43rd IGG begins today
GUYANA’S male football team and swimmers will be seeking to redeem themselves from today when the 43rd Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) begin in Cayenne, French Guiana. The Guyanese contingent arrived in the French-speaking country at 16:15 h (local time) 15:15 h (Guyana time) yesterday after two days of travelling and the fatigue was evident on their faces. Word coming out of the camp states that it would have been unfair to pressure the athletes to go through training, so, recovery sessions were done.
Looking at today’s competition which will commence after the lavish opening ceremony that is planned, the swimmers and footballers will certainly want to make up for their disappointing showing last year when the first leg was hosted in Guyana.
Guyana will be opening their campaign against the host nation (French Guiana), the same team that defeated them 2-0 at the GDF ground last year.
Under Coach Denis ‘Chow’ Hunte, Team Guyana finished last in the tri-nation tournament, losing both matches but according to coach, Joseph ‘Bill’ Wilson, who is now in charge of the team, they would not be looking back, but looking ahead to come out successful this year.
Bakewell Topp XX and Linden Technical Institute’s marksman Mortimer Ramdehol will wear the captain’s band. Wilson believes he is capable enough of reclaiming the football title from Suriname.
Leading their striking attack would be Sheldon Holder who plays for Pele and was the leading goalscorer for his club which won the recently concluded Under-20 tournament.
However the starting goalkeeper is still not known as Wilson said both Odel Allicock of Linden and Navardo Denny of Ann’s Grove Village on the East Coast of Dememerara are both highly favoured to go between the uprights and that would be known before the match.
Other notable players who should make the starting list are midfielder Jermaine Batson, Jason Welch and Amos Ramsay along with Fruta Conquerors midfielder Paul Bobb.
Meanwhile, from the field to the pool, Noelle Smith, one of the more experienced persons of the Guyana team will be the pick of coach Stephanie Fraser’s swimmers to bring back gold for Guyana.
Smith, along with Brittany van Lange, Athena Gaskin and Steffi De Nobrega, is among the handful of swimmers who are returning from last year’s female team that finished second behind Suriname.
Looking at the male team, Henk Lowe is probably the only swimmer with the experience of swimming in a 50-metre pool. That coach Fraser says would certainly have a mental effect on the local athletes.
Unlike the other participating countries, Guyana does not have a 50-metre pool and in 2008 when the first leg was hosted in Suriname, only Niall Roberts, Orlando McRae and Jamaal Sobers showed that maturity and mental fitness to go the distance without hindrance because of their exposure to international competition.
However, Roberts, who represented Guyana at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, is not a part of the line-up because of his commitment to the CARFITA games.
Suriname is the over-all champions of the Inter-Guiana Games which is played in two parts.
Tomorrow Guyana will go out to defend their track and field title.