Dear Editor,
I refer to a Stabroek News report dated February 12 and titled ‘Sports policy is being implemented’ where Minister Anthony was quoted as saying, “The sports policy was completed in 2010…”
Dr Anthony talks continuously about this National Sports Policy but when asked to produce it, he does not. On several occasions he was asked to produce either a hardcopy or a link to enable access to the online version. I even asked him for it once, and his response to me was to check with Mr Neil Kumar, the Director of Sports. Efforts were made to uplift a copy from the National Sports Commission or the Athletic Association of Guyana, only to find out that neither organisation had it. How can there be a National Sports Policy and the Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport doesn’t have the document in his possession, or rather within hand’s reach?
Further, how can a policy be in operation and be implemented, but no one has ever seen it? Is this document so highly classified? According to a Kaieteur News report of August 22, 2012, titled, ‘Yassin renews call for resuscitated Sports Commission -bemoans continued absence of sports policy,’ K A Juman Yassin, GOA President, was quoted as saying, “The sports policy that was supposed to have been forthcoming, needs to come forward as soon as possible.” This is evidence that the Guyana Olympic Association President hasn’t seen the National Sports Policy even two years after its supposed completion date. If there is a policy, why are all sporting bodies not in possession of a copy?
Sports institutions only seek to locate this policy after Guyanese athletes fail at a prestigious competitions, eg, the Summer Olympics. Only when the public begins to criticise these organisations for the failure of our ‘top’ athletes then the sports policy talk heats up. After a few heated exchanges which normally last around two weeks, the policy talk is thrown under the carpet. For how long will this continue?
Mechanisms need to be put in place starting now to prepare athletes for the 2016 Olympics, if Guyana doesn’t want a recurrence of what happened in the past. Guyana has talent, but raw talent isn’t enough to produce world class athletes. This talent needs to be harnessed. Could Dr Anthony please come forward and either produce the document (if there’s actually one) or make provision for one to be produced? It is the development of sport in Guyana that is being put in jeopardy.
Yours faithfully,
Elton Bollers
