GBA need those pledges now –Ninvalle

Dec 03, 2017 Sports

Now that the Terrence Alli National Open has concluded the Guyana Boxing Association will

Keevin Allicock

return to the perennial task of attempting to gather financial support for the national team to head to St Lucia to defend the Caribbean Champions title retained in Barbados last year.
The Caribbean Championship is scheduled to be held from December 13 to 16 and Guyana has registered 13 boxers, two referee/judges and three coaches for the epic event. The local team is being led by youth sensation Keevin Allicock and Colin ‘Superman’ Lewis.
Both won gold at the last Caribbean Development tournament (now Caribbean Championships) with Allicock going much further by winning a silver medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Bahamas earlier this year.
There is no doubt in the mind of GBA President that Guyana will retain the Champion Country title in St Lucia. However, the issue at hand is how does the team get to the island. “Well last year we were forced to walk one hundred miles to raise the funds to send an 11-man team to Barbados. We received very little help then. That team won ten gold medals and one silver. My sincere hope now is that the pledges and promises made when the team returned home are now made a reality,” Ninvalle said yesterday.
It was disclosed that approximately three and one half million dollars would be needed to move the team to St Lucia. “We have dominated the Caribbean and in recent time have shown that we are capable of taking on the best that the Commonwealth has to offer,” Ninvalle added.
Lawrence Asannah and Maynard Wilson will sit exams, while in St Lucia and once successful will be handed AIBA One Star badges. “Before last December we had not a single One Star referee. Miss Ramona Agard and Mr. Richard Braithwaite sat exams during the tournament in Barbados and made us proud. Agard was later able to officiate at the Youth South American Games in Chile, becoming the first Guyanese to do so. I cannot underline more the importance of the development of our referees and judges,” the GBA president said.
The upcoming Caribbean Championships will see participation of 18 Caribbean territories, an increase of one from last year and three when the inaugural tournament was held in Guyana in 2015.

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