proposed 4km individual pursuit test for rider Alexi Costa-Ramirez. They said the Federation is “requesting that certain riders (Costa-Ramirez) do a 4 km individual pursuit: a timed event that requires very specific training, preparation and equipment.”
They argued that “adopting this selection format of itself smacks of arbitrariness, unreasonableness and bias.”
The letter stated the federation has not acknowledged correspondence sent ahead of the November 17 emergency council meeting. It also claims the original correspondence was not shared with council members “as a matter of procedural fairness and transparency,” but instead that “carefully curated excepts were read to council in a dismissive manner.”
The clubs are seeking a full reversal of the trials decision and insist that selections must be made in accordance with established policy. They warned that if the federation does not comply, they will “commence an action against the federation, and… seek an emergency injunction that prevents the federation from holding the proposed impromptu trials… and which mandates the federation to make the selection(s) in accordance with its selection policy.”
The TTCF has been given until 9 am on November 21 to respond. The letter notes that if the deadline passes without a satisfactory reply, the clubs “will have no alternative but to approach the High Court of Justice on an urgent basis for inter alia injunctive relief, including costs.”
