Recognising the importance of sport as a major political and economic tool as well as a lucrative avenue for boosting its international sporting image, the government of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has increased its interest in elite sport over the past 20 years. This has ranged from the enactment of policies at the parliamentary level to the establishment of state agencies geared towards promoting and enhancing the delivery of sport. While this has positively impacted the performance of athletes at the Olympics and other international events there exists considerable room for improvement so as to maintain and improve the country’s competitiveness. This would prove a challenge in the long run given T&T’s limited available resources. Current research has suggested that investment into state–run elite sporting structures (NTIDs) can help maximise state resources and reduce costly errors by effectively identifying and developing talent. Considering the above, the aim of this thesis was to construct an NTID system capable of being successfully introduced in T&T. To achieve this, a multipronged approach involving a mixture of empirical research and secondary data analysis was used. Firstly, a novel anthropometric and physiological testing battery was used to develop reference data and discriminate between junior male cricketers of differing playing abilities. This was followed by a retrospective analysis of the career histories of successful athletes in an effort to identify a suitable development pathway for nurturing future players. Considering that research has suggested that culture has a major impact on the structure of NTIDs, the last study compared the architecture of NTIDs in cultural context. The results of the above tests were successfully used to generate a hypothetical NTIDs for T&T. It is important to note that this thesis only represented the initial stages of the construction of the NTIDs and further research is required to test its efficacy.

Prohibited performance enhancing drugs (PPD) are nutritional supplements which are prohibited from use during competition and training. UK anti-doping projects ensures that UK professional and recreational athletes do not accidently, or intentionally, use PPD's, thus gaining an unfair advantage over their competitors. A study by Winard, (2015) utilised interviews to idetify problems with current UK anti-doping strategies. Allocation of funds, relevant information, efficacy of programmes and quantifiable measures, were all areas that required attention. This thesis conducted five studies in order to inform anti-doping programs. Study 1 compared two indirect prevalence methods which offer protection beyond anonymity. This study highlighted the skewing effect that strategic responding causes when utilising the 'Unrelated Question Model'. Study 2 utilised the search engine 'Google' to identify key areas where anti-doping education would most be useful. The study showed 'Google' efficacy in finding key areas where anti-doping programmes could be effective. Study 3 looked to profile individuals that were thinking about using (TU) PPD's and compared said profiles to current/past users and non-users. After twelve months, TU were contacted to see if they had initiated PPU use. The number of users in the respondents gym social group, and the belief that they couldn't achieve performance goals without using PPD's were both predictors of future use. Study 4 assessed the order of supplements prior to PPD use in an attempt to map key stages of supplementation. Creatine and prohormones were identified as key supplements in the process towards PPD use. Study 5 looked at positional and social circle influences on PPD use. Positions which involve explosive power were identified as high risk, and social circles within a team, were shown to have varying attitudes towards other social circles within a team.

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The studies described in this thesis examine the effect of environmental and nutritional factors on cycling time trail (TT) performance. The first investigation determined the effect of ambient temperature (T[sub]a) on 1-h TT performance and physiological responses. A curvilinear relationship was found between T[sub]a and performance, with the optimal distance covered at 18.6[degrees]C. A linear increase in physiological parameters (heart rate, core temperature, mean body temperature, sweat loss and self-selected fluid intake) was found with increasing T[sub]a. During the second study fluid intake and sweat loss were recorded during 40.2-km TT under competitive conditions. Whilst 43 of 75 riders consumed a pre-ride bolus, few chose to drink during racing. A significant relationship was found between pre-ride bolus volume and race speed (speed increase by 0.3km h[sup]-1 for each 100ml of fluid consumed). Despite moderate environmental conditions sweat losses were high (1.5[plus or minus]0.5 and 1.2[plus or minus]0.3 L h[sup]-1). As the actual type and beverage volume was not controlled in this study, and there is clear evidence to suggest that carbohydrate (CHO) consumption will assist performance, an investigation to determine whether different volumes of fluid, with identical CHO content, consumed before and during exercise, had an effect of 1-h TT performance under thermoneutral conditions was conducted. Although differences in stomach fullness ratings were found, there were no differences in either performance parameters or physiological variables (heart rate or sweat loss) between trails. These results suggest that when a pre-exercise CHO bolus is consumed there is no effect of subsequent consumption of different CHO beverages. Further, due to abdominal discomfort associated with high fluid consumption it might be neither advisable nor practical to consume high volumes of fluid during 1-h TT performance. The last investigation examined alterations in TT performance within a simulated three-day stage race when a moderate and high dietary CHO intake was consumed, observations were of any alterations in metabolism and immune function. Despite being well trained and ingesting more than 6 g kg[sup]-1 of CHO per day two subjects did not manage to complete the performance trials on the third day with the moderate CHO diet. There was a trend for a larger reduction in mean distance covered and mean power output when the moderate was compared to the high CHO trial. A shift in substrate use was detected during both treatments with a greater reliance on fat as a fuel towards the end of the trial. This shift appeared to occur earlier with moderate CHO ingestion.

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