Olympic hopefuls depart for 3-month training in Cuba

Jan 05, 2020 Sports

Guyanese Olympic hopefuls, GDF’s pair of Colin Lewis (Captain) and Desmond Amsterdam, Policeman Dennis Thomas, Forgotten Youths Foundation’s (FYF) Keevin Allicock and Manager/ Head Coach Terrence Poole departed Guyana yesterday Via Panama for a three-month training stint in Cuba.

Boxers, Coaches & Officials at the send-off: 3rd from right is the GOA head K. A. Juman Yassin, while at right is the GBA head Steve Ninvalle.

Cuban Coach Francisco Roldan, who worked with Allicock in Cuba during his preparations for the Pan Am Games in Peru, will join Coach Poole in Cuba, while Coach Sebert Blake, who works at GPL, is expected to join the team in March.
The Cuban trip is aimed at giving the pugilists every opportunity to properly prepare for this year’s Olympic qualifiers from March 26 to April 3 in Argentina.
The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo Japan from July 24 to August 9.
Ninvalle informed that the GOA’s contribution was the biggest the GBA has ever had and informed the entire cost to send the team to Cuba is US$31,000.
“We thank Mr K. Juman Yassin and the GOA, who was the first to pledge their support, for their contribution. We also thank the Government for their $2.5 Million of which we have already gotten $1Million with the other $1.5 to be given this month,” Ninvalle, said yesterday at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue before the five-member contingent departed for Cuba via Panama.
“We have given them the tools needed for their stint in Cuba and it’s now up to them to make use of the training which

The fantastic four (from Left) Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis (Capt), Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas.

should help them in the qualifiers. This is the longest period of overseas training that any National Boxing team has ever had.
We are sending you into the Jungle for three months and we want you to come back as Navy Seals,” Ninvalle told the Boxers yesterday.
While Director of Sports Christopher Jones missed the simple sending off Ceremony, GOA’s President Yassin, a former President of Guyana Boxing Board of Control, former GBA’s Vice President Maurice Rajkumar and Boxing Promoter and supporter of local Boxing Seon Bristol also spoke.
The GOA head wished the pugilists well and related that about the middle of last year he met with Ninvalle and spoke about the Olympic qualifiers and pledged GOA’s support.
“Be dedicated, disciplined and make the necessary sacrifices while in Cuba since few get this opportunity of such a long period of preparation, so make use it,” Yassin told the Boxers.
“The GOA has committed another $1 Million for of two boxers’ trip to the Qualifiers in Argentina. So the GBA only has to find funding for the other two and their Coaches,” promised the long serving GOA President to raucous applause from those present.
Rajkumar, who has been the Manager of National Boxing teams on three trips to Trinidad and once each to Barbados and Purto Rico, wished the boxers all the best and encouraged them to work hard in Cuba.
The former GBA executive informed he was now back to help in development of amateur boxing and was high in praise for the work done by Ninvalle.
Also speaking was Bristol, who said it was a pleasure and honour to be a part of this send-off of the Boxers and pledged his commitment to support boxing in Guyana; Amateur and Professional.
Mike Parris is the only Boxer from the English Speaking Caribbean to win an Olympic medal when he won bronze at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
Light Heavyweight John Douglas, who lost to Stipe Drvis of Croatia in 1996 when the referee stopped his round one contest in the second round, was the last Guyanese boxer to qualify for the Olympics. (Sean Devers)

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