The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has not yet elected a new chief coach and it has not yet found a suitably qualified replacement for former chief coach Elton Smith.
After smith migrated earlier this year, the AAG has not yet had a meeting to decide on the future of this vacant post and according to AAG president Claude Blackmore it is not on the immediate agenda.
“We have not yet come to a decision on the matter because it is not of much importance right now. It is not like if we can just meet and name somebody, we have to get someone who is qualified enough to occupy the post and right now there is not any suitable person,” Blackmore said. He also said that the AAG is not mandated to elect a new chief coach at the moment since the association is faced with other major problems such as the constant rescheduling of competitions owing to the inclement weather.
Smith had been a certified level three athletics coach and served as chief coach for two years before his departure to the United States last month.
Before Smith was elected, the AGG had utilized a structure which consisted of a pool of coaches as seen in other countries.
These coaches were assigned to prepare athletes for tours or national competitions on the basis of their availability, the event and area of specialty.
However, Blackmore said that the AGG had been advised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to switch to a less sophisticated structure that would be more efficient in such a small country with a relatively small population of athletes.
