… Eight-man contingent for French Guiana’s Creole tournament

PRESIDENT of the Guyana Boxing Association GBA), Steve Ninvalle, expressed satisfaction with the overall results of the just concluded Inaugural Caribbean Schoolboys/juniors championships held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on April 29 and 30.In an invited comment via telephone, Ninvalle said the tournament was a success both administratively and re the vision GBA has for the development of the sport in the Caribbean Region.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport also informed that come next month, an eight-member team will travel to French Guiana (Cayenne)to participate in a Creole tournament from June 29 to July 3 and French-speaking Caribbean countries will be a part of the tournament.
Ninvalle, a former sports journalist said he expects the Schoolboys and Juniors tournament which was inaugurated last week here in Guyana will be an annual event and, hopefully, Guyana will host the tournament once again next year.
“We achieved what we had hoped to accomplish in every sphere,” Ninvalle revealed, adding “One major accomplishment was we started the longest journey which started with one step by starting a Schoolboys and Junior tournament for boxers in the Caribbean.”
Ninvalle revealed that the GBA will be writing the America Boxing Federation to make the tournament an annual one as the GBA’s main focus is on the development of Guyana and by extension, the region’s youths in the fistic sport.
According to Ninvalle, the tournament was well received by the administrators from the other participating countries – St Lucia and Jamaica, and he expects other countries from around the region to come on board for next year’s tournament.
He said from reports he received, from his Caribbean counterparts, the tournament went well and was well organised and the whole idea of giving young boxers foreign competition was the main goal.
The Creole tournament billed for French Guiana next month-end is expected to attract boxers from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica and St Lucia among other countries.
Asked how Guyana was invited to be a part of the tournament when it is one for French-speaking Caribbean countries and Guyana’s main language is English, Ninvalle said, “We were invited in light of being the vanguard for the development of schoolboys and junior boxers in the Caribbean. He noted that when Guyana hosted the Caribbean Championships last year, that tournament attracted the participation of 13 Caribbean countries and thus, the French Guianese boxing administrators thought it fit to have Guyanese boxers at the schoolboys and junior levels be a part of the event.
According to Ninvalle, the Guyanese will travel to French Guiana overland and it is expected that St Lucia as well as Guadeloupe will be here to join the local contingent and travel overland as it is more cost-effective than travelling from their homelands to French Guiana by air.
Meanwhile, the GBA president would like to thank Demerara Distillers Limited for its support to amateur boxing over the past five consecutive years as well as COURTS Guy. Inc., DelMur Shipping, Dr Shawn Legall, the National Sports Commission, Ministry of Education and president of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, Peter Abdool, for their unwavering support.