Cycling, one of Guyana’s most active sport is in neutral and there needs to be some sort of an intervention by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) in order to get the wheels of the discipline turning once again.
The ongoing rift between the Interim Management Committee (IMC) and executives of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) who still seem to be clutching on to their posts, has applied the brakes on the sport.
The widely publicized problems within the GCF have not only grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons but have thrown a wrench into the spokes of the wheelsmen, the most important element of cycling.
Perhaps the Director of Sport, Christopher Jones and the president of the GOA, K. Juman-Yassin can call an urgent meeting with the cyclists and the clubs in order to change gears and find solutions to the ongoing problems.
Following an Extraordinary General Meeting at Olympic House last November, nine of the 11 clubs voted on the motion that the current executive of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) be dissolved and an IMC installed to effectively conduct the affairs of the discipline.
The confused cyclists and the public needs answers as to who are specifically pedaling and steering the affairs of the sport since recently Linden Dowridge, the supposed chairman of the IMC was served a with cease and desist notice by members of the GCF.
“We really don’t know what is going on right now” said one cyclists who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “One time you hear is Burrowes is the president and the next time you hear is the IMC in charge.”
Rumblings of an IMC being established swirled after a whirlwind of reports of incompetence, lack of transparency and the continued absenteeism of the GCF president, USA based Horace Burrowes.
A meeting was called to order and all in attendance were checked and verified as financial members before the motion was proposed by Andrew Arjoon of Evolution Cycling Club and seconded by Malcolm Sonaram of Carlton Wheelers Cycling Club. According to the constitution, 5/6 of the votes must be met before the motion is granted. There was a unanimous vote.
The clubs present at the Meeting were Team Alanis, Carlton Wheelers, Continental, Team Evolution, Flying Ace, Flying Stars, Linden Bauxite Flyers, Trojan Cycling and Roraima. Missing were representatives from Team Cocos and We Stand United.
The next step was to introduce an IMC and Sonaram suggested that a representative from each club be placed on this Committee instead of a chosen few which will put transparency in place and all will have access to information and decision making.
The move which was first reported by the Guyana Cycling News was labelled “as a step in the right direction” and was lauded by cycling enthusiasts and stakeholders.
During Burrowes’ tenure at the helm, he along with his executive members were accused of the following:
The failure to hold Meetings and or attend Meetings which showed disrespect of their commitment to cyclists
The failure of the President and most of the Executive to attend the 2016 National Championship Races.
The failure of the federation to publish the results of the WADA Drug tests of November 2015.
The incompetence of the president in publishing inaccurate information on Social media resulting in the GCF being embarrassed and threatened with Legal Action.
The president is non-resident and access to him is at best difficult if not downright impossible.
Burrowes however is adamant that he remains the president and will continue to occupy the post until the next AGM in 2019.
