The Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) launched its nursery programme under the National Sports Academy initiative yesterday at the National Track and Field Centre and Minister of Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., stated that sports locally “needs to aggressively transform” during his keynote address.
Ramson Jr., also underscored the importance of the development process being intensified at the nursery level since it paves the way for structured growth and spotting of talent.
Track and Field is one of the 12 core sports identified by the Ministry and the National Sports Commission (NSC) to benefit from the National Sports Academy Programme, the brainchild of Ramson Jr.
Said the Minister yesterday, “Sport needs to aggressively transform because we have a lot of talent in the country. It has the potential for taking young people to the level of being internationally competitive.”
He added, “But without having this vehicle that will streamline the talent, provide the support and platform to take you to that level of being able to compete with the international athletes, we’re never going to have this structured environment that creates that pool of talent from which we can choose.”
The Sports Academy is built on three pillars- Nursery, Tournaments and Elite Training.
Ramson Jr., emphasized the need for coaches to up their game, as there is a scientific approach to sporting success in the modern era, in contrast to the past when talent alone would suffice.
“We recognise that we have the talent, but to translate that and capitalise it to the form where it becomes internationally recognised and competitive, this is the vehicle that is going to take us there, and this in itself requires that commitment from every stakeholder,” Ramson Jr., said.
Meanwhile, President of the AAG, Aubrey Hutson, praises the government for spearheading the effort to stimulate growth and development through the National Sports Academy Programme and congratulated the first batch of youngsters who have been drafted in the nursery.
“While we are working out further details and our execution of our plan, we must start, and start we are doing today. And I’m happy today that we have almost all our coaches present,” Hutson said.
The core sports currently identified by the Ministry are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Squash, Table Tennis, Rugby, Volleyball, Swimming, Football, Squash and Lawn Tennis.
