Director of Sports Neil Kumar yesterday stated that chess was added to the list of events which will be contested in the second stage of the 2009 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) which will get underway  in Suriname in October.

The brain game has now joined the sport of volleyball, basketball and cycling, with each catering for male and female participation.

According to Kumar it was through the input and persistence of Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony that the game would be played for the first time in the event’s history but the IGG protocol would not allow for it to be played for points. Meanwhile the longstanding sports director said that while he is pleased with the preparation of the male volleyball and basketball teams, the same cannot  be said for the females. Guyana is the defending champions in the male category of both events but it is the weakest link among the three countries where the females are concerned.

Already the male basketball team is in training with the city players being guided by national coach Bobby Codogan and the players from Linden are under the watchful eyes of coach and  Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) President, Abdullah Hamid. The players from the city have been enjoying the luxury of playing and training indoors at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall while their colleagues in Linden have been losing significant ground due to the persistent rainfall being experienced.

In that regard  Kumar said that an emergency meeting would be held on Monday at the National Sports Commission (NSC) to put things into perspective and to have the teams properly prepared.

The sports director said that as it relates to the cycling team, he is confident that the team under the guidance of national cycling coach Hassan Mohammad will once again do Guyana proud.

After the first stage of the games which were held here earlier this  year, Guyana is behind longtime rivals Suriname while French Guiana is in the cellar.