THE FIRST leg of the 2015 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) set for Guyana early next month has been cancelled. Director of Sport Christopher Jones made the disclosure early yesterday morning after receiving correspondence, firstly from the Suriname Embassy and subsequently through the representative from Suriname, Wilfred Gallant. According to Jones, this is due to a recent election in the Dutch-speaking country which meant that the Suriname contingent cannot participate and according to the IGG Protocol, once one team pulls out, the event should be cancelled.
“This is essentially due to elections which were held in Suriname just after Guyana’s. At our communication level as of last week Wednesday, Suriname had not named a Minister of Education, who has the responsibility for Sport and as such, they were unable to confirm previous arrangements that were made with the previous administration.”
As it relates to the athletes who were encamped ahead of the first leg, Jones says that their training and work will not be in vain as the NSC has planned an action-packed event.
“What we will do at the level of the National Sport Commission (NSC), we will host our own special two days of games, in which our various disciplines will compete among themselves and of course, prizes and so forth will be awarded, so as to cushion the effects of not being able to participate in the actual games with their counterparts Suriname and French Guiana.”
Jones noted that the dates, however, have not been finalised as yet but it is more than likely that it will happen between the original scheduled IGG dates, August 6-10.

IGG Protocol Review
Nevertheless, the Sport Director indicated that the future of the IGG remains intact for the three member-associations.
“Suriname has made a request via French Guiana to have the three Directors of Sport for Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, meet very early in August so that we can re-look at the Protocol and make some necessary changes where we see and deem fit. We are scheduled to meet during August 13-14 in Suriname.”
He informed the media that after this meeting then the viability of the second leg of the 2015 IGG will be determined.
The NSC director also indicated that Guyana is more than happy to review the Protocol for the games, adding that under the current document, Guyana often drew the short straw.
“There are certain aspects of the Protocol that puts Guyana at a disadvantage. For example there’s an aspect that speaks to participants being school-aged children being 19 and under and as you would know, Guyana’s academic year ends at 17-18 years old. Suriname and French Guyana would be at an advantage because their athletes would be much older. That aspect of the Protocol I would want to see changed to accommodate our athletes that are currently in school.
The first leg of the games would have seen basketball, volleyball, table tennis, chess and badminton being contested. (Stephan Sookram)