The National Covid-19 Task Force has given approval for the staging of the inaugural ‘Skill Thrill Freestyle Football Festival’ grand final which is scheduled for December 12 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue.
This is according to a release from the organisers.
According to the correspondence, signed by Director of the National Covid-19 Task Force, Colonel Nazrul Hussain, provisional approval has been granted to the organization for the staging of the final at the facility.
The approval letter was dated November 18th 2020.
“I hereby acknowledge receipt of your request for the hosting of the finals of Guyana’s inaugural Skill Thrill Freestyle Football Festival on Saturday 12th December 2020 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Please be advised that the Minister of Health has granted conditional approval for the conduct of this activity as you outlined. With best wishes for the success of your event,” stated the correspondence.
The government’s new Covid-19 measures and guidelines, allow for sport events to be staged once approval is sought and granted by 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.
Tournament coordinator and Director of the Right Start Foundation, Collis Gifth, during brief remarks, said that the approval from the National Task Force is of utmost importance and highlights the entity’s commitment to ensuring safety of the respective participants and officials.
“Despite the importance of all the other logistics, the approval from the National Task Force was the most important because we are in a pandemic and there are certain restrictions as it relates to the hosting of sporting events. We are extremely happy to know that the Covid-19 Secretariat, has examined our proposal and are satisfied with the nature of our programme and how we intend to conduct it. The public and participants and those who are involved can rest assured that we will abide by all the regulations to ensure the safety of all participants and officials.”
The event will be open to individuals as young as 16 years old, who are residing in Guyana. Each participant, following registration, must submit a video no longer than three minutes in duration displaying their freestyle ability. Edited videos will not be accepted by the judging committee which will be identified prior to the start of the event.
The 10 best freestylers will advance to the second round which will be in person. The grand finale will also be contested during the second round. Winner of the event will pocket $100,000 and a trophy, with the runner-up pocketing $50,000 and the corresponding accolade. The other participants who made the final 10, will pocket $10,000 each. Participants will be judged on four categories. They are Creativity & Versatility, Trick Execution, Acrobatics and Musicality. The event has also been endorsed by the world governing body, the World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA).
