The Guyanese team is set to leave here on the 25th of July for the London 2012 Summer Olympics which is scheduled to begin on the 27th July and end on 12th August.
With just seven athletes from three sporting disciplines, Guyana is set to make a run for its second medal in the Olympics.
The team will include three Track and Field athletes in two-time 400 metres Commonwealth medalist Aliann Pompey, debutant and local 400 metres star Winston George and joint 100 metres national record holder Jeremy Bascom, two swimmers in Niall Roberts and Britany Van Lange, both of whom will be doing the 100 metres freestyle, and one judoka, Raul Lall, who will compete in the under 60kg category.
New suits
With the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) sponsoring the team fully, without any help from sub-associations, President of the GOA, KA Juman- Yassin at a press briefing yesterday indicated that the Guyanese athletes will be outfitted in new suits with the women wearing red at the opening ceremony while the men will be decked out in yellow.
Along with the new suits, Yassin told media representatives that the flag bearer who was identified as George, because he was the only locally- based track athlete to qualify for the Games, will be wearing a cape currently being designed which will have the Kaieteur Falls and the Court of Arms on it in order to attract television cameras at the opening ceremony.
Talking about the Kadecia Baird issue, Yassin was quick to point out that he believes that Pompey was the right candidate because she was first to be accredited along with the fact that Pompey has represented Guyana well over the years.
“The GOA had our deliberations and it’s of the firm view that she (Pompey) should be the one to go. First you have to be accredited and due to the fact that her name was not on the list which was handed in on March 23 because we nor the AAG had foreseen her doing this well she could not have been accredited.
“Besides that fact Aliann has done a lot of human service for Guyana and has represented us well and with this being her last Olympics I would personally like to see her there,” Yassin stated.
Yassin also pointed out that Baird still had age on her side, while revealing that the whole saga caused Pompey to receive threatening messages from people, presumably residing in America.
“Kadecia is young and I indicated to Nicola Martial (Baird’s coach) that I would like to see her represent Guyana in the future which she agreed to.
“However, the situation caused Aliann to receive threatening messages about the situation which is not good for Guyanese sports and I would like to make a plea that those who are doing it to stop because you can damage her confidence,” Yassin said.
Meanwhile, measures will be in place for the athletes once they arrive and settle to be afforded a chance to train, especially the track athletes in an effort to acclimatize to the weather and the track in London.
Chef de Mission Dr. Karen Pilgrim will arrive one day earlier to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place for when the team arrives.
Along with Dr. Pilgrim, President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Colin Boyce, George’s Coach Lyndon Wilson, Pompey’s Coach Joseph Ryan will be a part of the Track and Field team as officials.
Shawn Bask will accompany the swimmers while Geoffrey Sankies will be present as the judoka’s manager.
