SPEAKING at the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) meeting of the Americas and Caribbean and addressing a room full of sports enthusiasts, some of whom are serving members of their respective governments, Acting President Moses Nagamootoo, yesterday challenged the gathering to use the Commonwealth Games and the Federation to help rebuild the hurricane-devastated region.

The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) facilitated a two-day meeting where a number of important issues, regarding the Caribbean and the Americas involvement in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the 2022 edition, were discussed.

Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria wreaked havoc on the Caribbean, forcing a number of residents to evacuate, and those who weren’t affected, to lend a hand to help rebuild.

Nagamootoo heads a Ministerial Task Force that is responsible for overseeing the Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC) National Risk Reduction Platform efforts, in Guyana’s bid to support the hurricane-affected Caribbean countries.

According to the Prime Minister, who is currently performing the duties as President in the absence of President David Granger, sports should be seen and used as more than just a tool to bring glory to one’s country, but also to highlight the world’s issues, whatever they might be.

“We all feel an elevation of the spirit and we all feel that we are triumphant because sports represent for me, the human value that rises above difficulties and challenge,” Nagamootoo said.

He added “we have a responsibility to use sports to help to rebuild, to meet the many challenges, the policies and strategies that Governments cannot remedy successfully.

“Drug abuse, the crime epidemic, particularly among young people…and sports we count on, to deal with these social scorches, and every time you plan a Commonwealth Games, and you mobilise in all our countries, it would help to bring young people into the centre of the pitch” the Acting President highlighted.

Nagamootoo drew attention to a 1963 Cricket memoir, of Cyril Lionel Robert James – `Beyond a Boundary’ – to emphasise a point that Sports can be used to bring more than just the joy of winning to someone.

CLR James described his memoir as “neither cricket reminiscences nor autobiography”, as mixed social commentary, particularly on the place of cricket in the West Indies and England, with commentary on the game, and argued that what happened inside the “Boundary Line” in cricket affected life beyond it.

“Back in those days we have people like Sir Learie Constantine in cricket; they not only came out from the boundaries to the middle of the pitch, but they went out to the middle of Lord’s, in the Empire, where they played at Lord’s against our masters and won.
Sports represented what Politics couldn’t do for us; becoming a people who felt that we had power beyond any consciousness that we thought we had,” Nagamootoo stated.

Meanwhile, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Louise Martin, in her address, also spoke of the ravaged Caribbean states, and added that she’s confident of region rebuilding and the Federation’s interest to help in whatever regard.