By Floyd Christie
The countdown to the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Rugby Sevens Games which will be held at the National Stadium on July 24 and 25 officially began yesterday with a press conference at Olympic House, High Street.
The conference was hosted by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) and came on the heels of an inspection visit by officials of the CAC Technical Committee, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) and the International Rugby Board (IRB).
Present at the press conference were the inspectorate, Keith Joseph, who represented the CAC technical committee, Tom Jones, the IRB Regional General Manager, who represented the IRB and NACRA, Chairman of the GOA, K. A. Juman-Yassin, Chairman of the CAC organizing committee and also President of the GRFU, Kit Nascimento, and Terry Holder, Deputy General Manager of Communications, for the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company.
Nascimento, who formally introduced the inspectorate, stated that both Joseph and Jones arrived in Guyana on Tuesday to conduct full inspections of the local facilities available for the hosting of the games. The pair of inspectors gave positive feedback based on the inspections carried out on the National Stadium and the Princess Hotel where the visiting teams will be staying.
Addressing members of the media at the press conferences, Jones emphasized the significance of Guyana hosting the CAC rugby games since he said this was the first multi-sport games, which falls under the Olympic umbrella, that rugby will be involved in.
He also pointed out that it was only last year the decision was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to introduce rugby into the Olympic games in 2016.
“It’s a great honour that rugby be involved there [in the CAC Games and the Olympics], our focus is to become an excellent participant sport and to justify our invitation,” Jones said.
He said that Guyana’s facilities were top class compared to other countries he has visited.
“For me this has been an easy visit, work is yet to be done but work is ongoing and I’ll be pleased to support it as much as I can,” Jones stated.
Joseph also addressed the gathering, giving more technical insight and reports on what was observed during the inspection. He stated that he was heartened and impressed by the application of GOA for the CAC rugby games to be hosted in Guyana.
He observed that the technical committee was initially very tentative about Guyana’s capacity to host the games but after inspections it was clear that the facilities were very much up to standard and the accommodation is hospitable.
“We were very much pleasantly surprised… The facilities are perhaps the best we can find anywhere in the region as it pertains to the playing surface and the hotel [Princess Hotel] is probably the best that Caribbean Rugby has supplied for any team participating in a rugby competition,” Joseph said.
He also complimented the local organizing committee and GOA by stating “You have really outdone yourself in terms of the standard you have set for the sports first entry into the CAC games”.
Joseph added that he is also very satisfied with the medical facilities which will be provided for the games and the necessary protocol arrangements that are in place. “You are well advanced as compared to other countries. Teams will be very happy with what they will be offered in Guyana,” Joseph stated.
In closing Joseph said he is hoping Guyanese, and not just rugby fans, but all sports fans will come out and show their support to the local team. He noted that it is important, not just because of the hosting of the CAC games but it will be significant towards popularizing the sport in Guyana and taking it to a higher standard.
Juman-Yassin thanked General Manager of the Princess Hotel, Muharrem Kulekci for providing the rooms for the players at an affordable rate, and Commissioner of Police Henry Greene for offering full support, as well as Chief Medical Officer Shamdeo Persaud and GT&T for their committed sponsorship.
Holder, who spoke on behalf of GT&T recapped on GT&T’s history of collaboration with the GRFU which, he said, started “years ago”. He stated that GT&T first got on board to popularize the sport and get youths and young women involved, “but they began to win and become young heroes in the local rugby society” and now local rugby is at the CAC level.
Holder concluded that this is evidence of what can be achieved through commitment and he urged other colleagues in the business community to become an active part to make the CAC Rugby games a big success.
