Speaking at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, where the 64-page policy document for 2017-2027 was launched with Sports Minister Shamfa Cudjoe in attendance, Lewis said athletes should use it to improve their performance and personal growth.

"This is an important landmark in Trinidad and Tobago sport and one that I sincerely believe will be looked back by historians as a defining moment for sport in Trinidad and Tobago,” Lewis said.

"I urge the athletes to appreciate that the taxpayers in Trinidad and Tobago feel they have a say now.

"So it is important that we all note together that you are representing the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

Lewis added that athletes should reflect on that representation by demonstrating ways they can make a contribution back to their communities.

"Most importantly, you take the opportunity and reinvest in yourself to ensure you succeed and bring excellence,” Lewis added.

Lewis thanked the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs for the sport policy, according to Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

He said the new policy could be “the dawn of a new era and full of hope".

“High performance and elite level sport in the 21st century is no longer about doing it as recreation or doing it as an after-thought," added Lewis.

“Therefore, what the new National Policy on Sport does is it provides a framework that seeks to bring an important principle of good governance with the values of predictability, transparency and accountability.”

Lewis claimed the new policy would shield athletes from the bureaucracy and subjectivity of the implementation of the previous national sport policy that ran from 2002 to 2012.