By Kiev Chesney
According to the local organizing committee, all systems are in place for Guyana to participate in the 2008 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG).
The Guyana team missed the first leg of last year’s competition due to the country’s hosting of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The first stage which is scheduled to take place in Suriname from the May 1-4 will see the three participating countries taking part in football, swimming and track and field. Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, told Stabroek Sport who participated in last week-end’s meeting in Suriname, reported that the hotel accommodation and sporting facilities were up to standard.
“After meeting with the Suriname’s Director of Sport, Michael Watson and French Guiana’s Travise Tracy, last weekend in Suriname, we approved the hotels for accommodation as well as the competition facilities,” he said.Kumar disclosed that the Guyana delegation, which will be led by manager Keith French, will depart on April 30 and return on May 5.
The team will reside at the Stardust Hotel during their stay in Suriname.
“The heads of the various sporting delegations have all agreed that all the preparations for the first stage are on stream.
“What we are no trying to do locally is to work with the associations of the three sports disciplines for the selection of their athletes so that we can complete the processing of their travel documents and finalize the transportation cost,” Kumar added.
Manager of the track and field team, Lyndon Wilson, told Stabroek Sport that there will be trials this Friday at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary, while the jumps will take place simultaneously at the Rudolph Harper long jump facility at the Thomas Lands, YMCA ground beginning at 9am.
Wilson said the trials will include the following events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m (girls), 5000m (boys), long jump, triple jump, high jump, discus, shot put, and javelin.
He added that the trials will be coordinated by the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), after which he will be tasked with the responsibility on naming a team consisting of 26 athletes, 13 males and 13 females.
Wilson also said that the trials will be open to all athletes under the age of 20-years who are attending an educational institution, including technical and vocational institutes.
