-Juman-Yassin says Guyana will definitely be there
Take Beijing Olympic 100m gold medallists Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser. Throw in 200m gold medal winner Veronica Campbell-Brown and men’s 100m silver medallist Richard Thompson.
Add some of the region’s best sprinters, middle and long distance athletes. Sprinkle with lawn tennis players, netballers and last but by no means least, boxers, and what do you have?
A possibly volatile Caribbean Games.
The inaugural Caribbean Games is scheduled for Trinidad and Tobago from July 13-19.
Will Guyana be there? You bet, they will.
According to president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman Yassin, Guyana will be participating in three of the five disciplines, track and field, lawn tennis and boxing.
“We will be participating,” the GOA boss told Stabroek Sport yesterday while indicating that the games was being run by the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) of which Guyana is a member.
“We have sent in the (projected) numbers already,” he added.
Yassin said that the Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic Committee has allocated some US$5m to stage the games.
Juman Yassin said however, that Guyana will not be fielding teams in netball and volleyball.
He said only four netball teams will compete at the games and as Guyana is not ranked in the top four teams of the region, they will not be among them.
In the case of volleyball, Juman Yassin said Guyana is grouped in the South American and not Caribbean region.
He said this was pointed out at a CANOC meeting he attended last week in Curacao disclosing that the planning committee said they would have a look at it.
The GOA president disclosed that the games will be held every four years and that Cuba had been identified to stage the next event.
Although the event is some six months away Juman Yassin said the GOA would shortly be required to identify the representatives.
On the question of funding, Juman Yassin said each country would be required to pay the airfare for teams travelling to the games but once at the games, accommodadation, meals and transportation would be taken care of by the host country.
He said the concept of the games had been addressed at the Caricom heads of government level and that it was expected that regional governments would assist by providing funding.
