The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) initiated their academy programme with the staging of the inaugural ‘Academy Meet’ at the Eve Leary Ground yesterday, with Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle emphasising the importance of the initiative.
He hailed it as “crucial for talent identification and development” while committing to the continuance of the athletics academy under the NSC’s National Sports Academy initiative.
“The National Sports Commission, Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, and by extension, the government of Guyana, will continue to partner with the AAG to fund this academy,” he declared.
The Director of Sport also congratulated the president and executive of the AAG for steering the academy in a manner that “aligns with the goals and objectives of the National Sports Commission, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, and by extension, the government of Guyana.”
While teams from the various regions across the country gathered to compete against each other on Saturday, Ninvalle highlighted, “We have approximately one hundred and sixty young athletes competing at this national athletic academy meet. The number of regions being represented today underlines a very important fact: organised athletic training by experienced and certified coaches is being decentralized.”
“We have taken note of the recent achievements with regard to our medal hauls at regional and international events, at the junior, youth, and senior levels, and this academy is an important conduit for replicating and even improving our medal prospects on the international stage.”
Also present at the launch was the NSC’s Vice Chairperson, Cristy Campbell, who also had praise for the AAG in their handling of the academy.
She also praised the athletes and coaches, stating, “I know that the athletes who are enrolled in the National Athletic Academy train five days every week and in seven different districts, which include Linden, East Bank, North, East, and South George-town, East Coast, and Berbice, and I must say kudos to the coaches who are guiding these young athletes along the right path to transition to elite athletes.”.
Campbell reiterated the commitment of the various stakeholders. “The Nation-al Sports Commission, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, and by extension, the government of Guyana, remain committed to the sustenance of these academies. Our collaboration with the AAG also involves key stakeholders such as coaches and parents, and while the NSC, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, and the Government of Guyana’s vision for the academies is to identify and develop talent in the youth of Guyana, we are also creating job opportunities for many coaches and relieving the financial burden of monthly coaching dues from hundreds of parents across Guyana since these academies are fully funded by the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport and the National Sports Commission”.
Athletics falls under the 12 core sports initially listed by Minister Charles Ramson under the National Sports Academy, which was launched in 2021.
