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A shift in policy?
By Rawle Welch
News of Government’s stated commitment to assist the CAC contingent to travel to Puerto Rico is a welcomed development and deserves acknowledgement.
The announcement which appeared in the Stabroek News of Thursday, May 20, was made by Director of Sport Neil Kumar and it therefore means that there might be a shift in policy by the administration. Or is it?
The article mentioned that funding for national teams have always been a major impediment and Government is now willing to sit down and hold talks with the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) presumably to agree on the level of assistance it is willing to offer to get the teams to the Games.
Very often due to the lack of funding Guyana have had to suffer the indignity of being amongst the countries with the smallest representation at most of the major Games and to hear the Director pronounce on Government’s intention to assist has to be seen as a most important modification to its usual stance and is most welcomed not just for this occasion, but must become a consistent procedure in sports.
Too many times we’ve heard about the best athletes not being able to represent the country because of inadequate funds, which has often led to second string representation and subsequent embarrassment and one could only hope that the Director’s declaration is not a one off contribution, but rather a new and prolonged dispensation.
In the past, discussions purported to underline the importance of sports as a means of creating additional opportunities for the youths in our society have been held, but due to Government’s slothful approach and perceptible reticence those consultations have not moved beyond the boardroom.
Kumar’s disclosure that “Government will be giving its unflinching support to the associations and the GOA for their presence to be felt in Puerto Rico,” is a bold statement and one could only hope that the promised ‘unflinching support’ is seen as real and substantial and not another display of rhetoric.
With the GOA already agreeing to stand half of the overall cost and the various associations having to make their contribution as well, the entire remainder should be borne by Government.
It should not take the form of exemptions alone.
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