Ruggers could suffer more indignity

Jun 13, 2014 Sports

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By Rawle Welch
Displaying the typical tenacity that has distinguished us from the rest of the Caribbean, the new NACRA Southern Zone Men’s 15’s champions Guyana will now set their sight on the winner of the USA South and Cayman Islands battle to determine the overall champion of the NACRA region.
In last Saturday’s Southern Zone final against long time rivals Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana gained sweet revenge through a dogged performance that earned them a 15-8 triumph and a chance to win the overall title.

With the win, the local ruggers have once again served notice to the rest of the Caribbean that they have every intention of regaining lost ground after surrendering to the Trinidadians last year.
Rugby, like so many other sports that are played locally, has struggled for unconditional support, but still remains one of the disciplines that continue to perform exceedingly well despite the absence of tangible assistance from the Government and corporate community.
The team’s performance, when drawn alongside those that are receiving far more support from their Governments and corporate sector, is even more alarming since even in the absence of substantial investment it continues to beat sides that are benefitting from more international exposure and higher level of coaching.
Rugby is a sport that has been performing way beyond expectations, but yet the reward has been for the most part meager and on occasions nonexistent.
Guyana ruggers will now have to travel to the USA or Cayman Islands to face one of these teams for the overall title and right away we know that unless real financial backing is secured the chances of the team getting to the next stage look slim.
This group of outstanding athletes deserves the opportunity to compete against teams that are rated higher than them; it is the only way to really determine where we are in terms of our ability to beat the more established nations in the sport.
However, the task already seems to be an arduous one, especially when you consider the absence of a public acknowledgement by the Ministry of Sport or the National Sports Commission, the two offices that represent Government.
The match was played right here in Guyana and six days after no release has been made public commending the team on its performance, while of note also was the nonappearance of officials representing those two entities.
We’ve seen numerous examples of how passionate Government officials are in other countries; they know that their presence and complete representation are vital elements to inspire athletes to strive for higher achievements as well as foster nationalistic attitudes.
A fitting example of the importance of high level representation happened recently with an issue involving the West Indies Cricket Board versus Sunil Narine after the former decided to omit him from playing in the Test Series against New Zealand following his non-arrival for the mandatory training camp ahead of the commencement of the First Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
Almost immediately Trinidad and Tobago Sports Minister Anil Roberts wrote the WICB protesting the exclusion of Narine despite the clear violation of the agreement that the player had made with the Board regarding his return to the Region.
Notwithstanding that agreement, Roberts sprang to the defence of Narine and while this missive is not centred on the eventual outcome, his action must have instilled a sense of patriotism and security within the psyche of his fellow countryman.
Here it was a high ranking official within the Government coming to the assistance of one of his country’s most beloved and outstanding cricketers. What more could Narine have asked for?
The same cannot be said for our rugby players and quite frankly our outstanding sportsmen and women who’ve not enjoyed the same treatment even after performing outstandingly in competitions.
There are quite a few examples of ignore and lack of support that must bring into question the Administration’s seriousness about Sports Development, while perceptions of partisanship are rampant among discussions between various stakeholders.
The national rugby team just won a Regional Title and their achievement warrants unconditional support with the Government leading the way in such an exercise. No excuses should be made for not offering public commendation to a team that has consistently had the Golden Arrowhead flying high over a number of years.
The upcoming weeks will be the litmus test for the sport’s administration; they are the ones who will have to cajole the relevant stakeholders of the importance of supporting the team’s travel to compete overseas and if they are unable to do so then our ruggers could suffer more indignity.
This country has recorded positive economic growth for quite a few years now and this is according to pronouncements made by the relevant Minister during the National Budget presentations so we know that money is there, while the Lotto Funds could also be tapped into to supply substantial shore up to the Union.
The time for our athletes to be adequately compensated has long passed, the procurement of facilities is of utmost importance, but so too is the financial support for our athletes. They must go hand in hand.

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