Four of the country’s top sports administrators were honoured at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Appreciation Evening last Saturday at the Georgetown Club.
Lennox “Lenny” Shuffler, Chis Fernandes, Rudolph Torrington and Chistopher “Kit” Nascimento were the recipients of the awards.
Shuffler received the IOC Trophy for 2007 entitled “Sport and the Promotion of Olympism for his sterling contribution to sport in Guyana.
Shuffler, who heads the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) was instrumental in promoting the “Sports Education and Culture Train” which is designed to promote peace and unity through Sports, Education and Culture.
He successfully organized the “Sports for All” project held in October 2007 after he had attended the 2006 “Sports for All” Congress in Havana, Cuba.
Shuffler was a former national volleyball captain in a career spanning 20 years. He also participated in cricket at the Case Cup level and was voted Most Promising Young player in the 1954 competition.
Fernandes, who served as president of the Guyana Hockey Board for several years, received an award for his contribution to the development of sport.
He is a former national hockey player and also participated in basketball and football.
He played hockey for Georgetown Football Club (GFC) and organized tours to Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and Barbados.
He also captained and coached Guyana at the VII Pan American Games in Mexico in 1975 after making his international debut against the United States in 1970 and was a member of the Guyana team to the Pan American Games in Cali,Colombia.
During his tenure as president of the GHB, Fernandes chaired the organizing committee for the Caribbean Men’s Hockey championship held at GCC ground, Bourda and was coach of the successful bronze medal winning Guyana team.
Torrington, a second vice-president of the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) was honoured for his contribution to the development of sport.
He became interested in boxing at the age of 16 years and participated in the fistic sport until he retired in 1975.
He joined the now defunct Kitty YMCA and later, the Guyana Defence Force.
Torrington has served as a vice president on the GABA for the past 20 years and has been successful as a referee/judge.
He also played rugby and was a permanent fixture on the Guyana team during the period 1969 to 1972.
“Kit” Nascimento’s contribution to local sport was also highlighted. The current president of the North American and West Indies Rugby Association (NA-WIRA) and an ex-officio member of the International Rugby Board, Nascimento served as president of the Guyana Rugby Football Union from 2002 to 2005 and was tournament coordinator for a very successful Southern Caribbean Rugby Champion-ships hosted by Guyana in 1999.
Nascimento was named Male Sports Personality in 2004. He was also president of the Caribs Rugby Football Club and was also a motor racing car driver.
Former NCN Sports Editor, Leeron Brummell was named sports journalist of 2007, while GOA General Secretary Ivor O’Brien was named Council member of the year.
The main speaker at the Appreciation Evening was Michael Fennell, Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
