RUGBY history will be made in a few short weeks with the momentous undertaking of the Government of Guyana, the Guyana Olympic Association and the Guyana Rugby Football Union that is hosting of the Central American and Caribbean Rugby Sevens Games and the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association’s Male and Female Sevens Championship in the span of six days.
Yesterday Banks DIH, by extension of their Coca Cola brand name, officially made it known that they are a major sponsor of the events to transpire between July 24 and 30.
Banks DIH will play the part of supplying all of the meals i.e. food, beverages and ice to the visiting teams. This undertaking was recognised as quite an enormous contribution by the company.
During yesterday’s press briefing which was held in the Banks DIH boardroom at Thirst Park, president of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Christopher Nascimento highlighted a few of the milestones that not only the GRFU but Guyana will accomplish due to the sponsorship of Banks DIH and other major benefactors who are rendering their resources with the aim of successfully hosting the three major events.
According the Nascimento this will be the first time that competitive rugby will be played at the Guyana National Stadium; it will be the first time that the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO) will be hosting games in a Caribbean country and it is also the first time that rugby will be contested at an Olympic event since its induction as an official Olympic sport.
The GRFU president also acknowledged the fact that the men’s team will be able to make their fifth Caribbean title defence and the female team their Caribbean fourth title defence before their home crowd.
“It is enormously exciting that the men who won the Caribbean Championship for four successive years without losing a game in those four years will have the opportunity to win the CAC title and defend the Caribbean championship in front of Guyanese spectators and the women will also defend their title against the best teams in the world,” Nascimento said.
But most importantly he noted that Banks DIH also plays a part in offsetting the incurred expense of hosting the three tournaments which is in the region of US$50 000.
The three tournaments which are the biggest thing to happen in the history of Guyanese Rugby has attracted 13 men’s teams and 6 women’s teams which when tallied a total of 300 players and officials who will be in competition at the events.
Carlton João who is the Sales and Marketing Representative at Banks DIH was present on behalf of his organisation and he stated that Banks DIH and Coca Cola are happy to be on board in such a significant way.
João related that after sitting in on a few meetings of the organising committee he realised that it was not an easy undertaking to host three tournaments of such a high magnitude in rapid succession but as with all forms of investment the pros and cons were weighed against each other in terms of the returns that would be accrued.
And it was seen as worthy of support as the level of rugby on the local scene will be elevated and the sport will be showcased at its best. The opportunity to showcase Guyana to the visiting contingents is also being presented as well as the opportunity for Banks DIH to showcase their new Coca-Cola Zero and Sprite Zero beverages.
He also urged the members of the public to come out in support so as to add to the success of the tournament.