Fair performance from Guyana at Commonwealth Games – GOA boss - More effective planning needed going forward

Fair performance from Guyana at Commonwealth Games – GOA boss – More effective planning needed going forward

Apr 26, 2018 Sports

Some of the athletes and coaches participated in the Gold Coast games earlier in the month. Seated from left, Noel Adonis, Godfrey Munroe, K.A. Juman Yassin, Hector Edwards and Sebert Blake.

The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) held a press conference at their head office at Olympic House, Block XXX Lilliendaal, East Coast Demerara, yesterday, to brief on Guyana’s performance at the recently concluded XXI Commonwealth Games which was competed in the Gold Coast, Australia.
The Golden Arrowhead was represented by nine officials and 23 athletes from seven disciplines during the games which ran from April 5th to 15th, namely Badminton, Boxing, Rifle Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis and Athletics. And, the general consensus of the team’s performance was fair by the officials that made up the entire GOA panel during the presser.
US-based triple jumper, Troy Doris, created history for Guyana when he leapt to a season best 16.88m to win that event in Australia, the only Guyanese to win a medal at the 2018 edition of the event and the first Gold Medalist since 2002 when Aliann Pompey won the 400m final in England.
Boxer Winfield Braithwaite won the first Commonwealth Gold for Guyana in the 1978 Games held in Edmonton Alberta Canada.
The boxing pair of Colin ‘Superman’ Lewis and Keeve Allicock received much praise from the officials, which included head of the GOA, K.A. Juman-Yassin, along with the other coaches and GOA officials that went to Australia.
The officials all echoed their dissatisfaction with the poor officiating during Superman’s fight which they believed should’ve gone in the Caribbean lightweight champion’s favour after he was struck several times below the belt and they noted that the sentiment was also shared in the Australian media.
Upon arriving in Australia, there was a mix up with the Allicock’s weight class and the young boxer who won the silver medal at last year’s Commonwealth Youth Games, had to lose eight pounds in 10 days. Despite such, he showed great fight and discipline which the General Manager of Team Guyana, David Fernandes, posited, “Made me proud to be a Guyanese.”
Juman-Yassin noted that the way the team was put together was efficient since there was no mechanism or guide to determine which would be the best team to represent the ‘Land of many waters’ and with the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games on the horizon he intends for the GOA to rectify this process.
The GOA boss noted he, “Was just ensuring that everybody get a piece,” although a confident Boxing unit who wanted to send three fighters were only awarded two, while a timid Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) whose head Godfrey Munroe is also vice-president of the GOA, were awarded the largest contingent; a total of six athletes. Munroe had stated that tennis’ prospect of medaling is somewhat unrealistic, prior to the contingent’s departure.
Athletics, which along with Boxing has been the two most successful sport disciplines for Guyana at the Olympic level, also had six athletes at the Gold Coast Games.
Juman-Yassin was present at the XXI games in the capacity as Vice-President of the Commonwealth Games Federation which provided air-fare for the GOA’s 23 athletes and nine officials to Australia, while GOA official, Dr. Karen Pilgrim served in the capacity of President of the GOA at the competition which had over 15,000 persons volunteering.
Going forward, the GOA is working to be more effective for the CAC games which will be held in Colombia this July-August with a rugby, boxing, hockey, athletics and badminton disciplines set to be represented by Guyana. Juman-Yassin noted that he hopes the Government of Guyana and the National Sports Commission (NSC), who didn’t contribute to team Guyana’s participation in the Commonwealth Games, come onboard to help support Guyana’s athletes in the future.

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