Latest update April 1st, 2026 12:40 AM
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Boyce & Jefford Classic to remain in Linden
The Boyce & Jefford Track and Field Committee has made it clear that their annual international track and field meet will remain in Linden, following concerns from the community that the meet might be moved
Chairman of Boyce & Jefford Track and Field Committee, Colin Boyce (centre) makes a point in Linden during an interview with NCN’s Jonathan Craig (left), with Co-Chairman, Edison Jefford also sharing the occasion.
to the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora.
Chairman of the Committee, Colin Boyce and Co-Chairman, Edison Jefford addressed Linden in an interview at that National Communications Network on Friday, reiterating the commitment to the community they made in 2010 when the competition was first held.
“In 2010, at our inaugural opening ceremony, we made a commitment to Mr. (Mortimer) Mingo (then Regional Chairman) and the people of Linden that we will not move this meet from Linden and it is only right that we renew that commitment,” Boyce said.
“This meet was born in Linden and it will remain in Linden,” he reiterated, adding that they will not follow the pattern of their predecessors and remove from the community a product that they would have built through their unswerving support over the years.
According to Boyce, grass surface and grounds must not be condemned in Guyana because there is a Synthetic facility now. He said that there are meets in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago that are still held on grass surfaces though those countries have Synthetic tracks.
In addition, he said that removing the competition will be morally and ethically wrong to Linden, a community that supported the development of the meet from its inception. Jefford shared those same sentiments in the studios of NCN during the interview.
“We hope to continue to shed the light on this facility, the Mackenzie Sport Club Ground, so that Government or any investor will see the need for a modern sports facility for this community. If we move, we will also move the attention for here,” Jefford said.
According to the Co-Chair of the Boyce & Jefford Committee, part of their long term goal is to move in the direction of lobbying for a Synthetic Track and Field Facility in Linden, where many prominent youth and junior athletes are produced.
“Linden has not lost the Track and Field Competition at the National Schools’ Championships in over 13 years. That alone should have been a motivating factor for such a facility in Linden from the previous Government, but it never happened,” Jefford continued.
“We hope that this Government recognises the vast athletics talent in this community, and make the necessary investment in sport. If we move our meet, we believe we will also move the efforts we are making to lobby Government in this direction,” he added.
The Co-Chair disclosed that they made several attempts to discuss these issues with the previous administration but all were ignored. He said that letters were dispatched annually to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in past but none were acknowledged.
The leadership of the Boyce & Jefford Track and Field Committee indicated that it is hoping for a different attitude from this administration toward the development of sport in Linden, and more so, Guyana. They committed to continued lobbying in this regard.
The sixth edition of Guyana’s only international track and field meet has been set for August 15-16 at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground. As usual, athletes are expected from Trinidad, the US, Suriname, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while Jamaica has expressed an interest in participating in the meet for the first time.
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