Latest update April 14th, 2026 12:38 AM
Boyce ingeniously outlines national selection policy
Congratulates Morgan on recent achievement
Colin Boyce
By Edison Jefford
While congratulating sportswoman of the year, Alika Morgan and hinting that the leading female distance athlete must be given scholarship opportunities, Colin Boyce ingeniously outlined his selection policy yesterday.
Boyce, who took over the presidency of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) from Claude Blackmore, told Kaieteur Sport that Morgan’s performances last year were truly outstanding, which merit national selection.
Morgan also won the junior sports woman of the year award after finishing runnerup in both categories the previous year. The athlete’s disappointment in 2007 made her more determined to dominate last year.
“Her performances were very outstanding in comparison to other persons. She is eligible for both awards and once she continues performing she will always merit national selection,” the new AAG President said.
In addition, Boyce generalised the concept of good performance equals national selection when he said: “once you perform, I don’t have a problem,” in a sublime message to all athletes that dream of representing Guyana.
The policy was a clear break from the traditional penalty that performing athletes faced in the previous administration. Boyce made it clear that he will be attempting to have the country fully represented at international meets.
He said his first challenge is the upcoming Caribbean Games where he has learnt through the grapevine that eight names were submitted to the Local Organising Committee for the Trinidad and Tobagobased competition.
If it is indeed a fact, the submission of only eight names is besides the intention of Boyce, who indicated that he would like to see more athletes participate, including relay teams of which moves are ongoing to ascertain.
“I think it might be a good move to send some local athletes overseas for training prior to the Caribbean Games. This will help them adjust to the rubber and so on and also help them qualify for the July event,” he observed.
Alika Morgan
Understanding the challenges of local athletes training and competing at home on grass, Boyce said: “Its going to be difficult for local athletes to just qualify for the Caribbean Games with just months before the event.”
Therefore, attempts to have athletes exposed overseas prior to the Games, can only serve as crash courses and even Boyce recognised that point when he argued that the previous administration should have already gone that route.
“What I am saying is that since last year, if they were really serious, they should’ve sent a select group of athletes overseas to try and bring them up to standard,” the plainspoken AAG boss told this newspaper yesterday.
“Those (qualifying) standards are not easy for us, if we intend to send a strong contingent that includes some local athletes, we will have to get the support of Government and other major stakeholders,” he pleaded.
Against that background, Boyce said that he intends to pursue sending athletes overseas for training before the Games.
“We are looking at all the aspects,” he said, adding that a bigger contingent is definitely the objective.
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