THE first leg of the 43rd Inter-Guiana Games was indeed a tremendous success.  Young Sportsmen and Sportswomen competed keenly for supremacy in Athletics, Swimming, Football, Chess and in a specially organissd Mathematical competition.  The powerful French Government graced the Games by sending Madam Minister of Overseas Department Marie Luce Penchard to the Games.
Also in attendance was Surinamese Minister of Education and Community Development Mr. E. Wolf.  The Minister Marie Luce Penchard welcomed the Foreign Athletes and lauded the youths for their discipline and keen rivalry.  The French Government also sent their International Student Master to attend the Games in an effort to make the Games bigger and better in the future.
Never before had we witnessed such a keen contest. The football matches were tough and gruelling. Guyana played well in their opening match against French Guiana.  However, in the second quarter a tough penalty was given by the Suriname Referee and as a consequence French Guiana scored a fortunate and lucky goal.
The young Guyanese team was certainly demoralised by the highly questionable penalty and went down to French Guiana 3-0. Against Suriname, Guyana played fair and in the first few seconds Suriname scored a hurried goal with a beautiful headshot. Guyana continued to play superb football. However, they went down 2-1.
The very young Guyanese swimmers thrilled the crowd while our best swimmers were in Colombia at an International Competition. The very young Guyanese swimmers at a mere age of 13 years and 14 years had to compete with some 18 and 19 years old youths from Suriname and French Guiana.
Some of our young swimmers swam for the first time in a 50m Olympic-size swimming pool.
The exposure of our swimmers to International competitions and an Olympic-size pool must be great for them as they will only be able to improve and do better with more time and exposure.
The Chess competition was of a very high standard. Guyana Chess Federation must be complimented; for the National Association was only resuscitated in 2008 and we are already competing internationally.
Guyana were the defending champions in Male and Female Athletics.  However, the Guyana girls lost to Suriname as the Surinamese took their best athletes to the Games with the intention to win at all cost.  The Guyanese boys were just good.  In the last athletics event in the Games, the boys’ 4×400 relay team thrilled the massive crowd at the Stade De Baduel Stadium as they humbled their opponents to win the event and take gold. 
French Guiana took the Games very seriously and the fact that they set up ten standing committees to organise the Games was most commendable. Security, Transportation, Medical, Accommodation and the Technical and Operational Committees excelled to guarantee the success of the Games.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, had uged the Guyanese delegation to be good Ambassadors. The Management Team that took the Guyanese team must be highly commended for they did an excellent job.
Guyana had to travel through the rough and long terrain to and from French Guiana.  While the adventure was educational it was also a pleasure and it gave the Guyanese an opportunity to look at the beautiful landscape of three beautiful countries.

WAKE-UP CALL
The Athletics Association of Guyana must develop a five-year strategic developmental plan for our athletes. The association must produce a Database with all the relevant data for our athletes.  Further, thorough training programme must be prepared and implemented.
Some of our athletes have the potential and the talent. However, they are not getting the correct and vital attention more so the basics and necessary things that a young athletes needs. 
Sport Officials, Manager, Coaches, Team Leaders must be better trained and be people with high morals.
The leadership in sports associations/federations must be people with integrity. Sometimes we are seeing presidents and secretaries and other executive members being booted-out from their executive positions unceremoniously.
Sport is a serious and valuable business.  Sport’s greatest asset is the individual and the team. While winning is always an objective, the means to win must be fair-play.  It is foul-play that will only come with iron discipline on and off the playing area.   Sport is attracting people of all walks of life.
Guyanese who are living in French Guiana came out in large numbers and rallied massively behind their fellow Guyanese.
The Guyanese athletes and officials were treated with home food as the curried chicken and the cook-up were indeed Guyanese.  The emotional outburst of support for the Guyanese athletes was tremendous.
Guyana must continue to set high standards when we organise and participate in the Inter-Guiana Games.
The Brazil, Suriname and French Guiana leaders were all loud in their praise for the discipline of Guyana’s delegation.  Hats off to our athletes and the Management team!