President of the Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hutson last night cleared the air on assistance from former Chairman of the Alliance for Change Nigel Hughes for the CARIFTA Games.
Hughes apparently was instrumental in getting financial assistance to the athletes in Jamaica to pay for COVID-19 tests and meals.
However, following his assistance Hughes wrote on his Facebook page…”Our national team which has done our oil rich nation so proud, was left in the embarrassing position where they had no finances for covid tests and meals for an extended day of their presence at the Carifta games.
Having won two gold and four silver medals for Guyana they were left without any finances.
They still have events today.
HFS is proud of their representation of all of Guyana and have raised the funds to allow them to pay for the covid tests and eat before their departure on Wednesday.
Surely with all the new found wealth we are capable of treating our national heroes with the dignity and respect they deserve for their sacrifices.
We salute all of you.
Better Must Come to all of us.”
The post generated a reaction from the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., who yesterday summoned Hutson to a meeting with National Sports Commission officials including Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle.
Ramson Jr., subsequently issued a statement which suggested that the posts by Hughes and the APNU-AFC were attempts to gain cheap political points.
“The public can be assured that there will never be a situation where our athletes are in another country and an unforeseen situation arises and this President Irfaan Ali led Government of Guyana will refuse to assist. In fact, the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission have done so many times already,” part of the Minister’s statement read.
Hutson, last night spoke to Stabroek Sports of the development stopping just short of calling the issue a storm in a teacup.
Hutson told Stabroek Sports that leading up to the games, he received a commitment from the Director of Sport, Ninvalle, for two million dollars and he also received two million dollars from the Guyana Olympic Association, which figure was confirmed by GOA Treasurer, Garfield Wiltshire, last night.
According to Wiltshire the AAG had sent the GOA a budget for a little over six million dollars for a 20-member team.
Hutson said they also received $250,000 from Mohammed’s Enterprise.
“We paid for our tickets which was G$3,341,000, we had to find Games Levy which was another $US3000. I also sent a thousand US dollars for the manufacture of the track suits. I paid Denmore Garment Factory $G116, 000 for running clothes,” Hutson detailed.
According to Hutson, there is a culture in the Caribbean with Guyanese associations. Hutson said at every CARIFTA Games he has attended people come requesting flags and seeking to lend assistance.
“Your team needs anything let us know,” they would tell us.
“As recent as 2019 I think it was Cayman Islands there was an issue where apparently Cayman people don’t eat a lot of bread so they were giving us one slice of bread in the mornings.”
Hutson said this resulted in a Doctor (whose name he cannot remember) bringing bread for the athletes.
“People would come around and basically would ask if you need any help.
“In this case my manager was reaching out to people. When issues popped up she was letting me know. I knew very well that we were staying extra days because of the flight that we got. So the first $3000US that she walked with which was supposed to cover the Games Levy, which would have worked out to around $2450US, so she would have had around US$450 in her hand which was paid for the extra days on the UWI campus which left her broke.
“Apparently there is this girl that she was talking to that is her good friend, who happens to have the ears of the Chairman of the National Sports Commission. The two of them grew up together in Kwakwani, so she reached out to the girl asking her to seek his intervention,” Hutson related.
Hutson said after not getting a response from the NSC Chairman, the girl turned to Hughes, stating …”I gone see if I get something from Nigel.”
Huston said it was at this point that the issue became politicized.
“I don’t know if he (Hughes) saw this as an opportunity to say something about the government but at no point in time will I be ever satisfied with people using my track and field to advance a political position.
“This whole thing has become now a political football. To say that the athletes were hungry and that they were in this situation where their backs were against the wall that was not so,” Hutson charged.
“In terms of money coming in for the team, it was not sufficient. Nigel sent eight hundred and something dollars.”
Hutson said the money Hughes sent was received but added. “But I don’t think she used it as yet because the team manager said some Lawyer called her and told her don’t’ touch the money. It’s crazy.”
“I appreciate what Nigel did in supporting the team financially. What I didn’t like is it being used as a means of bashing the government. I’m saying at no point, at no point there was ever a situation we at the association could not have handled but if you come on board and say hey I can help. I will take your helping hand.
Last night also, Paula Liverpool, mother of professional lawn tennis player Sachia Vickery, said on a Facebook post that she was only trying to help the athletes in Jamaica based on her conversation with one of the team members.
She described the issue as …”An innocent act of kindness that turned into political mayhem.”
According to Liverpool she was contacted just after midnight on Sunday by a member of the team with the news that there was no money to pay for the COVID-tests.
She said she subsequently contacted Hughes who is her cousin and he readily agreed to assist.
