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When politics dictates
By Rawle Welch
Quite a few social commentators have described Guyana as a failed state and this hypothesis is based on the fact that so many of the prerequisites that embrace a normal functioning society are either insufficient or absent.
Other theories submitted is when politics in a country dictates who gets what, when and where or when the hub cannot hold and things fall apart.
The present state of the renowned Non Pariel Tennis Courts.
Well, these same characteristics seem to be manifesting themselves in the sports arena, especially within the administrative arm.
Very few sports institutions appear to be operating normally with proof surfacing almost daily about the constant struggle for power among officials, the Sports Ministry’s poor selection policy on who to offer their support to and the deterioration of existing facilities due to neglect.
I recently took a look at facilities that were supposed to be available for use by athletes of two sports that will feature at next July’s inaugural Caribbean Games in Trinidad and Tobago and quickly realised they will not be able to get the use of them as they prepare to qualify for the various disciplines selected for the historic event.
Those sports chosen are tennis, track and field, boxing, netball and volleyball (beach, indoor).
First of all, the renowned Non Pariel Tennis Courts will not be ready in time to facilitate the training of our players and this development has provided a huge setback for those aspiring to represent us at the Games and then the slipshod manner in which the long jump track at the YMCA ground was left is another indictment on the athletics authorities.
Already a country afflicted by the scarcity of facilities, those that are available should be treated with due diligence and care, but once again the bane that epitomises poor administration has raised its ugly head.
The rubberized long jump track though not located at the best facility used to enjoy meticulous care when it was first installed, but as is the case in so many instances, we operate as though replacing the existing one could occur at the click of the fingers.
It is no longer covered and has already begun to show the effects of being left unattended and exposed to the elements.
Meanwhile, the Non Pariel facility has been in the construction phase for over one year and it is hard to believe that the will is there to finish it anytime soon.
The uncovered and neglected Long Jump facility at the YMCA ground.
There were talks of allowing the soil to settle, but even though I do not claim to be an expert on such matters, the indolent pace at which work is being done on the project appears unacceptable.
So, while the struggle for power continues and some of the symptoms that typify a failed state creep into sports, the option that has allowed so many young, poor individuals to escape poverty in the past will eventually be swept into oblivion.
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