Dear Editor,
I was disappointed in reading your editorial (Stabroek News August 10) on ‘Sport and national pride,’ that you referred to the very obvious national pride and elation that Guyana feels over our cricketers winning the Caribbean T20 Championships and thereby qualifying for the Airtel Champions League in South Africa, while failing to mention the exceptional performance of our National Rugby Sevens Team in winning gold for Guyana at the recently concluded Central American and Caribbean Games and winning the Caribbean Rugby Championships for the fifth time in succession.
As a result of its achievements, the National Rugby Sevens Team will be representing, not merely Guyana, but North America and the Caribbean, along with Canada, at the XIX Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, India, October 3-14.
The Commonwealth Games is the largest multi-sport Olympic class international event in the world after the Olympic Games themselves. The Rugby Sevens competition features the majority of the world’s rugby superpowers, amongst them, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, United Kingdom and Scotland. These games attract one of the largest television audiences in the world. Guyana’s participation in the Rugby Sevens will earn Guyana recognition as one of the premier rugby playing Sevens nations in the world.
I should mention that at this stage of our preparation we are without the funds to meet our obligation to the Guyana Olympic Committee to participate in the games and, indeed, to provide the team with the required equipment, clothing and tracksuits.
Yours faithfully,
Kit Nascimento
