Port of Spain - Fidel Castro knew as few did the potential of sport, and turned it into the center of life in Cuba and a source of popular narrative, said the president of the Olympic Committee of Trinidad and Tobago, Brian Lewis.

'Undeniably, the Caribbean owes a debt of gratitude to Fidel Castro and Cuba for their help in promoting sports, in particular Trinidad and Tobago, a country favored in many forms by Cuba's sports assistance,' said the Olympic leader.

The success of Cuban sports rests, said Lewis, in the formation and deployment of quality physical education teachers in all schools and communities and the practice of sports from the bottom upwards, from an inverted pyramid perspective.

In Guyana, the Forbes Burnham Foundation said in a statement from its president, Vincent Alexander, that, 'Whether you like it or not, Fidel jumped to the world stage like a colossus.'

'Without a doubt he is one of the great icons of the 20th century. His achievements in education and health, among other fields, in the face of great adversities, show his commitment to the cause that led him to drive the Cuban Revolution forward at all costs.'