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50th CARIFTA Games NACAC executives positive Guyana can be successful host as visit here wraps up
By Calvin Chapman
President, Mike Sands and General Secretary, Keith Joseph of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) concluded a three-day visit to these shores yesterday with a press briefing at the National Racquet Center.
Colonel Paul Arthur (left) of the AAG, Mike Sands, AAG’s Aubrey Hutson, Keith Joseph and Mayfield Taylor-Trim during yesterday’s Press Briefing.
The team was Guyana to assess the capability of the Athletics Association (AAG) to host the 50th Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games in 2021. The duo evaluated the National Track & Field Center (NTFC) on the West Coast of Demerara and the select hotels that will be used to accommodate the almost 800 athletes and officials that will be involved in the historic Track & Field event next year.
The feedback from Sands and Joseph was positive while noting that there is work to be done. “We visited the national stadium, it’s a lovely facility with a lot of potential and although there is some work to be done, when completed we anticipated a hiccup free event”, Sands shared.
In addition to the 800 athletes and officials, a projected amount of around 2000 fans are expected to touch down in Guyana for the event that will be hosted Easter weekend, 2021. As expected, Joseph highlighted that Sports tourism is projected to have a significant boost during the competition period.
“You can expect a huge influx of supporters because certain countries usually have fans that are always looking for a new adventure. And since this is the first time that the games will be hosted in Guyana, a boost in tourism is expected”, Joseph posited.
Following the assessment of accommodation, Joseph related that, “Guyana have a growing hotel industry and we believe with the proper negotiations, the AAG should be able to successfully accommodate the 700-plus athletes and officials that will be coming to Guyana next year.
The NACAC visitors praised Guyana’s upward curve of developing athletes since the commissioning of the NTFC. While Joseph highlighted that Guyana are yet to return to the glory days of James Gilkes, he mentioned that the AAG have been in the top five of the medal haul at the CARIFTA Games for the past few years and expects us to continue improving.
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