Following the recent conclusion of the national indoor championship, the 11th edition of the annual Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival was officially launched yesterday by the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) venue.
The event, which runs from November 26th-29th, will be staged at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue. The event will be divided into three sections, Men’s, Ladies and Veterans.
Over 18 teams are expected to compete with the men’s, women and veteran’s events expected to include GCC, Hikers, Old Fort, Pumas, Phoenix as well as overseas teams from Canada in the form of Revamp, YMCA of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago’s Malvern and Carib Hockey Club.
Winners of the male and female sections will pocket US$1,000 while the runners-up will receive US$500. On the veteran side, the winner will pocket US$500 while the runners-up will receive incentive prizes.
GHB President Phillip Fernandes during a feature address said:“We are happy to have our Platinum sponsor, Demerara Distillers Limited who has been with us from the inception of this tournament and to whom we owe a great deal of its success.
“Before this tournament, there was no international hockey being played in Guyana and Diamond Mineral Water took a risk when they embarked on this ambitious project with us back in 2004. We look forward to associating with this quality brand throughout the tournament and hopefully for many years to come.”
Diamond Mineral Water Brand Manager Larry Wills said:“Demerara Distillers Limited, through our Diamond Mineral Water Brand, is pleased to once again sponsor the 11th Annual Diamond Mineral Indoor Hockey Festival.
“We believe that this 11-year partnership between Diamond Mineral Water and the Guyana Hockey Board has been a fruitful one and the tournament has grown to accommodate a lot of local, regional and international participation.”
According to Wills “From the beginning of this festival, we have seen strong competitiveness and great sportsmanship as well as the fair conduct and refereeing of games. We are also heartened that the tournament recognizes equality in sport through the participation of male and female teams.
“On behalf of the Demerara Distillers Limited and its Diamond Mineral water brand, we would like to take the opportunity to wish the Guyana Hockey Board a competitive and successful tournament.”
Carib Beer Brand Manager Richard Singh during a brief comment said Sport has shown growth throughout the year and that Ansa McAl under Carib brand is proud to be a part of the event and will continue to do so for as long as possible.
