Livable wages for coaches and athletes and the enactment of the Sports Policy will be key topics of discussion when the executive of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the new Minister of Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., meet for talks. This is according to President of the GOA, K Juman-Yassin.
Yassin told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the GOA will be looking forward to collaborating with the Sports Ministry in an effort to drive the development of sports locally.
Ramson Jr., who took over as Sports Minister two weeks ago, has been holding discussion with numerous sports associations and has ensured that he would work with athletes and federations collectively as a team to bring about a revolution in sports in Guyana. Yassin opined that the Ministry and the GOA should be on the same page on several key areas whenever dialogue is held in the coming weeks.
“I am optimistic that we will have a better relationship and cooperation with the Ministry and the National Sports Commission,” said Yassin who added “Everyone wants the same thing, to see sports develop in Guyana.”
Yassin then disclosed that the GOA will be pushing for the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on sporting equipment, land titles for sports disciplines, the enacting of the Sports Policy and “better cooperation so we could pool our resources to pay coaches and athletes so that they can have livable wages.”
Just this past Saturday, Ramson Jr., reiterated that he will be reviewing the current draft of the Sports Policy left by the previous administration while emphasizing the priority the new government has placed on having it completed.
According to Ramson Jr., who hosted an interactive session with the media three days ago at Duke Lodge, “It’s a top priority for me, the Act. I don’t know when last you had an opportunity to look at it, the Sports Policy is a requirement in the Act.”
He then noted that there will be inclusionary works done on the policy whereby the media and various stakeholders can have meaningful consultations on the policy.
