The record-breaking performances amidst keen competition, however, will not remove the stigma of poor event planning and execution that has overshadowed the premier national schools’ event.
This year’s event, which ran from November 14-18, almost had to be pushed back according to information Stabroek Sport received from an inside source since the ministry had submitted a proposal that failed to find agreement with the GTU.
However, according to a high level GTU official, after the GTU, ministry officials and other stakeholders met subsequently the issues were ironed out.
This hiccup was followed by another difficulty when the District Nine (Rupununi) athletics squad arrived mere hours before the road race after their arduous 500-mile overland journey.
The team had been encamped at the Amerindian Hostel in Region Nine since November 5, reportedly bogged down by red-tape at the Regional Education Office.
As if those were not enough the boys’ 40km cycle race was marred with controversy as the turn-back point of the race which was the village of Haslington, was unknown to most of the riders and caused some of them to ride past the village, some as far as Mahaica.
When the dust finally settled, it was found out from official Seon Bristol, that the race and its result, had been annulled.
This cycle race was afforded a lone police outrider and bad communication from the outset was certain to produce snafus, particularly since National Cycling Coach, Hassan Mohammed, with his wealth of experience, seemed to have had no official role in the event.
Then came the official launch on November 16 with one problem after another, prompting Head of the Allied Arts Department of the Ministry of Education, Nicholas Fraser at the end of the day to say that the event had hiccups.
Despite the rain, which delayed a large portion of the programme on November 16 and 17, there were no batons for the 4x400m relay on the first day and officials staged a walk off because they were not fed on time.
Districts 14 (East Bank) and 4 (East Coast Demerara) protested because of the late delivery of food on the final day.
And District 13, led by the usually outspoken Corwin Mars, along with other districts, launched a protest against what they deemed an unfair practice of the organising committee to have the son of a high level official run although he had presented his credentials late.
Eventually the athlete did not get to compete but the process stalled the event for over four hours. When the championships re-started under lights at 18:00 hours that Friday evening, the organisers had already dug them themselves into a hole that they were unable to claw themselves out of.
When the declaration that District 10 (Upper Demerara/Linden) had won, regaining the title from District 11 (North Georgetown), several events were yet to be concluded, let alone begin.
This was the gloomy picture of Guyana’s largest multi-sport event after 51 years and counting.
These distractions, however, did not deter 13-year-old Rupununi athlete Regina John from creating the biggest upset of the meet when she left the two-time 1500m Carifta gold medallist Jevina Straker in her wake in the 10k road race.
Other highpoints of the event saw Jevina Sampson, Letitia Myles and Tevin Garraway winning the sprint triple (100m, 200m, 400m) while Melissa Byass, won the 400m, 800m and 1500m races. Sampson and Garraway rewrote the record books when they broke longstanding 100m records in the Under-14 and 16 girls and boys category respectively.
Sponsorship
The achievements by these talented athletes actually illuminated the dilemmas of the organising committee.
The championships actually received a much-needed infusion of $18M from Digicel for the next three years.
President of the GTU, Colin Bynoe, at the presentation ceremony said that the union will look to find ways to improve the running of the events.
In the meantime, the findings and recommendations of the Championships Review Committee have not been made public.
Bynoe did acknowledge that the championships were rife with controversies and other problems and he assured that next year the GTU hopes to put a three-point plan into action, with the major aspect being the planning of the event from as early as the first quarter of next year.
On the other hand, Digicel’s Sponsorship Events Manager Gavin Hope has not been silent on the matter.
A former standout athlete himself at these championships, Hope said at the presentation ceremony: “I urge GTU and the Ministry of Education (MOE) to iron out the issues they had because ultimately all these problems will affect the children and once Digicel is a part we want everything to go smoothly for the benefit and development of the youths.”
