The Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) has been criticized once again by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) for potentially putting their athletes in jeopardy of missing another international event.
According to a press release from the GOA, the Track and Field team’s participation at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador and Dominican Republic from June 23 – July 8 “is in limbo due to the submission of an incomplete and inadequate Long List [of] biographical information of athletes and non-submission of officials by the AAG.
This information is necessary to allow the accreditation of their submitted list of athletes and officials into the CAC games accreditation system within the deadline outlined by the organizing committee.” “Despite repeated formal requests and extensions of deadlines to the AAG for the provision of data on the named athletes based on the organizing committee of the CAC games requirements, the AAG has failed to comply, stated the release.
The release comes on the heels of the aftermath of CARIFTA Games where the AAG, headed by Aubrey Hutson came under fire for mismanagement of the outfit which arrived in the Bahamas after the commencement of the annual fixture.
It was further explained that the CAC organisers indicated that due to the short timeframe before the games, there would be no extension of deadlines for submissions of athletes’ and officials’ long list information since they are battling logistical issues.
“The GOA is still exploring ways to seek compliance from the AAG, in view of ensuring members of Guyana’s athletics team participate at the prestigious games”, the release added.
Efforts to contact Hutson on his mobile yesterday proved futile. Meanwhile, the release also stated that nine sports disciplines have qualified to represent Guyana at the multi-sport Olympic cycle event that will see 37 nations from the CAC region competing in over 54 sporting disciplines. Guyana is slated to see representation in Boxing, Squash, Badminton, Swimming, Table Tennis, Archery, 3×3 Basketball, Hockey, and Track and Field.
The newly-elected executive committee of the GOA has confirmed that experienced sports administrator Dr. Karen Pilgrim will serve as Guyana’s Chef de Mission. The disciplines of squash, badminton, and table tennis have all qualified their male and female teams while basketball qualified their female 3×3 team.
Hockey, which will be played in the Dominican Republic, has qualified their male team.
In contrast, boxing has qualified on the basis of its elite boxers’ rankings and performance in regional competitions.
With the qualification positions of the respective disciplines being outlined, the Guyana Olympic Association is currently working with the respective national federations to ensure that all the coordination elements are aligned for Guyana’s successful participation at the 2023 edition of the games.
The final names and compositions of the respective sports disciplines will be revealed on finalization of their respective teams.
