The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) yesterday made a timely donation to the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) ahead of this weekend’s Rugby America’s North (RAN) Sevens tournament in Trinidad and Tobago.
During a simple ceremony at the National Park where the men and women’s national teams were going through their paces, vice president of the GOA, Noel Adonis presented a cheque worth $1.2M to secretary of the GRFU, Petal Grant, to offset expenses to be incurred by the teams at the event.
Adonis, a former president of the union, wished the two teams success in their quests to capture their eighth and fourth regional Sevens titles respectively.
President of the union, Peter Green, expressed gratitude to the GOA but pointed out that the GRFU was still in the red by approximately half of a million dollars.
Meanwhile, this year’s tournament, which kicks off Saturday and concludes Sunday at the St Mary’s College Sports Grounds in Port of Spain, will feature both men and women’s national teams from around the Region, and a variety of administrative and educational events to further develop rugby.
The pool draw which was released recently, has 14 nations in the men’s event where the teams have been divided into two groups of four and two groups of three.
Guyana’s national men’s rugby team will be playing Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and Martinique in Group D.
In the women’s competition, Guyana’s team is in Pool B with the hosts, Mexico, Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
Pool A (women’s) will see Canada, Jamaica, Cayman, Bermuda and Turks & Caicos Islands locking horns.
According to Team Manager, Robin Roberts, the male ruggers are scheduled to depart on Tuesday while the women’s outfit will leave on Thursday.
