A financial shortfall by the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has caused four local athletes to miss this year’s Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) age group championships which is scheduled to commence in the Bahamas tomorrow.
The four athletes, Laneice Dennis, Michael Williams, Roslyn Rawlins and Joel Walcott, and team manager Faye Naughton were scheduled to depart Guyana yesterday for the games, but queries by Stabroek Sport showed that the AAG was unable to acquire the over $1.4m budget.
It is believed that the AAG was seeking corporate support to have the youths attend the games, but Naughton when contacted said: “We didn’t get through with the sponsorship.”
She added that it would have cost each person US$1,030 (GY$206,000) to participate in the games which is primarily for athletes 11-12 and 13-14 years old. When new AAG president Colin Boyce took office last year, he made it clear that the association would be trying its best to attend most of the major meets in and out of the Caribbean. However, he also noted that it would be an uphill task for the cash-strapped AAG.
This year is certainly a busy year for Caribbean athletes and the AAG between June and July this year has proposed sending athletes to four championships. From June 19-21 a six-member contingent is expected to compete at the South American Senior Championships which is set for Lima, Peru. The athletes are Cleveland Ford, Michael Saul, Alisha Fortune, Kelvin Johnson and Lee Prowell. Lyndon Wilson will be the manager/coach.
However, it is not yet known how funding for that event is coming along or if the AAG has secured the monies needed. Efforts by Stabroek Sport to contact Boyce yesterday proved futile.
