MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad, has extended his ministry’s support and best wishes to the National Men’s Rugby Sevens team for their upcoming Commonwealth Games participation in New Delhi, India.
The minister hosted a simple luncheon yesterday for the team and officials, in his ministry’s boardroom on South Road, Georgetown.
Guyana qualified to represent the Caribbean at the Commonwealth Games Sevens Rugby from October 3 to 14, 2010.
Minister Prashad said it is important for tourism that persons representing Guyana to be good ambassadors of their country, and promote their country.
He admitted that while many have not been giving the kind of attention to rugby as it deserves, persons like Mr Nascimento and Director of Sevens, Mr. Mike Mc Cormack, have been working in the background for many years to build a strong rugby team.
Noting that the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) is probably the oldest in the Caribbean, he said a lot of work and dedication have been put into it making it a highly disciplined game with good leaders at the helm of its success.
He assured the team that like the Guyana Amazon Conquerors’ participation in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South America, Guyanese will be rallying for them and will be following the games.
He noted that the team has done well and rugby is now being catapulted into the limelight and his ministry is very happy that the team will be representing Guyana and the Caribbean as a whole, and urged the Guyana team to make their country and the region proud. 
GRFU president Kit Nascimento thanked the ministry for its support and assured the minister that the members of the team must regard themselves as ambassadors for Guyana with a special responsibility of promoting Guyana as a tourist destination.
Government last Wednesday handed over G$5M promised to the GRFU to aid the National Men’s Sevens Team’s preparation ahead of the Commonwealth Games. 
His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo had met with GRFU president and members of the team last week at the Office of the President where he pledged financial support to the team.