This year will usher in the enactment of the Sports Policy along with the completion of the two eight-lane synthetic tracks in Region 6 and 10.
These and other details were disclosed by Minister of Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., who spoke with this publication recently.
On the sidelines of a recent press briefing, Minister Ramson Jr., was quizzed on a litany of issues including the Sports Policy and the two facilities.
When asked about the Sports Policy, Ramson Jr., stated that the draft of the policy was given a new framework by him after attending the Commonwealth Games conference last year in England. While not penciling an exact date for its enactment, Ramson Jr., did state that it will be completed in 2023.
Said Minister Ramson Jr., “The Sports Policy has been given a new framework.
After attending the Commonwealth Games conference that I was invited to, it really helped me to define a lot of important areas to bring structure to the Sports Policy.”
He added, “Coming back from there, I immediately had a meeting with the National Sports Commission and I said that this is the new framework that I want for us to be working towards. So we have set up the framework and we have started to engage more people, so the Sports Policy will be completed this year.”
The layman’s definition of the word ‘Policy’ holds that this is “a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government, organization or individual; a statement of intent, implemented as procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by senior governance bodies.
Therein, national policy refers to a broad course of action or statements of guidance adopted by the government at the national level in pursuit of national objectives.
Herein, Sports Policy refers to the government’s statement of intent regarding sports.
Meanwhile, the Sports Minister also divulged that the synthetic facilities in Regions 6 and 10 are scheduled to be completed in the last quarter of this year.
In 2018 under the previous administration, BK International Incorporated was awarded the $141M contract for the Region 6 track still under construction at Burnham Park, New Amsterdam, Berbice; while Builders Hardware and General Supplies secured the $179M contract for the facility at Bayroc Community Centre Ground, Wismar, Linden.
Currently, there is only one synthetic track in Guyana, located at Edinburg, West Coast Demerara.
