– Sport Directors to meet this weekend
By Rawle Toney
Guyana will play host to the first leg of the 2009 Inter-Guiana games, according to Director of Sport Neil Kumar, who disclosed that his colleagues from French Guiana and Suriname will be in Guyana this weekend to begin the planning of the games.
“We have not set a date yet for the games, however, I’m looking at Easter weekend but that’s not final because I still have to see what the other sports directors from French Guiana and Suriname have to say about this.
“But it’s concrete that Guyana will be hosting the first leg of the games this year and we are looking forward to having a successful games,” said Kumar in an invited comment for Stabroek Sport.
Meanwhile, the second leg of the 2008 games which was scheduled for Kourou, French Guiana from November 28-30 was declared null and void by the Inter-Guiana games committee, according to Kumar.
The French-speaking country was brought to a standstill last year by protesters who took to the streets because of the rise in fuel prices. This made the entrance to the country virtually impossible for the contingents from Suriname and Guyana.
It was disclosed by the sport director that time did not permit them to reschedule the games and some of the players from the various disciplines (basketball, cycling and volleyball) would have been over the stipulated age limit.
Guyana were set to defend their male basketball, volleyball and cycling titles but would have to wait a while longer to do so.
The three countries (Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname) will compete in football, athletics and swimming while the second leg which will be held in Suriname later this year will see them competing in basketball, cycling and volleyball.
When Guyana competed in the first leg last year which was held in Suriname, they claimed only the track and field title with Suriname winning the football title after having a better goal difference than Guyana, while French Guiana took home the swimming championship.
However, Suriname is the defending overall Inter-Guiana games champion after winning outright in 2007 when the final leg was hosted here.