The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) in collaboration with the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) officially launched the second annual Goodwill/Caribbean Development Boxing championship yesterday at the Olympic House in Kingston.
The event which will run from November 26th-29th at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, is set to feature 16 countries battling in various divisions.
The nations that have already signalled their intention to participate are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, French Guiana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. The intended arrival date is November 25th while the departure date is programmed for November 30th.
President of the GBA Steve Ninvalle during a brief address said that event has been a catalyst for many other successful ventures in the Caribbean region, noting that the event can make Guyana proud as it provides the avenue for international exposure of local pugilists.
Ninvalle noted that a budget of six million dollars is approximated to successfully stage the championship and that the association will be targeting the public and private sector as well as the Government for assistance in making the event a reality.
He further said that the selection of a possible 15 member squad will occur following the conclusion of the national Open championships in the month of October, noting that a camp, one month in duration, will commence after the selection of the team.
According to Ninvalle, the event will be a resurgence of the sport as it will provide valuable exposure and competition ahead of the upcoming international meets. He declared that while the association was not able to execute several of its goals due to the lack of resources, they will continue to chart a path forward in the development of the discipline.
GOA Chief Karan Juman-Yassin said following the success of last year’s event, discussions were held and it was decided that the event should be built on by bringing in more Caribbean states and creating more opportunities for the local boxers to benefit.
Juman-Yassin said that his hope is for the local fighters to give a better account in this edition, declaring that more dedication and commitment are required from the local fighters as the administrators have been doing their best to create avenues for their development.
He added that the Guyana is yet to record success at the international meets despite the opportunities given to the local fighters, noting that more commitment is needed on both sides in order to push the sport forward.
According to Juman-Yassin, the GBA needs to craft a programme that can be used to identify boxers who have the talent to represent the country at the upcoming international assignments adding that he envisions the event to be another success which will help to develop the sport and the budding sport tourism sector.
