LONG-standing  Director of Sport Neil Kumar yesterday said that preparations for the staging of the first leg of the 2010 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) which is set for French Guiana at month end, are well on stream. Guyana will join the host country (French Guiana) to compete in the disciplines of football, swimming and athletics.

Last year, Guyana hosted the first leg which saw Suriname winning both male and female swimming and football while the locals made a clean sweep of the track and field championships.

The second leg of the games was then held in the Dutch-speaking country and Suriname won the overall title after sealing the cycling, basketball (male) and volleyballs championships.

Speaking with Chronicle, Sport Kumar said that he recently returned from the French colony where the sports directors met and ironed out any issues relating to the games and also finalised the arrangements for the school age games.

“We had the final preparation meeting in French Guiana; we are very satisfied with the arrangements we have in place, and the Guyana team will be at Amazonia Hotel. We have finalised everything at this end and we are now in the process of getting the passports so we could apply for the visas for the athletes to travel,” said Kumar.

Last year also marked the first time that Guyana fielded a female football team to participate in the event and the results were not so heartening.

Guyana’s representatives all came from Berbice and they were soundly whipped by Suriname and French Guiana but this time around, Kumar is hoping that since they have a more composed team, the outcome would be different.

“I hope we could do well, actually it’s my sincere feeling that we can do well, in the female football. I haven’t had a look at them closely, we having a combination. We have players from Berbice and Georgetown and Linden. Athletics had their trials, swimming had their trials, I think we are prepared and we will do well”

The last time a leg of the tri-nation goodwill event was held in French Guiana was 2007 but Guyana did not attend because of the hosting of Cricket World Cup.

That year, Guyana hosted the last leg in basketball, volleyball and cycling. In 2008, the first stage was held in Suriname and the return leg in French Guiana but unrest in the country caused a cancellation of the event.

The large contingent of athletes and officials will depart Guyana on March 24 for the French-speaking country but will overnight in Suriname before heading to French Guiana where the games will run from March 26 to 28.