Deon Lendore's legacy will continue to live on through the young track and field athletes of T&T with the support of Scotiabank.

A Foundation in the name of the late national athlete, one of T&T's best quartermilers who died in a vehicular accident in January, was launched on Saturday at the ballroom of the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre on Lady Young Road, Port-of-Spain.

The bursary programme will provide financial support for ten track and field athletes including 14-year-old Jenna Marie Thomas, Keniesha Shelburne (15), Natalia Eastman (15), Rasheeda Cave (15), Kadija Pickering (17), Mahkaya Mahon (15), Keone John (16), Kyle Williams (16), Jaden De Souza (18) and Omare Thompson (16).

It is an initiative of the National Association of AthleticsÊAdministrations of T&T (NAAATT) aimed at providing deserving, young athletes with support to assist them in realising their academic and sporting goals.

The partnership between NAAATT and Scotiabank will ensure that each beneficiary will receive a bursary of $10,000 annually to be paid in four quarterly tranches.

"We recognise the need for holistic development and the education of the athletes is of paramount importance. The funds being provided therefore are primarily intended to assist with the education and training needs of the athletes," said NAAATT president George Comissiong, who was part of the head table which included Peter Ghany, Director Scotiabank Foundation, Lendore's mother Crispina Edmund, World 400m hurdles champion Jehue Gordon, who is a NAAATT director and assistant general secretary of the NAAATT and master of ceremony, Michelle Stoute.

Ghany was proud to join forces with the track and field body to help young athletes succeed.

"At Scotiabank, we recognise that long-term social and economic prosperity in our communities depends on future generations. When young people in the community succeed, families, businesses and entire societies are positioned to benefit for years to come.

"As such, we are committed to investing in programmes and working with organisations that help young people improve their economic resilience," said Ghany, who went on to explain what he meant by economic resilience - enabling individuals, households, communities and economies to adapt to a range of circumstances so people can get on stay on or rise up the economic ladder.

He also added: "We are certainly pleased to partner with the NAAATT team and by extension Deon's Family, to support other amateur athletes from humble beginnings."

Edmund was also thrilled to be part of the venture in her son's name. In her address, she spoke of the relationship she had with her late son and the even closer relationship he had with his sister Leah Johnson, who was also present at the launch.

Edmund, not only gave advice to the young athletes in attendance, but also to their parents and guardians, telling them "to be supportive of their children and always have a listening ear".

And speaking directly to the athletes, she told them: "Go out there and do your best and God will do the rest."

Gordon also appreciated the initiative taken to support the up-and-coming track and field stars. He shared his own experiences early in his career and the difficulties he faced financially but assured the young listeners it is worth it.

As much as it is a sporting initiative, according to Comissiong, the athletes' education must not suffer.

The beneficiaries, therefore, are committing to achieving four key performance indicators including maintaining an academic standard no lower than that of their most recent school report; maintaining attendance of no lower than 80 per cent at school, the same percentage for training and also maintaining a performance standard no lower than their current personal best over the 2023 athletic season.

Comissiong praised Scotiabank for their collaboration saying: "Your valuable contribution will go a long way in helping these young athletes achieve their goals. As president of NAAATT, I extend our sincerest appreciation to the Foundation.

"We hope that our partnership will serve as an example for other corporate entities to come on board and toÊsupport us as we try to build a better country by providing opportunities for our youth."