Beijing Olympic Games boxing referee James Beckles convened the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association’s (GABA) training programme for referees, judges and interested persons yesterday at the National Gymnasium.
Beckles’ objective is to get local officials au fait with current International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) rules. Beckles, who last visited Guyana in 2007, said this programme will be a refresher course since most of the participants were in the last programme.
Beckles, 49, told media workers yesterday that there have been several changes in the rules of amateur boxing and his focus will be to ensure that officials are on par with these changes. This programme is also in keeping with the GABA’s programme to have all its officials upgraded.
The programme will run from January 26-30.
“The aim is to bring them (officials) up to AIBA level, which is the world level. You have one AIBA official and that is Romona Agard and it is about bringing the others up to her level. And she needs to sit the Level Two exams and probably bring her up to that level,” the Trinidadian pointed out.
Beckles said that there is need for more AIBA