‘Olympic hopefuls were really, really ready for their qualifiers like never before’

Apr 07, 2020 Sports

Decision on Braithwaite C’bean C/Ships to be made by month end says Ninvalle

By Sean Devers

The sixth annual CARIFTA Boxing Championship was set to return to Guyana for the first time since 1998 after last year’s Champions were held in Trinidad.

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

The Championships should have commenced next week Saturday but was cancelled last month due to the Global Pandemic COVID-19.
Steve Ninvalle, President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) says a decision has not been taken as yet on the Wilfred Braithwaite Caribbean Women’s, Schoolboys and Juniors Tournament which is scheduled for Guyana from the second week in August.
“A decision on that tournament will be made by the end of this month,” informed Ninvalle.
According to him, the GBA has advised all Clubs and Gyms to cease all activity in accordance until further notice as precautions in the fight against the spreading of COVID-19 virus locally.
“This is not something that we are happy about but it is a necessity at this time to preserve good Health….it is a necessity.
We say to those in the boxing fraternity, the Sporting fraternity and people of Guyana that as an Association we respect the decisions that says to observe the protocols of staying at home, washing of hands and social distancing
We know how much of the mental impact, social, economic and health impact this is for Guyana but it is a sacrifice we have to make, we have got to dig in if we want to come out of this a healthy and happy Nation,” said Ninvalle, who is serving his second full term as GBA President.
The Corona Virus has not only caused the Olympic Qualifiers in Argentina set from March 26 to April 3 and the Olympics in Japan scheduled from July 24 to August 9 to be cancelled to a new date in 2021 but it also knocked out the hopes of four Guyanese pugilists aiming to qualify for the Olympics.
Caribbean Bantamweight Champion Keevin Allicock, Middleweight Desmond Amsterdam, light Heavyweight Dennis Thomas and Light Welterweight Colin Lewis, are still in Cuba due to the closure of Guyana’s two International Airports although their training camp ended last month in the Spanish speaking Caribbean Island.
Ninvalle said the GBA knowns what a massive impact that this Corona Virus has affected the quartet of Olympic hopefuls and the funding for their three-month training stint in Cuba.
“There would have been a massive investment to get them to Cuba for their training stint and that training went down the drain.…when I say went down the drain, I don’t mean whatever they would has learnt and the experience they have gained in Cuba since, will remain with them for all of their lives.
They were really, really ready for their qualifiers like never before and it would have been quite a physiologically impact on them not have the chance to show what they had learnt in Cuba,” said the GBA boss.
“It is our hope…and I am saying hope… that during next year we could have something almost similar to this training for them to be able to wrest that elusive Olympic Medal next year.
A lot of money was invested…. lots of money, but in the end what is important is that they are still alive and healthy and I think preserving their good health and well-being is of utmost importance,” concluded Ninvalle.
Guyana’s Mike Parris is still the only Boxer from the English speaking Caribbean to win an Olympic medal when he won Bronze in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, while light heavyweight John Douglas is the last Guyanese Boxer to qualify for the Olympics when fought in the 1996 Olympics.

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