IGG opening set for Thursday

Nov 22, 2022 Sports

– French delegation arrives today

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur News – The 61-member French Guiana delegation will arrive today for their participation in the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) which will start on Friday (November 25) and concludes on Sunday, November 27.

Catering to student-athletes at the U-20 level, the IGG was last held in 2017 in Suriname and first took place in 1967.

Football (basketball started in 1972) was the first sport played between Guyana and Suriname at the Inter-Guiana Games.

At this year’s event, French Guiana will compete against Guyana and Suriname in basketball and Track and Field. Players from the French territory are known as fierce rivals in basketball and had been particularly good in the field events since the inception of their IGG participation.

Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle (right) during one of his overseas visits to aeeange for the IGG.

According to Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, the Surinamese contingent is slated to arrive on Thursday morning, while the opening ceremony is slated for Thursday evening from 7:00pm at the Guyana National Stadium.

Ninvalle informed that Suriname’s Minister of Regional Development and Sport, Gracia Emanuel, is expected to arrive with her country’s athletes and officials for the IGG.

Over 500 athletes and officials from three countries will feature at the IGG in the disciplines of Football (female), basketball, volleyball, table tennis, tennis, badminton, swimming and cycling.

The National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue, the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, the National Aquatic Centre, as well as the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and National Gymnasium are the venues being used.

The return of the IGG is a manifestation of a promise made by President Irfaan Ali and Suriname’s Head-of-State, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, following discussions last August during a State visit to Guyana.

During President’s Santokhi four-day visit, discussions were held on a series of areas to strengthen bilateral agreements, including sports.

The return of the Inter-Guiana Games according to President Ali is part of the Guyana and Suriname ‘People to People’ partnership, which he said is “bringing our people together, in a safe space that they can share and appreciate each other.”

At the inaugural IGG, Suriname and Guyana battled for the Forbes Burnham/Johan Pengel Trophy.

Johan Adolf Pengel served as Prime Minister of Suriname in 1967.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News