GAPF and MCYS closer to launching Steering Committee for 2010 Caribbean C/ships

Oct 22, 2009 Sports

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Private Sector & Ministry of Tourism on board

By Franklin Wilson
History would be created in March of next year when for the first time in its history, Guyana will host a regional Powerlifting Championship, the Fourth Edition of the Caribbean Powerlifting Championships. And to ensure that it is the best ever in the Region, the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) and the Ministry of Culture Youth & Sports (MCY&S) are leaving no stones unturned to achieve this aim.
Yesterday afternoon in the board Room of the Sports Ministry, Minister of CY&S Dr. Frank Anthony and President of the GAPLF informed the media that they are closer to finalizing the names of those persons who will sit as members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) which will include Minister Anthony, Green and GAPF Secretary Gordon Spencer, among others.
It was noted that based on the performances of local athletes at the Regional and International levels, Guyana was chosen to host next year’s competition from March 18 – 21, 2010. Already, twenty-three countries affiliated to the North American Powerlifting Federation have signaled their intentions to compete.
GAPF President Peter Green informed that at least 100 athletes apart from officials and supporters will descend on Guyana for what will be a memorable competition.
“While this would be a very big moment for Guyana in terms of Powerlifting, it will also be a very big moment for Tourism and we are doing our part to ensure that the hosting is a collaborative effort between the Sports and Tourism Ministries, Private Sector and our Federation.”
Minister Anthony in his main remarks congratulated the GAPF for taking on the challenge of hosting the Caribbean Championships, noting its importance for Guyana.
Reflecting on the performances of the local athletes who have taken the regional and international stage by storm, Dr. Anthony said that local Federation has been working on the development of the sport here, “And I think one of the crowning achievements is to have a very successful championship in 2010.”
Touching on the Steering Committee, the Honorable Minister said it is very important since they want to ensure that when persons arrive here, all aspects of the tournament is well taken care of. “The reason we are starting this early is to make sure that this is the best ever championships. Apart from the main committee, we will also have a number of sub-committees dealing with technical matters, promotion of the event and logistics among others.”
The MCYS has been working with the GAPF for quite some time according to Dr. Anthony and did a letter to the Regional body supporting the GAPF’s bid to host the championships.
“We have also taken steps to ensure that the organization is in a position to host the event, not just a letter, it is also making sure that they have the right equipment. We have donated a new set of competition equipment to the GAPF and on their own; the Federation has procured some additional equipment which will be cleared shortly.”
“They have asked for some concession letters and that has already been sent to the GRA. So we have been working even before the launch of this committee. The Federation has already worked on their budget which I’ve seen and it’s quite a reasonable one for an international event and I’m sure that with assistance from Government, with fund-raising that they have planned and of course sponsorship from companies we would be encouraging to come on board, we will indeed reach our budgeted requirements.”
2009 Senior GAPF Championships
This Sunday’s Senior Powerlifting Championships which has attracted sponsorship from Beverage Giants Banks DIH Limited will be used to test the local Federations capacity to host the regional competition.
Additionally, seniors will be used as the basis for selection of Guyana’s squad for next year, so athletes, who have been working hard over the past weeks, will be going all out to catch the eyes of the selectors with their performances.
It is expected that all the leading athletes including the likes of ‘Big’ John Edwards, Mervin ‘Spongy’ Moses, Randolph Morgan and Theodore Henry among others will be competing on Sunday.
NAPF Officials on short visit from tomorrow
To ensure that Guyana is in a state of preparedness, two high ranking officials of the NAPF will arrive in Guyana tomorrow to have a firsthand look at hotel accommodation and the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, the proposed venue for next year’s Caribbean Championships and this weekend’s Seniors.
The General Secretary of the North American Powerlifting Federation and a leading International Powerlifting Federation Referee will be the officials visiting and they will also be running off a referees and judges seminar to certify local officials.
President Green noted that it has been quite some years that Guyana’s officials have been certified so the Federation is looking forward to the training that will be had from the visiting officials which will improve the standard of officiating locally.

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