One of the longest serving sports administrators on Thursday decided to call it a day. General Secretary of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Ivor O’Brien did not seek re-election when that body held its election of office bearers on Thursday at Olympic House, Kingston. O’Brien also declined to accept any other post.
He was replaced by Hector Edwards a former top cyclist who also served a stint as president of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF).
That apart, there were few changes at the meeting held to elect the GOA executive to serve for the next four-year term and, as expected, incumbent K. Juman-Yassin was re-elected to serve the body, a vote of confidence made even more so by the fact that he was returned unopposed.
Also returned were the three vice presidents in Charles Corbin, Dr. Karen Pilgrim and Noel Adonis, who is also the General Secretary of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
Former Caribbean Squash champion Garfield Wiltshire, a past president of the Guyana Squash Association, was returned unopposed as treasurer while Deon Nurse is the new assistant secretary/treasurer replacing Edwards.
In an invited comment Juman-Yassin said that what lies ahead was more hard work as the GOA attempts to complete its own facility a process which is still in its first phase.
He also plans to assist the local associations/federations.
“We will continue to do what we can to assist the associations,” he remarked.
Juman-Yassin, who has been critical of the government’s support for Olympic sports in the past, also held out the olive branch stating that the GOA was “prepared to work alongside the government on any programme for the development of sports or the athletes.”
Life member
O’Brien, has had a lengthy, some would even say distinguished career as a sports administrator. He was Director of Sport under the People’s National Congress government before he was replaced by the current Director of Sport Neil Kumar following the People’s Progressive Party’s triumph at the 1992 polls.
But he remained the General Secretary of the GOA, a post he held from 1980 up until Thursday. He had served as assistant secretary/treasurer from 1976 up until 1980. Juman-Yassin said O’Brien decided to call it quits simply because he wanted to spend more time with his family after decades spent serving sports.
Juman-Yassin said that O’Brien’s vast knowledge of sport administration will not be lost to the GOA since he was made an honorary life member of the GOA a motion moved by Juman-Yassin himself.
As an honorary life member O’Brien will be able to attend all meetings of the GOA, said Juman-Yassin adding that O’Brien has given an undertaking that he is prepared to be of assistance to the GOA. “I would certainly want to have the benefit of his expertise and his support,” Juman-Yassin stated.
The returning officer was Conrad Plummer, former chairman of the National Sports Commission.
