Hand-In-Hand Group of Companies chipped in to assist the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) to ensure that one of their six boxers for the CAC Games in Puerto Rico is covered.
The insurance company handed over a cheque for an undisclosed sum yesterday to GABA president Steve Ninvalle at the company’s head office at Avenue of the Republic and Robb Street.
Howard Cox, Fire Manager and Director at Hand-In-Hand, said that the company will continue to support sport and more especially boxing.
He reflected that boxing has always been the sport that has brought Guyana success, mentioning the only medal won at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow by Michael Parris in the bantamweight (54kg) division.
The GABA is expected to send six boxers and three officials to the CAC Games in the city of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from July 22-31.
Currently the cost to send an athlete to that country is $186,000 and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) will contribute half the amount for the athletes from the 10 sporting associations that will be attending the games. Ninvalle told reporters that he was pleased with the support of the company and he is “cautiously optimistic” that the GABA will garner the funds for the other boxers.
Ninvalle also stated that assistance is also being sought for all the other boxers who will be going with coaches Sebert Blake and Terrence Poole and GABA vice president Maurice Rajkumar as team manager. Meanwhile Poole, the tournament organiser within the GABA, said that it is the aim of GABA to have the six boxers encamped by tomorrow.
He indicated that the association had written to the Guyana Defence Force for assistance but said there has been no response as yet.
Executive member Keith Campbell said that GABA has already started prioritising its boxers for the games.
Currently, Commonwealth silver medalist Clevon Rock is heading the list of boxers who will represent Guyana at the games.
The fighters who will be representing Guyana are Clevon Rock,
Orlando Allicock, Dexter Jordon, Bert Braithwaite, Devon Boatswain, and national flyweight champion Ray Sandiford.
