GOA challenges Government to do more for sport

Jan 19, 2010 Sports

Yassin identifies possible formula for success

By Edison Jefford
The development of sport in Guyana hinges on a coalition of all national associations and the commitment of athletes and coaches where facilities and a support system revolving a lot around family and friends help contribute to success.
President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), K. A. Juman Yassin made that point when he spoke at the Athletic Association of Guyana Award Ceremony last week, adding that Government can do more to support athletes.
“What we really need is a sound and united association of federations and each federation and association must respect the constitution and rules or else there will be problems,” he said on the subject of local sport development. “There must be committed coaches and committed athletes; there must be facilities and a support system from family and friends; the [sport] associations need to do fundraising as well,” Yassin continued at the YMCA Hall last Sunday.
The GOA Head believes that the support system of friends and family is well in tact here but that alone cannot produce results. In the absence of a proper support system, Yassin is of the view that sport would have plunged to the abyss. “Without it, a bunch of our athletes would’ve been in serious difficulty. They are in some difficult but because of that support system, they are able to move ahead to some extent,” he believed, adding that “Government can do more”.
There has been much criticism attributed to the development of sport in Guyana, which is considered slow paced owing to the lack of proper facilities, scientific methods, computer analysis of performance and a host of such methods.
In terms of facility, it is incumbent of Government to erect such infrastructure while all of the national sport associations are responsible for managing the sport. Both tasks have not been implemented with any notable results in Guyana.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport had recently revealed that it spent some $139m on the development of sport last year. Another section of the print media reported that the sum of $90m of that $139m was spent on training. However, Kaieteur Sport had asked the Ministry to identify those individuals that went to train and the discipline that they were from. The ministry’s response was that the amount was inclusive of salaries among other unrelated costs.
“What I can say is that Minister [of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony is trying with limited resources to make us have facilities,” Yassin said, while adding that he is not satisfied with Government’s contribution to touring teams.
“The difficulties I have is that when you examine the years 2008 and 2009, the grants and monies that have been given to associations in terms of sending teams abroad have been minimal and perhaps something needs to be done about that,” he held.
The criticisms levied against sport associations and Government were largely built on the success of other Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago but Yassin feels that that comparison is somewhat unfair.
“There is no comparison really between Guyana and Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Barbados gets money from a lottery. We don’t. We’re not as oil rich as Trinidad and Jamaica has had their success story,” he said.
The GOA Chief Executive told sport enthusiasts that Guyana has not yet won anything of substance to attract the kind of support that prevails in those countries. “Everybody wants to be associated with success,” Yassin duly informed.
“Financially, the Jamaicans are there. They have big international companies like Nike. It is really no comparison when one compare Guyana’s financial situation to other countries in the region. There is none really,” he added.
However, Yassin concluded that despite that, the areas that he identified could yield those results that Guyana has longed for on the international stage. Government must perform a crucial function with a coalition of national associations.
Those functions range from the construction of facilities to the partial funding of national sport teams. He said that could be the missing link among committed athletes, committed coaches and support system needed for sport to succeed.

Latest News

GOA challenges Government to do more for sport

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | February, 3rd, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

EBDCA/D&R Construction 40-Over Cricket Competition continues

GFF announces final squad for Concacaf U-17...

Cricket West Indies announces exciting 2025...

BCA, GCB to attend CWI meeting on February 9

Bolstered Harpy Eagles eyeing perfect home record...

Hockey PAHF Junior Challenge schedule released

Features/Columnists

Land, taxes and penalties

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Helping a brother traveling against traffic

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

GOA challenges Government to do more for sport

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | February, 3rd, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]