“It is time that the private sector demands more accountability and the government initiates a comprehensive review of the ways in which sporting organizations conduct their operations”
A city business owner and executive member of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has criticized businesses for continuing to pour millions of sponsorship dollars into sports organizations, while being seemingly unmindful of the financial irregularities, lack of accountability and various other shortcomings that continue to plague those bodies.
In this week’s regular business column Clinton Urling, secretary of the GCCI and proprietor of the popular German’s Restau-rant, bluntly declares that the crisis of accountability afflicting several sports organizations in Guyana is likely to worsen unless the private sector entities that help keep them afloat hold them to account for the manner in which they operate.
“These irregularities will go unabated and continue because sponsors, especially in the private sector, continue to fund activities and events for these organizations,” Urling states.
“Why would these organizations work to improve their operations when they have reliable income from sponsors who, in most cases, do not expect or require any accountability? It is baffling to think about the millions of dollars being spent by some companies to sponsor events for these organizations, knowing that there will be no expectation of a follow-up report accounting for how these donations were allocated and spent. It is inconceivable to think that such blind faith could be extended to a sporting organization that may already have a history of financial abuse and irregularity,” Urling writes.
In his column, the GCCI secretary cites several current concerns relating to the administration of sports organizations including what he describes as “the shameful situation” being played out with the Demerara Cricket Board including charges of financial irregularities and “failure to submit reports for projects executed on behalf of the organization.” Additionally, Urling cites concerns in the administration of basketball and football in Guyana, pointing to the recent admission by former Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) President Trevor Rose that no financial statement for the organization had ever been produced under his tenure. He also noted “the embarrassing situation” involving players of the Golden Jaguars national football team who had called for the resignation of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) President Colin Klass after making accusations of poor training standards, inadequate training equipment, the inferior state of encampment while overseas, monies owing to players and consistent disorganization during international tours.”
And the GCCI secretary castigated media houses for what he said was their failure to expose some of the irregularities and governance problems facing poorly-run sport organizations. “Only in the case of football – and in particular the GFF – has some reasonable attempt been made at investigative journalism,” Urling writes.
According to Urling while the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has adopted the position of not funding sports organizations that are not accountable, it must go further by setting up Commissions of Enquiry to ascertain the internal structures, governance, capability and effectiveness of each one. Additionally, Urling is calling for “a regulatory and ranking system” that measures organizational accountability and transparency. The outcomes of these initiatives should be made available to potential sponsors to enable them to make better, more informed decisions about whether or not they should support a particular organization.
