IAAF Kids’ Athletics Programme reaches Guyana

Sep 16, 2008 Sports

– Primary schools identified as main targets

German Sport Scientist, Uwe Wenzel (right) makes a point during yesterday’s press conference while Chairman of the AAG Development Committee, Cornell Rose (left) listens attentively.

By Edison Jefford
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Kids’ Athletics Programme will be introduced to Guyana through an emissary, German Sports Scientist, Uwe Wenzel over the next two weeks.

Wenzel, who arrived in Guyana on Saturday, outlined the fundamental concept of the event yesterday when he met with members of the media at the Guyana Olympic Association Headquarters in Queenstown.

The German Sports Scientist, along with Chairman of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Development Committee, Cornell Rose said that the target group for the programme will be primary schools.

“I want to prepare teachers to conduct the Kids’ Athletics event, introduce the idea of Kids’ Athletics and provide information about the scoring system of Kids’ Athletics,” Wenzel disclosed at the press conference.

According to the IAAF website, the IAAF Kids’ Athletics Programme aims to ensure a steady and sustainable developmental policy for athletics. To accomplish this, children must be introduced at the basic level.

The IAAF intends to popularise athletics through a programme of multiple competitions referred to as the ‘A Team Event for Children’. The programme consists of three events and divided into three age groups.

The three event groups include the ‘Sprinting and Running Event Group, Jumping Event Group and a Throwing Event Group’. The three age categories are the 8–9, 10–11 and 12–13 groups.

Wenzel explained that the concept of the event is to break the monotony of specialisation involved when children repeat one activity consistently. He said that children have more fun when they do different activities.

“There are nine different stations (or sport events); every station is related to the basics of athletics; they include different movements and activity,” Wenzel explained when Kaieteur Sport asked for some technical insight.

Generally, the Kids Athletics Programme is designed to build the athletics capacity of the targeted children so that as teenagers, they do not have to undergo introductory training in the various sport events.

Teachers will be trained to implement the programme in Georgetown from Wednesday to Friday and in New Amsterdam from next Tuesday to Thursday. Club coaches will be trained on Saturday at the Police Sports Club.

The sessions will run from 9am to 12noon and 3pm to 5pm. The venue for the teachers’ course in Georgetown is the YMCA in Thomas Lands while the Guyana Teachers Union Hall is the proposed venue in New Amsterdam.

Rose said that the teachers are expected to implement the programme after Wenzel leaves Guyana next Saturday. The AAG Chairman of Development said that the event is expected to boost sport at the grassroots level.

Previously, Marvis David had received training in this facet of the IAAF development plan but had failed to implement the programme upon his return to Guyana. This paper understands that David has since migrated.

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