Henderson succeeded Brian Lewis as TTOC President last year, and has played a key role in overseeing preparations for the Youth Games which are due to run until Friday (August 11).

Speaking to insidethegames, she outlined the significance of the Caribbean nation hosting the multi-sport event for athletes aged 14 to 18.

"I think it is very important, a lot for our youth to recognise the importance of physical activity, involvement in sport," she reflected.

"That's one aspect.

"For the country, it's very important socially, infrastructure, economically.

"We have so many visitors visiting here, so I think it is great overall."

Road cycling competition venue the Brian Lara Stadium held a men's Twenty20 cricket international between the West Indies and India on Thursday (June 3) prior to the start of the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Trinidad and Tobago has also previously held the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games in athletics in 2005.

However, Henderson hopes the Commonwealth Youth Games can be the catalyst for future major events in the country.

"Definitely afterwards we already had interest in having events and Games, so we see athletics already had the CARIFTA Games for 2005, we have more cycling events and swimming events as well as tennis and cricket," she said.

"Although these are individual sport events, there are many and we have more higher level events so our athletes get the opportunity to compete.

"The benefits when you host are your athletes don't have to look for the funds to travel, and a lot of these other events end up being far away, so it's really good and we see things coming up in the future which can only go up."

Henderson said it had been an "extremely busy" period since she was elected as TTOC President in May 2022, including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the recent Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador.

There was also a re-allocation ceremony of gold medals to Trinidad and Tobago's men's 4x100 metres relay team from the Beijing 2008 Olympics because of the disqualification of Jamaica after Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance.

Trinidad and Tobago was also reallocated hosting rights for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Birmingham last year, after initial plans to stage it in 2021 were scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Henderson reflected "you just adapt and keep rolling".

Her predecessor as TTOC President Lewis was a key figure in Trinidad and Tobago's successful bid back in 2018 to replace Belfast as the Commonwealth Youth Games host.

Lewis told insidethegames he believes the event "has positioned Trinidad and Tobago as a sport tourism destination", and "I think certainly Tobago will seize the opportunity going forward to build on its beach and sand Games capability".

He described yesterday's Opening Ceremony as "awesome, transformational and fantastic".