There has been several fruitful discussions involving the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., and the principals of the Aliann Pompey Invitational (API) scheduled for June 19.
According to a release, the minister has expressed his support and commitment to the success of the international competition, and has pledged the support of his ministry. Meanwhile, past sponsors of the event, the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Sentinel Security, Sleepin Hotel & Casino and the Ministry of Tourism have made early and resounding commitments, while others are still in the process of evaluating available resources before fully committing.
Yesterday marked 150 days before athletes get into the blocks at the National Track and Field Centre. As a result, persons have the opportunity to pre-order their API watches by sending a message to Aliann Pompey Invitational accounts on Facebook or Instagram. Detailed instructions will be distributed there.
Men and women’s watches will be available for purchase and will be shipped to a US address. For orders in Guyana, they will be available for pick up June 17-20.
The cost of each watch is $10,000 GYD and bulk rates are available for quantities of more than 10. The last day to pre-order is February 28.
“I am thrilled that we can move forward with this year’s API for a number of reasons. We can’t deny the effects that the pandemic has had on our lives,” said Pompey.
“To say the desire for a sense of normalcy is great is an understatement. I think this is the opportunity to bring sports back in a major way. It gives the athletes a chance to qualify for the Olympics Games slated to begin at the end of July. We have a number of challenges we will face as we aim to deliver a competition of the highest quality,” she added.
“Health and safety is absolutely at the forefront of everything we will do – of the Guyanese public, athletes and other guests. We have to make sure we adhere to local and international protocol and beat practices so that we are not contributing in any way to the spread of the virus. I am thrilled that our partners and sponsors are back for another year. I can’t stress enough how much of our success has been because of their support,” Pompey declared.
The AP Invitational, which ran off its inaugural event in 2016, saw 11 athletes, all from overseas, move on to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio. It is therefore our hope, to once again be seen as a conduit to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
