President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Nigel Hinds said yesterday that the lights at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) were turned off while the women’s national n basketball squad was undergoing training sessions at the facility.
The women’s team is preparing for this year’s CARICOM basketball championships.
Hinds said that a security guard at the venue turned off the lights at around 9.15 pm. According to Hinds the instructions were given by Basheer Khan, who is in charge of the CASH.
According to Hinds, Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, had in February of this year, approved free use of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for the National Male and Female Squads training and for the games scheduled for the International Series between Bermuda and Guyana and the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Championships.
Additionally Hinds claimed that “Gervy C. Harry, Administrator within the office of the Director of Youth and Sports had agreed on specified dates for training by the Guyana male and female basketball players during February and through to the end of March 2015.”
Hinds also claims that the sessions were set to conclude at earliest 10pm.
Khan, contacted for a comment last night said the issue was more than what Hinds is saying.
“The Sports Commission acknowledged the Road to Mecca and the Bermuda visit with the undertaking that as soon as those programmes ended they (GABF) will come back in and negotiate for further training time for the women. This was not done,” Khan told this newspaper last night.
According to Hinds, Kumar has been most accommodating and helpful to the GABF this year.
“From our meeting at his office on Homestretch Avenue in February, 2015. GABF was given permission for free use of the Sports Hall by the Director, not only for the International games against Bermuda in mid-March 2015, but also for the training dates requested for our Men and/or Women National Squads through to the end of March 2015.
After the end of the aforementioned period, it was agreed that the GABF would hold discussions with the National Sports Commission (NSC) for training days in April, May and June as Guyana Men and Women Basketball Squads prepare for the Caribbean Basketball Championships scheduled for Tortola, British Virgin Islands during June, 2015,” said Hinds.
