Guyana is not doing enough for sports

Sep 05, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor;
The 2016 Olympics held in Rio De Janeiro are now over, and each participating country would be analyzing their performance. I refer to a letter published in the Kaietuer News of Wednesday 17th August, 2016 on Page 6 written by one Davone Toney under the caption” Statistical Indictment Of Guyana Olympics Poverty.” Table one and two, makes interesting and maybe depressing to read. The big question is why after sixteen games we have only a single bronze medal and that was way back in 1980, Moscow games.
I am of the view that James Wren Gilkes, our world class sprinter at the time, would have had a podium finish in both of his races but the politics of the world at the time would have caused our country to boycott the Olympics. It must be noted that Gilkes was doing exceptionally well immediately before the Olympics games of 1976 in Canada. The 200 metres was won by Don Quarry of Jamaica and the 100 metre by Hasely Crawford of Trinidad and Tobago, both of whom used to run second to Gilkes sometimes. Is our government not doing enough? Are the people not doing enough? Is the administration of the various regions partly to be blamed or are the various Sports Federation or Associations lacking?
The Guyana Cricket Board has been doing a good job but cricket is not an Olympic Sport. Had it been, Guyana would have been very competitive or finish on the podium. I am in a position to say there is only a mouth full on sports in Region Two – Pomeroon/ Supenaam. I am not sure if there is a lawn tennis court in this region or a good basketball court. So you willd find that not many people would know who Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry and try to emulate them.
Most people would know who Floyd Mayweather is yes but is there a reasonable boxing gym in the Region with a good coach? Yes the people know who Chris Gayle and Virat Kholi are and our youngsters would of course use them as role models. I remember I had always wanted to be a Garfield Sobers.
Not so long ago the Former President Bharrat Jagdeo went to various communities and made substantial donations for the development of football and Region Two was not excluded but after so many years no player based in this region plays for the national team.
Sports development has to start in the communities, then at the Regional Level and to the National Level. The Neighbourhood Democratic Council owns and controls most of the playgrounds in Region Two. If you should ask that body what is budgeted for the maintenance and development of those playgrounds, you would see how inadequate that amount is and the same can be said about other Regions also, so where these role models are going to come from?
In business, we have a lot of role models like Toolsie Persaud, Yesu Persaud, Clifford Reis, Brian Tiwarie, Nazar Mohamed, Sattaur Gafoor and many others but in sports I would be hard pressed to name any of International standard. The performance of the Jamaicans on the international stage even before this current set of athletes headed by Usain Bolt and ElaneThompson came on the scene must serve as an inspiration for Guyana and as one commentator correctly stated that Jamaica has a sprinters factory. I would be correct to say that Guyana has not started the construction of such a factory, a statement I am not happy to make.
Region Two resident

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