With the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) u16 Championships only days away, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has acquired the FIBA Level-1 Certified Equipment for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
According to an official release from the GABF, the equipment which is inclusive of the “latest version of Gared Sports Basketball Goals, Shot Clock and other apparatus,” arrived at the playing venue on Tuesday to be installed.
The gear arrived in the country via Air Freight through Zoon Online Shopping last week and was cleared by the duty free route through the government.
“The items represent a deliberate plan to continue to upgrade the facility, which has undergone a complete makeover ahead of Sunday’s opening of the U16 Caribbean Basketball Championship that bounces off at 1pm,” the release stated.
Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, lauded the moment as being “historic” Tuesday night when he spoke to the media.
He said that nothing of this magnitude had ever been done for the facility and the National Sports Commission (NSC) and government must be commended for taking the initiative to have an internationally accredited basketball venue.
Jones added that much more will be done to get other facilities up to the requisite standards, noting that an improved system is required for the release of funds as delays occur sometimes in the processing of the monies.
“He said that because of the bold step of the NSC to spend in excess of US$60,000 on the facility, Guyana is now in a position to host any Caribbean or international basketball championships. He said that players can now benefit from upgraded locker rooms with granite countertop cupboards and showers that actually work,” the release quoted Jones as saying.
“Having the FIBA equipment arrive at the Sports Hall before yesterday was especially important since it was the departure date of the CBC Executive Evaluation Commission, which came in on Monday to ensure Guyana is ready to host the Championships” the release concluded.
