The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) on Wednesday last, met with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., and, according to a brief statement from the body, the interactions were “fruitful.”
“Very fruitful discussion was had and we hope for sport to progress faster,” the Hockey Board posted on its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the ministry, via the same medium, said that the introductory engagement examined possible areas of collaboration.
The GHB was represented by President Philip Fernandes, his deputy Robert Fernandes and the board’s secretary Tricia Fiedtkou.
Philip Fernandes during a recent interview with Stabroek Sport had indicated that interactions with the minister would have guided their decision to determine whether there will be any respite on the 2020 hockey season, particularly the hosting of the Diamond Mineral Water International Hockey tournament.
He had noted that there was a slim possibility of organizing hockey action later this year, however, that likelihood is largely dependent on the outcome of the meeting with the minister.
“We are still hoping to have a meeting with the minister. We haven’t been able to have one as yet… They had invited us for a meeting and then it was cancelled and they told us that they would subsequently tell us when but we have been following up and waiting,” Fernandes had explained.
His comments come on the heels of an announcement by the Government of Guyana to reopen the country’s airports to commercial flights which could allow the hockey body to invite international teams.
Meanwhile, the use of sports facilities was also likely to attract plenty of discussions between Ramson Jr., and Fernandes since the availability of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), the traditional venue to host the event, is currently earmarked as a COVID-19 emergency isolation facility.
In April of this year, the national COVID-19 Task Force announced that CASH was selected as one of the facilities to quarantine and treat COVID-19 patients. The minister’s guidance will be sought on that matter to inform the hockey board’s plans for the remainder of what has been a whirlwind 2020.
