SOME of Guyana’s top athletes will match their strides with the rest of the world tomorrow, when the fourth annual Aliann Pompey Invitational is held at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, from 15:00hrs.

Athletes from over 20 countries will converge on the country’s lone synthetic track to compete in the country’s most lucrative track and field meet and yesterday several sponsors expressed their delight at being able to support the event, which is the brainchild of former two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and Olympian Aliann Pompey.

“We have Aliyah Abrams, Travis Collins, Emmanuel Archibald, Winston George and a few others who are ranked in the top 50 in the world; so it would be remiss if I don’t mention that we have a lot of Guyanese competing this year and that’s because we are that good,” Pompey said during a press conference yesterday, which was hosted at the National Racquet Centre in Georgetown.

“The Guyanese athletes have come a long way; for years I’ve been at the Olympic Games where it was just me; and that’s not the case now. We have a great group of athletes,” the 2002 Commonwealth Games 400m gold medallist explained.

President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hutson pointed out just how important the AP Invitational is to local track and field athletes.

He said, “The AAG is honoured to partner with Aliann in this venture because it speaks of the growth of track and field in Guyana and we’re going to ensure when the athletes go out on the track that day that the results are authentic, that the meet runs on time and all the other technical aspects are held to the highest possible standard because all the results from this meet are going to be honoured by the IAAF.”

Meanwhile, Banks DIH, who has supported the AP Invitational from its inception, through their communications manager Troy Peters, said that the company, which has a long history of supporting sports and its development in Guyana, was more than happy to continue their unwavering sustenance for the meet.

Peters, a former well-known reputable sports journalist and sports administrator, said his company “anxiously awaits tomorrow’s event, I was there last year and I can’t wait to get back there because we’ve seen an event that has grown; every year it’s getting better.

We’re seeing some top athletes trying to be a part of the event and we’re quite happy that Aliann has seen it fir to return home to organise such an event.”

Meanwhile, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, said the Government of Guyana recognises the importance of the AP Invitational and will continue to support the meet.

“We recognise that once we continue to lend support to these events, a few years from now the Aliann Pompey Invitational will be the meet that happens in Guyana, that persons regionally and internationally will come to compete and be part of. It is part of our commitment to provide an environment in which our athletes have opportunities to compete,” Jones said.

Persons are being encouraged to take advantage of the 50% discount on tickets, since at the gate tomorrow, patrons will have to pay $1 000. Tickets are available at the AAG’s Light Street office.