… More events, incentives among recommendations

FORMER National and Guyana Defence Force (GDF) athlete Victor Benjamin is of the view that local athletics must undergo major transformation if the sport is to return to the state that it was when he competed.
A medallist numerous times over both locally and on the regional scale, Benjamin, who now resides in the United States but returns home frequently, believes that paramount to the resurgence of the sport is the vibrancy of the local body, the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG).

Speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Benjamin contended that “when we look at the Junior CARIFTA level, Guyana produces raw talent; kids with talent, raw talent. But when they come back to this country, there is not a good programme set up”.
He advocated for more local meets and meets that feature international competition, adding that the general feel of the current state of play is that there are not events locally.
And while the AAG has been doing work locally, the current administration needs to place more emphasis on the school system, noting that during his stint on track, persons were constantly training for events.

“I think with all of these, Guyana would be able to grow; the athletes would be able to grow, they’d get a chance to run and this they are looking forward to,” he added.
Not only a decorated former athlete at both middle distance track as well as field events, Benjamin, who also captained the Army’s cricket team, believes too that the government should also take heed of this notice.

“When Governments don’t pay much interest in sports and culture, there will always be this low production from athletes. Their keenness, they all lose it.”
He is also of the view that the system requires more qualified coaches, adding, “As you know, a great selection and recruitment scheme is quintessential to the growth of sport in Guyana ….”
He has offered his expertise as a qualified sport medicine resource person and as someone, who has done sport management courses in England, Mexico and the Caribbean, to the government of Guyana.