The Guyana weightlifting team left one day late as another lifter, through lack of funds, was dropped from the team which will participate in the Criollo Cup weightlifting championships in Puerto Rico.

The two-member team left yesterday morning with Bhojnarine Persaud as the lone participant with Deion Nurse serving as manager/coach.

Nurse disclosed that the Guyana Amateur Weightlifting Association (GAWA) was unable to secure the required funding so experienced lifter Sean Cozier was left out.

Nurse also disclosed that he had to fund his own way to Puerto Rico. Persaud will compete in the 56-kilogramm class.

Fazim Abdool, who was scheduled to compete in the 85- kilogramm division, and Farouk Abdool, who was expected to travel as the coach, were earlier dropped from the team due to a lack of funds.

The championships open today but it will be tough going for Persaud, who will have little time to rest before going into action, a concern raised by Nurse earlier. The Criollo Cup championships, dubbed the top weightlifting championships in the region outside of the Pan American Games, ends next Tuesday in San Juan.

The event, sanctioned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the Pan American Weightlifting Feder-ation (PAWF), will attract national lifters from most affiliates of the regional body as well as club teams from the United States and Aruba, an associated member of the PAWF.