Edghill, Holder attend Pan Am Sports Athletes Forum in Mexico

Dec 09, 2022 Sports

Kaieteur News – Last weekend, two members Guyana Athletes’ Commission, Table Tennis star Chelsea Edghill and National Sprinter Noelex Holder, attended the third Pan Am Sports Athletes Forum in Cancun, Mexico.

The three-day forum served as an educational opportunity to help athletes on their journey as competing athletes and more importantly their lives after competition.

According to a release from the Commission, the forum served to also discuss key areas in athlete development, where the topics of Mental Health, Entrepreneurship, Branding (Personal and Commercial) and access to experts, role models and access to learning materials and funding for Athlete Commissions.

“We would like to extend our gratitude to PanAm Sports, for organizing such an interesting and inspiring forum which allows us to return to our Athlete Commissions with a renewed sense of activism and passion,” the Commission said in a statement.

Chelsea Edghill (L) and Noelex Holder at the third Pan Am Sports Athletes Forum in Cancun, Mexico.

They thanked the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) for affording them the opportunity “to learn and grow as a Commission and as individuals who are passionate about the development of sports in Guyana and the advocacy of athletes.”

Noelex Holder (L) and Chelsea Edghill

In May, the GOA announced the formation of the Athletes Commission, which comprised 15 athletes that have represented Guyana at multi-sport games, regional tournaments, and/or participated at national championships within the last eight years.

The mission statement of the commission is to ensure that the viewpoints of the athletes are central to the decisions of the GOA, as well as serve as an integral link between the competitors and the association. They are also mandated to support and lobby for increased participation of Guyanese athletes through various programmes inclusive of the Olympic Solidarity.

The constitution of the athletes’ commission was drafted by the steering committee in 2020 and consists of Tiffany Solomon, Rondel McArthur, and Joshua Griffith.

The affiliated national federations in April were invited to serve on the body, with six federations eventually responding, and nominating 12 athletes to join the previously established steering committee.

Edghill is the Commission’s Chairperson and Griffith is Vice-Chairperson.