Guyana’s quest to attend the Junior Pan America hockey championship in 2020 has been delayed for at least a few months after the Pan American body recently announced that the tournament will now be hosted in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The Junior Continental Championships, which act as the qualification competition for the 2021 Junior World Cup at the end of 2021, were originally due to be completed in 2020. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, this has not been possible in all continents, with the exception of Europe,” the body said in a statement on its website.
The website revealed that the tournament is now expected to run from April 12-25, 2021 in Santiago, Chile.
Guyana feverishly began preparations for the tournament in 2018 after the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) shortlisted a 40-member provisional squad of under 19 boys to begin preparations for the then 2020 event.
The squad was being drilled under the tutelage of a team of experienced coaches which included Dwayne Scott, Anthony Cole, Dwight Sullivan, Robert France, Christopher Low-Koan, and Robert Fernandes.
Physical trainer Barrington Browne was charged with sharpening the squad’s physical conditioning.
Meanwhile, the board’s efforts will not be thwarted since the qualifying age limit for the tournament will remain in place even if some players age out.
“The Age Limit, for all competing athletes for the Junior Continental Championships when they were due to take place in 2020 was that “all players shall be under 21 years of age as of 31 December 2019; that is all players shall be born on or after 1 January 1999”,” the Pan Am body explained.
It added: “This age limit remains in place for the Junior Continental Championships, even if the competitions are held before and no later than May 2021, when some players could therefore be 22 years of age.”
Below is the list of previously shortlisted players:
The full squad reads: Michael Hing (GK), Kareem McKenzie, Tariq Nelson, Rahim Oliver (GK), John Phang, Meshach Sargeant, Samuel Woodroffe, Shameer Bhagwandin (GK), Baraka Garnett, Samuel Garnett, Shomere Garnett, Tahrea Garnett, Tivesarid Garnett, Yusuf Brant, Symeon Daniels (GK), Shaquon Favorite, Dominic Alleyne, Omar Hopkinson, Deheron Wilkinson, Brandon Abrams, Paul D’ Andrade(GK), Kennard Jerricks, Nandalall Persaud, Theodore Thierens, Jonathan Williams, Warren Williams, Luis Adams, Nickel Ashby, Shemar Boston, Hilmar Chester, Edmond Chinian, Shakeem Fausette, Leroy Geer, Troy Hodge, Oshazay Savory, Ezekiel Springer, Quinn Tobin (GK), Kedar Hopkinson, Shoran James and Steffan Simmons.
