The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) now has the means to expand its programme with the opening of a public squash court at the Non Pariel Racquet Centre.
President of the GSA, Andrew Arjoon said that the opening of the facility coincided with world squash day which was observed yesterday.
“We the Guyana Squash Association are thrilled that this project has become a reality and we are grateful to those who within the fraternity lobbied for this international standard facility. We are also grateful to those in government who made it a reality in particular his Excellency for believing in this and believing in us as an association.”
Arjoon said that the association has justified its existence by continuing to win tournaments.
“Our results for the boys and girls teams at the Caribbean Junior Championships over the years speak for themselves.”
The new facility, he said, gives the public at large access to the game which will help to strengthen the association’s existing programme.
“We could only imagine what the future holds since right now we are justifiably feared in the junior circles in the Caribbean. It is our intention in collaboration with the ministry, the National Sports Commission and the backing of our corporate sponsors, in particular Digicel, to assist in helping to create a viable national squash programme that targets the untapped potential of our youths.”
Arjune said that the association is currently working on the programme which should be officially launched in January next year.
The association had the opportunity to test the court during the hosting of the Digicel 2011 Caribbean Junior championship, “and can attest to the fact that all of the participants and accompanying officials who made use of the facility were highly impressed with the quality of the courts.”
However, he would like to see that the viewing area is commissioned to be able to accommodate a number of spectators.
The viewing area, he said, would expand the viewership and also generate more interest in the sport.
Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said that the resurfacing of the tennis courts and the building of the squash courts are significant and a move in the right direction.
“As you know we have embarked in the ministry in refurbishing and adding new sports infrastructure because we recognize that sport is integral to the development of Guyana as a whole. Without sports I think we will lose an important part of our holistic development and that is why we have spent a lot of resources in now developing our infrastructure.”
Dr. Anthony said that refurbishing of the tennis courts breaks the barrier which once prevented many people from taking up the sport.
He said that with the resurfaced courts and the new squash courts, the immediate targets would be students in schools closest to the facility.
“We estimate that there are more than ten thousand children immediately around and they would be the direct beneficiaries of these facilities. Of course the associations and persons living immediately around would also be encouraged to utilize the facilities,” Dr Anthony said.
Moreover, the minister noted that the refurbishing of the tennis courts and the newly-constructed squash courts are not the end of the works at Non Pariel. There are also plans for a badminton court and a sports institute. The institute, he added, could be used by associations to hold training programmes and workshops.
Also at the commissioning ceremony was President Bharrat Jagdeo who observed that this is just the facility, but how it is used will decide whether the project fulfills its original intent.
“The intent was a simple one, to expand sporting facilities at the macro level to Guyanese, but more particularly in this case to ensure that we move to establish a series of facilities that will give access to people who have never had access to these facilities before.”
