By Emmerson Campbell
Most sportsmen and women the world over are rewarded for their record-breaking feats and other outstanding performances whenever the represent the land of their birth.
This unfortunately is not the case of Commonwealth Powerlifting record holder Vijai Rahim.
The 20-year-old Berbician, who won two gold medals and set new records in the squat 192.5kg (old 182.0) and deadlift 225kg (old 210kg) in the 59kg men’s junior category at the sixth annual IPF/NAPF Caribbean Powerlifting Championships in St. Thomas, USVI in April has been unable to secure leave with pay from his place of employment (GUYSUCO) whenever he represents Guyana.
Without intervention, this plight will continue next month when Rahim represents the nation at the South American Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Rahim was also scheduled to attend the North American Regional Powerlifting Championships later this month but no arrangements have been made to subsidize his absence.
During an interview with Stabroek Sport on Sunday at the Intermediate and Masters Championships, Rahim who is a cane harvester by trade and his coach Fazim Abdool revealed their distress and called for a change to this predicament.
“This last championships that he went on in St Thomas we wrote a letter asking them to get his salary at the same time applying for leave with pay, they said they will get back to us. When they got back to us, we went to the personnel officer, I don’t know his name, but when we spoke to him they said they will give him the leave but they cannot give him any pay,” Abdool stressed.
Abdool continued: “In my opinion first of all GUYSUCO should have assisted him with some sort of support besides his salary, this guy is representing GUYSUCO, Berbice and the entire country, but when he came back we wrote them asking them to please give him his money and they said they would get back to us. We wrote them again and they never got back to us.”
Rahim, who had missed three weeks in preparation and competition at the championships, said he was only requesting one week’s pay which was denied. Rahim, whose wife is pregnant, further stated that he may have to forego representing his country in Colombia next month because he cannot afford to lose his wages.
President of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) Peter Green, who withdrew Rahim from the North American Regional Powerlifting Championships nominations in order to escape the absentee fine of US$100, said he hopes Rahim’s employers make adequate changes before July 16.
“I had to have him settle for the South American Championships but the final nomination is on July 16 so if something is not done by then we would also have to withdraw his name from the nominations as well because we will be fined there too if we do not send him.”
Green also shared his personal views on Rahim’s dilemma: “While the government is trying very hard on their part, the support players are not following up on their level. At my place of employment I would get special leave with pay because you are representing the nation, you are the best, so when you have a workplace refusing to pay an athlete when he is on national duties, especially an athlete with a wife, it’s very disappointing, but you can’t expect this athlete to leave his workplace and have his wife starving while he’s gone to lift for glory for the country.”
Green also lambasted Rahim’s community.
“The community is at fault because only Stretch Your Dollar and M. Ally and Sons have supported Rahim. I find that hard to believe in the whole of Berbice enough is not being done in the community to support their own athlete. Rahim is an elite athlete; he needs to have further encouragement from his community and his workplace. I’m very surprised that a company like that is not rewarding an athlete like this, a Commonwealth record holder, I’m very surprised,” Green emphasized.
Will Rahim be able to represent Guyana next month knowing that his wages will be paid or will he be unable to attend the South America Championships? The answer will be known by July 16.
