IT was and still is a great surprise to the Guyanese sports fraternity that among the National Awardees announced on the eve of the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary, there was not one Sportsman or Sportswoman mentioned.It would be quite interesting to know the composition of the team that was tasked with selecting these awardees and how independently it operated. It is very unimaginable to think that the team had been instructed not to include sports in the list, but as the roll call was made to the nation, it became crystal clear that sports was not recognised in the National Awards for 2016.
I was startled, to say the least. Could it be that the team charged with the responsibility of naming the awardees lacked the knowledge of the importance of sports in nation-building? This and many more questions are being asked with regard to the lack of respect for the contributions of athletes and sport disciplines, which leaves one to believe that sports is seemingly on a continued path of suppression and depletion.
Three names come to mind, immediately, that could have made that honours roll list, based on their invaluable contributions and successes which brought joy and pride to the nation.
World Cup champion Shemaine Campbelle has been flying the Golden Arrowhead successfully for years in regional and international women’s cricket. Her more senior, Gwendolyn “The Stealth Bomber” O’Neil has also been doing likewise in the world of Boxing and currently is the holder of five World Titles. The evergreen Carl Ince continues to nurture and hone squash talents, so that Guyana can sustain its dominance in the Region for more decades to come.
And yet there are three more names worthy of note: world-rated Squash player, Nicolette Fernandes; World Masters Cycling Champion Aubrey Gordon-Richmond; and the octogenarian table-tennis Hall of Famer, George Braithwaite who is still active competitively.
It has been whispered that the respective National Sport Associations were required to submit nominees to the Awards Selection Team (AST) in order to be considered for National Awards. According to a reliable source, ‘no association complied, hence the reason for Sports not being recognised in this year’s National Awards. If submitting names to the AST is chief among the criteria for a National Award, then there is need for constitutional reform.
This was no ordinary National Awards, this was the country’s Golden Jubilee and surely the achievements of Sports deserved to be recognized, since during those first 50 years of independence, the successes and triumphs of Sports would have given the nation recognition and respect and definitely play a significant part in nation-building.
To the many who recognise and respect Sports for its importance, if not pivotal, role in the building of a nation, I can relate to your firm view that the non-inclusion of Sports in this year’s National Awards was the low point of the Golden Jubilee celebrations.