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Digicel, Ansa McAl rescue stranded female b/ball team
– players arrive in Guyana with LIAT after Redjet mess
By Edison Jefford
Digicel Guyana Inc. and Ansa McAl Limited combined yesterday to provide financial assistance to help the national female basketball team that Redjet flight cancellation had left stranded on the island of Antigua after winning the Gillian Brazier Championships.
The team was originally set to return to Guyana today with Redjet but the Barbados-based carrier had cancelled all flights to Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados “until further notice”. The women’s basketball team was trapped in the mêlée as a result of that development.
However, Kaieteur Sport had reported yesterday that the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) had intervened in the matter. Their intervention succeeded with Digicel and Ansa McAl combining to rescue the stranded team through Caribbean carrier LIAT.
From all indications, the team arrived in Guyana yesterday, a day before their original return and the GABF expressed gratitude to the corporate giants, and those who facilitated the federation in their efforts to get the stranded team to Guyana safe and sound.
“Ansa McAl and Digicel today demonstrated their commitment to the development of sports and the future of basketball in Guyana,” an official release from the federation indicated, adding that the two corporate agencies provided funding for the airline tickets.
The Redjet cancellation had initially placed the team in a situation where they had to find monies to accommodate their return. One of the senior players on the team had told Kaieteur Sport that it was a staggering US$2700 to get them to Guyana outside of Redjet.
“The women, who were crowned champions of the 12th Annual Gillian Brazier Basketball Shoot Out Sunday night, were hard pressed to find additional funding to return home via LIAT; appeals were made to the corporate sponsors Ansa McAl and Digicel,” the circular noted.
The federation mentioned the futility of its efforts to contact officials of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for assistance for the national team. In the absence of any Government funding for this cause, the GABF reiterated its gratitude for corporate assistance.
“The GABF joins with family, friends and well wishers of our female national team in thanking Ansa McAl and Digicel for this example of social responsibility, caring, and concern for citizens in need. We also wish to express special gratitude to the management and staff of the “Caribbean Travel” travel agency, who at short notice made the necessary arrangements,” the document that was issued to the media continued.
“It is indeed heartening to see this outpouring of support from so many Guyanese. Most notably, the federation, on behalf of all Guyanese, wish to thank whole heartedly the players, coach and management of the Guyana Women’s Basketball team for proudly flying the Golden Arrowhead and winning a regional tournament,” the statement concluded.
The situation had caused some amount of panic and discomfort in the female team with some of the senior players expressing concern over their work and school commitments. The gesture was indeed timely from the GABF and the two corporate stakeholders.
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