It seems as though the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) has awoken from slumber following the team’s dismal showing at the Paris 2024 Olympiad and, in a historic move, has announced its intention to develop a strategic and operational plan for the country’s Olympic sport disciplines for the period of 2024 to 2032.
To help them do so, they have secured the services of strategic consultant Laurent Torrecillas, who has over 15 years of experience in that field under his belt. Torrecillas, who hails from France, has also worked with other National Olympic Committees (NOC) in developing such plans.
While the GOA made the announcement in a press release, they have also invited the country’s sports journalists to a meeting with Torrecillas so that their input can be had as one of the key stakeholders in Guyanese sports.
In the invitation, they said, “The executive committee of the Guyana Olympic Association, as part of its strategic undertaking on charting a new course, will be embarking on developing a critical strategic and operational plan for the period 2024 to 2032.”
“The committee believes that the development and implementation of a strategic and operational plan is key to identifying and defining the strategic approaches, priorities, policies, systems, partnerships, and structures to be adopted in view of maximising our resources.
This plan is geared towards instituting a more effective and reliable support framework for athletes, national associations, and federations,” they further explained.
According to the GOA, “The Plan will set the foundation for improving and optimising the leadership, strengthening the decision-making and administrative capacities of the GOA and its affiliates, provides a basis for reset position after Paris 2024, outlines guides the strategic direction and pathway of the GOA and its affiliates must undertake to improve and maximise performance efficiency and, more broadly, the sports ecosystem in Guyana.”
With that in mind, the GOA was “able to secure the services of Mr. Laurent Torrecillas to assist the GOA with developing this key document. Mr. Torrecillas is an expert in strategic planning and has done great work with other NOCs and international sporting organisations in helping them to develop key strategic plans.”
While the plan is for the next two Olympic cycles, the GOA claimed that they had begun working with Torrecillas “prior” to Paris 24.
The move by the GOA, though reactive, is a positive step forward from the norm. In previous decades, there was never any semblance of a clear-cut plan or structure for the country’s Olympic ambitions. This was no more evident than the team’s initial qualification debacle and eventual showing at the Olympics.
