Junior national table tennis coach Dwain Dick is urging the newly appointed Minister with responsibility for Sports Charles Ramson Jr., to carefully assess the efficacy of the individual sports associations in Guyana in order to determine the level of support the government should give the industry.
Dick, who is also the President of the Titans Table Tennis Club, lauded the junior Ramson’s ongoing efforts to seek out each association with courtesy calls.
However, he recommends a more detailed evaluation of the inner workings of those associations.
“I really think the Minister, before he even met with those associations, should have assessed those associations…I’ll tell you why.
“Look at how many international bodies they are affiliated with, are their dues up to date? Are they attending international competitions? And what were the results over the last five years?
“So, he would have a clear picture of how they are operating and place them in three tiers based on priority for funding and other support according to how they are functioning,” the national coach opined.
The longstanding coach expressed his frustration at how this country’s top sports officials have downplayed the development of sport.
Dick said that a nation with abundant talent cannot simply just keep attending international events.
He underscored the need for Ramson Jr., to share his vision for the overall development of the industry and ensure that is it realised.
It is on this premise that Dick is urging the Sports Minister to really sink his teeth into a practical developmental approach, one that will attract stakeholders both locally and abroad.
“Ramson is young and he has gotten a nice opportunity to push sport as a tool for development. He has to look at inclusiveness, at disabled athletes and to develop those athletes who come from disadvantaged communities.
“If he only knows the power he has right now he would link with both the international community and our private sector to create real change but he has got to have something to work towards, then he really can make an impact,” Dick added while noting that he is certainly willing to lend his technical expertise to aid the process.
Ramson Jr., to his credit, has hit the ground running by engaging a lot of the associations and the media. He is perhaps one of the most visible ministers in the Irfaan Ali government and all eyes will surely be on him to deliver.
