Guyana’s weightlifters are cutting it tight for their participation in the Criollo Cup Weightlifting championships this week in Puerto Rico.
The team has been reduced to three due to a lack of funds and their appointment date with the United States embassy in Georgetown is now Monday, just one day before their scheduled departure to San Juan, Puerto Rico
General Secretary of the Guyana Amateur Weightlift-ing Association (GAWA) and manager of the Guyana team, Dion Nurse told Stabroek Sport that insufficient funds have forced the GAWA to reduce the team to two lifters and one official.
The two participants are Bhojnarine Persaud and Sean Cozier, with Nurse doubling up as manager/coach.
This means that Fazim Abdool who was scheduled to compete in the 85 kilogramme division , and Farouk Abdool who was expected to travel as the coach have been left out.
Persaud will compete in the 56 kilogramme class while Cozier will do battle in the 85 KG division.
Nurse said that the GAWA had requested a change in the appointment date with the US embassy from, last Wednesday because of the financial situation and the Embassy had given them next Tuesday as their date, but he said the date has since been reviewed and will now be Monday.
The Criollo Cup championships dubbed the top weightlifting championships in the region out side of the Pan American Games will take place from October 16-23 in San Juan.
The event sanctioned by the International Weightlift-ing Federation (IWF) and the Pan American Weightlifting Federation (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.
Nurse said this tournament will be a welcome return to international competition for the local weightlifters who have not participated internationally since 2005.
Guyana’s last outing was at the Pan American championships in Louisiana, United States where Cozier was this country’s lone representative.
Nurse said on the team’s return to Guyana the Association will stage the National Senior championships on November 11th at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
He said that the nine clubs affiliated to the association from Linden, East Bank Essequibo, Berbice and Georgetown are expected to be represented at the national competition.
The GAWA has run off three competitions so far this year and according to Nurse it has been a busy year for local weightlifters.
