The Ministry of Sport will no longer be an independent body but will now come under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education headed by Dr. Rupert Roopnarine and one high ranking sports officials said yesterday he felt that Roopnarine, with the right people surrounding him, could be a boon to the sports ministry.
Dr. Roopnarine will now be one of the principals tasked with implementing the long awaited National Sports Policy and raising the profile of sport in Guyana over the next five years. The Sports Policy should be high on the agenda when the 11th Parliament is convened in two weeks.
For several years, numerous heads of associations have called for the implementation of the Sports Policy to be enacted but this never came to fruition under former Minister of Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony.
Under the previous administration, funding for most disciplines was their biggest rival since there was no annual subvention from government. Sport subsequently wallowed in mediocrity which led to criminality in some instances.
With a new administration in place, athletes and association heads will no doubt be looking forward to adequate funding since many associations are ‘in the red’ despite millions of dollars being allocated to the National Sports Commission and the Ministry of Sport on a yearly basis.
The news of sport coming under the education ministry was met with positive reviews by president of the GOA, K Juman Yassin, president of the GBBC, Peter Abdool and former vice president of the Guyana Rifle Shooting Association, Neville Denny.
Juman Yassin:“I welcome the appointments of Dr. Roopnarine. He was a sportsman in his younger days and I am certain he will make a difference.
“I and the GOA look forward to working with him and to have a greater relationship with the Ministry that we had before.”
Denny felt that the decision to place sport under the umbrella of education came after serious thought.
“Knowing president, David Granger, I know he made a very careful decision,” he declared.
“He understands sport and knows how important it is to a society.
We will have to wait and see how it develops. I don’t know how it is structured but sports starts in school, so let’s wait and see. I’m sure he would have given it serious thought,” Denny added.
Abdool who is also president of CABOFE said:“I’ve known Rupert for a number of years. I would imagine that he will bring a great deal to the table. He is a thoughtful individual and he is the perfect man for education. I’m not aware what his experiences are in sport but as long as he has people to guide him it will be a boon for sport.”
“I have long felt that sport needs to be given the recognition to stand alone. It seems to be diminished but the basis of all sports begins in school. The nursery for everything literally begins in a class room. By his appointment, I am encouraged and hopeful that we can get sports where it supposed to be.”
Individual athletes and sports teams have no chance of elite success without adequate funding. ‘Change’ was the mantra used by the new administration on the campaign trail. Sport in Guyana needs just that, a change for the better.
