Following the official acquisition of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U16 championships weeks earlier the required upgrade to the playing venue, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall is underway.
Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) President Nigel Hinds along with Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, visited the venue yesterday to inspect the state of the work being done ahead of the scheduled inspection by the CBC officials in June.
The work being done is to bring the venue up to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) standard with the markings on the floor for the other sports set to be removed.
Work underway include fixing of the players’ locker rooms, interior repainting, fixing the washrooms for patrons, rehabilitation of the floor and of the media and Very Important Person (VIP) rooms.
The work completed thus far include improvements to the lighting and fixing of the fans to improve ventilation. Jones stated that the required upgrades will be completed in time for the inspection. Prior to the current internal works, a face-lift of the building occurred.
Meanwhile, the entrance and exit protocol for the venue will be changed and two new basketball goals will be imported, with the older ones being placed at the practice venue which is the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.
The CBC U16 Championships, which will run from July 4th-16th, will qualify three teams to the 2017 Centro Basket U-17 Men and Women’s Championships.
In the Boy’s draw, Zone-A will consist of BVI, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda while Zone-B comprises of Aruba, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana.
Zone-A of the Girl’s draw has Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, BVI and Guyana competing while Zone-B features Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname. The Youth Championship was last held in St John’s, Antigua in 2008 with The Bahamas emerging winners of both the boys and girls’ Championships.
