With the government allowing for the resumption of sports subject to approval from the Ministry of Health, Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Boss Michael Singh, disclosed that the entity would be open to exploring resuming activities.
This was disclosed during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday. According to the long-serving sport administrator, the federation is willing to reactivate the local basketball landscape once approval is given by the relevant authority.
Singh revealed that the necessary precautions and guidelines will be instituted once approval is granted for the resumption of basketball, noting that the safety of participants is of paramount importance to the federation.
He added, “Definitely, we are looking to explore that avenue and once we get the green light, we want to stage 3×3 which has less people on the court and less crowd as well. Sometimes we would even get the players on the court to play games without no contact. We are also talking to a few companies about staging a virtual dunk out which you record and put in on Facebook and we get a panel to judge. We also want to stage a three-point shootout competition with the NBA racks, it will have only the player on the court and referee. We will sterilize the balls, wash hands and have the referees wear masks, we will do what is necessary to keep the players and officials safe.”
The Government’s new Covid-19 measures and procedures allows for the staging of sporting events upon the approval of the Ministry of Health. The updated measures, which were issued in the Official Gazette on October 30th, took effect on November 1st and will remain in effect until November 30th, unless terminated prior, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Health after an assessment of the prevailing public health situation.
According to Singh, while the staging of basketball might not seem feasible in the current climate, in the interest of the game coupled with the lack of prominence and overall dormancy, might necessitate its prompt resumption.
He further stated that the resumption is also critical as it provides an avenue for players within the national setup to maintain a semblance of action following months of inactivity, noting that Guyana are the current CBC champions and must explore avenues to maintain their competitive edge.
Singh added, “We are definitely looking at that option. I don’t think it’s feasible to stage basketball presently, but in the interest of the game and due to the dormancy, we need to. We are the defending champion of CBC, we actually need to get our main guys engaged so when things do open back up in the Caribbean, we are able to compete. Other countries in and around FIBA have basketball going on, we just have to ensure safety.”
