With which sport would the nation associate our still-young President Bharrat Jagdeo?
Cricket? (Shiv Chanderpaul and Guyana cricket Board chairman Chet Singh are his fellow-villagers!).
Football? (He has showered generous financial support to the Kashif and Shanghai year-end tournament).
Cycling? (Hassan Mohamed’s “life-long programmes are blessed by the Ministry of Sports…)
Swimming? (The Castellani Pool has been made increasingly available to our nation’s swimmers).
Track and Field? Volleyball? Squash? Badminton?
Only the President can give a genuine personal answer to that question.
We would, however, venture to suspect that the President –whatever his simple, country-boy, cricketing-oriented roots-has some significant respect and regard for the sport of professional boxing. And not merely because of the sometimes involvement of one of his advisers, Odinga Lumumba, in the sport.
It also has to be the President’s recognition that since his swearing-in as President in August 1999, even as the Guyana and West Indies Cricket teams have let us down, Guyana’s Professional Boxers have combined to let our Golden Arrowhead flutter high with pride around the boxing world’s capitals. Do you know that forever amongst Guyana’s Sport trivia – And its historical hemisphere, apart from recent American President whose country produces numerous boxing champs, President Jagdeo has seen Guyana produce six world champions- more than any other western world leaders whose country allow professional boxing? In 10 short years.
Since 1999, our world boxing champions have been Andrew `Six head’ Lewis, (WBA) welterweight champion February 2001), Vivian “Vicious” Harris (WBA junior welterweight title Oct 2002) Wayne `Big Truck’ Braithwaite, (WBC) cruiserweight title 2002), Gwendolyn `Stealth Bomber’ O’Neal (WIBC) lightweight title May 2004) Pamela London (IWBF) heavyweight title November 2004), and Gary St. Clair (IBF) super featherweight title July 2006).
No sport enthusiast can deny that foregoing listing reflects a formidable achievement for local boxing, particularly since Guyana has not mobilized the resources for state-of-the-art boxing gymnasiums, other relevant training facilities and other ancillary support that are available to boxers in other countries. Nor do we really see the consistent massive corporate sponsorship for our boxers and promoters, as experienced elsewhere.
The political party that eventually formed this current administration in 2006 promised much for sport in its 2006 Campaign Manifesto (Page 25).
The nations’ and sporting community is judging its record so far, with respect to the promise of such facilities, as Multi-Purpose Sport Complexes, increased support for National Sports Teams, the Olympic-size Swimming Pool, Sports Tourism, Synthetic Tracks and Velodromes.
However, we feel certain that the government and all Guyana must be proud of Mr. Peter Abdool’s appointment, just a week ago, as the new President of CABOFE – The Caribbean Boxing Federation, an autonomous arm of the prestigious and respected world boxing council (WBC).
And significantly interesting is Mr. Abdool’s proud revelation about being “stunned” by the “respect” which other Caribbean boxing administrations have for Guyana’s achievement and status in international professional boxing.
“We (our boxers) are almost revered by the English-speaking Caribbean,” he reportedly declared. Come this evening President Jagdeo’s 10-year tenure will see his seventh Guyanese world boxing champion – the women’s international boxing association (WIBA) bantamweight champ-being grown right here in Georgetown. What better evidence, what greater reason, for government’s whole-hearted support for the sport of professional boxing?
Even as we recall the past generosity of recognition, when local world champions received national gifts, we note the sentiments of Minister of Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony: “I welcome another world title fight to Guyana. Courageous promoters are certainly establishing Guyana as a leading international boxing venue. My Ministry is supportive of this venture.”
Hoping to see them all at the National Sports Hall tonight.
