Letter to the Sports Editor Sports must be given its rightful position in Guyana‏

Jul 26, 2014 Sports

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Dear Editor,
As Guyana participates in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, I would like to wish the athletes well and I am rooting for them from here to bring back medals.
I was fortunate to be selected by the Guyana Olympic Association to represent Guyana at the 3rd Commonwealth Sports Development Conference which was held in Glasgow, Scotland during the period June 2-4, 2010. The Theme for the conference was “Achieving Sustainable Development, Building capacity in Communities, Clubs and NGOs” and it was held at the Mitchell Library.
Approximately two hundred and fifty (250) delegates attended from about sixty five (65) countries and a number of International Global Organisations. Some of the Organisations in attendance were Youth Sports Foundation of Nigeria, SCORE International of South Africa, Edusport Foundation, Homeless World Cup, Magic Bus – India and UK, Women Win, Sport for Change – Comic Relief, Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA Zone VI), Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-sustainability Team (NESsT), just to name a few.
Some notable Speakers and Presenters were Mr. Fred Coalter, Professor of Sports Policy, University of Sterling, Ms. Louise Martin CBE, Chair, sportscotland, Ms. Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, Deputy Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat, Mr. Mike Fennel OJ, CD, President, Commonwealth Games Federation, Mr. Seren Moller, President, Danish Gymnastics & Sports Associations, Mr. Colin Higgs, Consultant to Commonwealth Games Canada: Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland (retired), Mel Young, {President and CEO, Homeless World Cup, Mr. Archie Graham, Deputy Leader, Glasgow City Council and Ms. Leigh Robinson, Professor of Sport Management, University of Sterling, Mr. Hikabwa Decius Chipande, Project Officer, Sport Education and Accreditation System (SEAS) Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) Zone VI, and Ms. Annemarie Elsom, International Grants Officer, Sport for Change, Comic Relief just to name a few. In all there were twenty nine (29) speakers.
My attendance brought me to the realization that in the Developed and Developing World, Sports is serious and big business and if Guyana is to make an Impact in the World of Sports some drastic and serious changes have to be made.
We need to understand that Sport is a way of minimizing crime in troubled communities; it can also be used as a method of sensitizing the participants of the deadly sexual diseases that are prevailing, teenage pregnancies, and a host of other unwanted distractions which hinder development.
The Government, the Private Sector, NGOs and all the Sporting Organisations have to rethink how they deal with sports.
Community Development was one of the widely spoken topics. Recruiting, training and retaining volunteers also featured a lot. Developing Coach Education Frameworks; Developing Sport in the Commonwealth; Models for Sustainability of Sport for Developing Organisations; Investing in Sport for Development; Developing International Networks for Inclusive Sport were some of the major topics discussed.
Sports in the Guyana context in my view, is not taken seriously. If we in Guyana are to progress and become a power in the Caribbean and eventually the Commonwealth, facilities have to be upgraded and erected. Scotland is hosting The Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the legacy that will be left behind is phenomenal. Facilities were constructed for Athletics, Cycling, Swimming and Hockey just to name a few. A Games Village was constructed, roads were upgraded, and the list goes on and on.
We in Guyana must reintroduce the Guyana Games which saw the best Sports personalities representing the ten (10) administrative regions in a number of events. These games will ultimately improve the environment and see the upgrading of facilities within the specific areas. These facilities will then be used by the Community. One of the lecturers at the Conference said, “Always involve the Community when developing projects. Don’t do it for the Community, do it with the Community.”
With the erecting of multiple sports facilities throughout Guyana, we can host multiple events which will contribute towards the development of the Country and sports, more jobs will be created, businesses will benefit, etc.
The question of money will always be a sore point, sport has to be seen as an investment with the rewards coming later. Millions of dollars are being spent on roads, electricity, bridges, housing, Sea Defense, etc, etc. All of the foregoing are very important in a developing Country; Sports should and must be categorized amongst those areas.
We saw the overwhelming crowd support that visited the National Stadium to witness the three CPL T20 games. It was a mixture of race, creed, culture and religion that brought an entire country together; persons from Crabwood Creek, Charity, Corentyne, Canje, Charlestown, Campbellville, Caledonia, Cuyuni River, Canal #1 and #2 all travelled to the City in a show of unity and cohesion.
Is there any other activity in Guyana that we can have such unity in such mammoth capacity? It is clear that Sport has to be treated as a business and not taken lightly.
Respectfully Yours,
Lawrence Griffith
Sports Administrator

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