Let us take politics out of sport

Aug 21, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Sunday Kaieteur News Editorial titled “Let’s get proper facilities” in a sense exposed the myopia of a government whose functionaries feel confident that defying logic and history they can fool all of the people, all the time.

Yes after 16 years of progress and great development, according to NCN and their media moguls, we ought to have produced an Olympic Track medalist – we always had, and still have the potential in Guyana.

In spite of the sincerity of the Minister of Sports, others seem only concerned with short term political profit in sport.

With exception, the aim seems to use their guru to control the several sporting disciplines by their organisations.

Over the weekend we attended the Goodwill Swimming meeting. At a previous Goodwill Games, the Director of Sports instead of doing things to help swimming was more concerned to tell the international gathering of young people that when Castellani Pool was built it was not available to one and all.

True or false – his administration that now controls that pool, built of local material by Burnham, is still not available to one and all even the clubs and the associations at all times.

Why the new pool is not being built in D’Urban Park area in the heart of the City is of course another matter.

Is it for the same reason why the Berbice River Bridge is not being built from Ithaca Village, West Bank Berbice to Sisters Village – East Bank Berbice a shorter span than the present location, also with good soil on both sides and recommended years ago by engineers?

Can we get an explanation for these two shifts of venue? We got none after the proposal to link GFC, GCC and a part of Merriman’s Mall was accepted by the late Neil Singh for World Cup.
Why the shift to Providence?

Look at football instead of supporting as they did at least for one year the range of projects surrounding the Mayor’s Annual Cup Competition.

We had the big bucks put into the President Cup with a well known guru now trying to control that sport.
But have they started a football programme at kindergarten and primary school, as we attempted?
That is the only way to produce a real world class team. And so the story goes.

The Kaieteur News Editorial is instructive. Let us take politics out of sport and get sport on the move.
Hamilton Green, J. P.