US Ambassador D Brent Hardt yesterday handed over a quantity of gloves and other boxing gear to the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) President Steve Ninvalle in fulfilment of a commitment the embassy made recently to contribute to the development of the sport.
The gift also included mouth guards, punching bags, head guards, speed bags, skipping ropes and hand wraps and was presented to the GABA at the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Gym. Some of the items will be distributed to Carryl’s Gym in Linden and the Rose Hall Jammers Gym in Berbice. GABA also received three books on sport scholarship for students interested in pursuing academic studies in the United States.
In his remarks, the ambassador said he hopes that the donation helps to foster a closer relationship between Guyana and the US in this sporting discipline. Hardt also said that boxing can be a fulfilling and valuable experience for today’s young people, and can offer a positive release of frustration and negative energy. Further, the ambassador noted that boxing is a proven deterrent to anger and aggression because athletes learn that losing their temper or being overly aggressive is extremely counter-productive, and that that self-control is just as essential as being strong and healthy. He added that the sport also builds self-confidence, discipline and character. “Sports are a great way to build passion and self-discipline among young people, making them less susceptible to risky behaviour and lifestyles. To be a successful boxer you really have to be disciplined. It takes hard work and dedication. Through the process of discipline and goal-setting learned at the gym, young people learn to be self-motivated and more aware of the facts that doing the right thing can make good things happen,” Hardt said.
In response Ninvalle thanked the ambassador for the donation, noting that it was a “significant step for amateur boxing in Guyana.” “I think this is the first time that we would have been joining hands with the Embassy of the United States and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the ambassador for supporting amateur boxing.”
According to Ninvalle, “Amateur boxing in Guyana has paid its dues. It is the only sport that has won an Olympic medal and even though that we have paid our dues, we still think that we have much further to go and with this gesture from the United States Embassy, this will assist us in the bumpy road that we have ahead and…again I say thank you and we hope it continues.”
At the ceremony, Presidential Advisor on Empowerment, Odinga Lumumba gave a brief history of the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Gym to an audience that included coaches Gregory Cort, George Oprecht and Cuban Francisco Hernandez Roldan. Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony also made a brief address.
