My view: we lack a coordinated approach

Sep 10, 2008 Letters

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By Rawle Welch
With most the Caribbean track & field stars back home to participate in activities planned to celebrate their outstanding achievements at this year’s Beijing Olympics, I know that most Guyanese are experiencing a feeling of mixed emotions.

First, we all share in the delight of our Caribbean counterparts’ amazing performances at the Games, which saw them dethrone perennial track & field powerhouse: the United States of America.

Most of us must be reflecting on our own poor display which seems to have no end in sight.  Our sense of insignificance must be highlighted since the last and only time that we won a medal at the world’s premier sporting spectacle was in 1980 when boxer Michael Parris won a bronze medal in Moscow.

Both Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and Jamaica have made constant improvements over the years and this is because of the strong emphasis Government and sports bodies place on the development of sports in their respective territories.

From their actions one could accurately point to a serious commitment by both parties to provide all the necessary tools to ensure success by all means. These two countries are now reaping the rewards of well–organised programmes that were constructed to gain success over a period of time.

In Guyana, we seem not to have a coordinated approach for the development of sports and as such we continue to perform way below the standard required to duplicate the achievements of our Caribbean brothers.

And this is despite the plenteous commonalities that exist between us and the rest of the Caribbean including our culture, language and propinquity.

Because we do not take advantage of the expertise and facilities that are present in those countries, it would not be difficult for anyone to conclude that we do not take the development of sports seriously here.

It is a grim indictment on our promising athletes who by the sacrifices they make; yearn for a better opportunity to have a successful career.

As I sat last Saturday at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) press briefing called to review our performance at the Olympics, I was able to confirm my own belief that administrators of sport in Guyana clearly did not understand their mandate.

A cadre of GOA officials were calling on Guyana to appreciate the performance of Aliann Pompey, who finished an overall 11th in the 400 metres event.

It was during that meeting, President of the GOA K.A Juman Yasin announced that: “we did not win medals, but got personal best,” which was a real conciliatory response for our dismal performance at the Games.

Only two of our four athletes (Pompey and Niall Roberts) managed to record personal best times in track & field and swimming.   This is despite the track at the Bird’s Nest being regarded by many, including former T&T star athlete Ato Boldon, as the fastest he has ever seen which was complimented by the record setting Jamaicans.

Instead of disclosing what needs to be done to improve our performances in the future, the GOA Head spent much time attempting to berate the media for highlighting the persistent incompetence of officials.

The meeting which many felt might have offered some insight into the future thinking of the GOA as we set our sights on London 2012, failed to do so and one may not be wrong in believing that the same old story will repeat itself again four years from now.

Even though I firmly believe that Central Government must play a leading role in the development of sport in any nation, the inability of various sports administrations to form a general consensus and engage the Government in deliberative talks on the way forward must be a serious concern as well.

Our athletes must be able to feel like Jamaican Usain Bolt or T&T’s Richard Thompson, who were both greeted by top Government officials and the whole nation on their return to the countries of their birth.

As Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding said, Bolt’s welcome home was reminiscent of earlier visits from Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.

Meanwhile, Thompson’s motorcade saw thousands of Trinidadians line the streets in national colours which clearly symbolised pride and patriotism.

We have the talent right here; it is only a question of the Government and sports officials putting their heads together to come up with solid plans to advance sports in this nation.

Trinidad’s Premier Patrick Manning, in his remarks, promised all the citizens of his country with talent his Government’s unequivocal support to realise their full potential.
We must aim high and not be satisfied with ordinary returns.

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