Dear Editor,
The 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro is now over, and each participating country would be doing analysis of their performance.
The big question is why after sixteen games we have only been able to secure a single bronze medal, and that was way back in the 1980, Moscow Games. I am of the view that James Wrem Gilkes, our world class sprinter at the time, would have had a podium finish in both his races but the politics of the world at the time caused our country to boycott the Olympics. It must be noted that Gilkes was doing exceptionally well immediately before the Olympics Games of 1976 in Canada. The 200 meters was won by Don Quarrie of Jamaica and the 100 metres by Hasley Crawford of Trinidad and Tobago, both of whom used to run second to Gilkes sometimes.
Is our government not doing enough? Are the people not doing enough? Are the administrations of the various regions partly to be blamed, or the various sports federations or associations lacking?
The Guyana Cricket Board has been doing a good job, but cricket is not an Olym-pic sport. Had it been Guyana would have been very, very competitive and perhaps finished on the podium.
I am in a position to say a mouthful on outposts in Region Two Pomeroon/ Supenaam. I am not sure if there is a lawn tennis court in this region or a good basketball court. So you would find that not many people would know who Serena Williams and Roger Federer are, or who Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are and try to imitate them.
Most people would know who Floyd Mayweather is, yes, but is there a reasonably good boxing gym in the Region with a good coach?
Yes, the people know who Chris Gayle and Virat Kholi are, and our youngsters would of course use them as role models. I remember I had always wanted to be a Garfield Sobers.
Not so long ago former President Bharrat Jagdeo went to various communities and made substantial donations for the development of football, and Region Two was not excluded, but after so many years no player based in this region plays for the national team.
Sports development has to start in the communities, then to the regional level and to the national level. The Neighbourhood Democratic Council owns and controls most of the playgrounds in Region Two. If you should ask that body what has been budgeted for the maintenance and development of those playgrounds, you would see how inadequate that amount is, and the same can be said about other regions also, so where are these role models going to come from?
In business, we have a lot of role models like Toolsie Persaud, Yesu Persaud, Clifford Reis, Brian Tiwarie, Nazir Mohamed, Sattaur Gafoor and many others, but in sport I would be hard pressed to name any of international standard. The performance of the Jamaicans on the international stage even before this current set of athletes headed by Usain Bolt and Elaine Thompson must serve as an inspiration for Guyana, and as one commentator correctly stated, Jamaica has a sprinters’ factory. I would be correct to say that Guyana has not started the construction of such a factory, a statement I am not happy to make.
Yours faithfully,
Archie Cordis
