MILLIONS of dollars were invested in sending our Sport Personalities to the recent Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
However, reflecting on the performances leave most of us feeling dazed and empty. Sadly, it has become a norm for some of our Sports Administrators and Sports Personalities to exhibit their best performances when petitioning the Government to invest more money in their teams and officials travelling overseas.
As a result, we have people travelling across the globe as “Sports Administrators” and “Officials” while our athletes are woefully neglected.
Many of the same individuals (and their supporters) then seem to consider questioning the Government’s contribution to sports as their crutch to lean on when faced with questions about dismal performances.
It is imperative that all sports administrators in Guyana carefully and constructively assess themselves and each other. Prioritising spending on sending teams overseas should be done after a complete and unbiased continuous review analysis of the athletes’ readiness for the event in question.
Such analysis must be based on our athletes’ recent performances and the performances expected at the proposed competition. 
In order to make such analysis possible, all National Associations and Federations must compile databases to record and monitor their athletes’ development and performance. Persons with specific knowledge in their various disciplines must be given the opportunity to serve as Officials in their respective Associations and Federations.
The “travel syndrome” has run its course and has left our athletes devastated and unsure. It is time for us to focus on developing our athletes at home to a level where they can compete internationally, before we throw them into competition. It was heartbreaking for me to learn of our athletes’ recent performance at the Commonwealth Games. I could vividly imagine their feelings of disappointment and dejection. 
The display of support and praise for our athletes before they left for the Commonwealth Games was spectacular. However, raising the expectations of these young men and women, who were woefully unprepared for the challenges they were about to face, was absolutely cruel.
Nothing is more demoralising for a young athlete than a failure after he/she was convinced of an assured victory.
The time has come to focus on the mental and physical development of our athletes. We must ensure that they are given the best opportunity to develop into international competitors BEFORE we send them to compete at that level. 

Identification of our Sportsmen/Sportswomen

Our adolescents, particularly the very young are exposed to the various sports disciplines when at schools and very few parents with vested interest in their children’s development will take them to sport, specific clinics such as swimming, chess and table tennis.
Hence, it is the Government via school camps or religious organizations or conscious parents that expose our children to sports.
As they play they develop a positive attitude towards specific sports disciplines and as they become interested in the sport, they then join clubs and move on to specialize.  The natural talent and potential is then harnessed and developed by the school systems and clubs.
It is indeed appalling to know how often a young person is prevented from representing their country because of issues with travel documents.
Many of our “travel syndrome” officials, who already have their documents in order, wait until the ninth hour to contact the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the National Sports Commission for assistance in procuring the necessary documents for athletes.
The poor athletes then have to plead for assistance to get passports, various tax concessions and most times, money to travel.  It is most disgusting when the better athletes are not selected to travel overseas but because of nepotism the weaker athletes are being selected to go overseas.
These unscrupulous complaints are today a norm among young sportsmen and sportswomen lives. Complaints against this unscrupulous treatment have now become a norm among our young sportsmen and sportswomen.
Nineteenth Century and twentieth century practices must not be tolerated in the twenty first century.  The twenty first century has indeed been a success story for the development of sports in Guyana.
President Bharrat Jagdeo delivers on his promise and we received a State of the Art National Stadium at Providence.  The Guyana National Stadium at Providence must be recognised as Jagdeo’s greatest gift to the sporting fraternity in this country.  The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall has transformed from a Barn to a real National indoor sports facility.
The construction of the Olympic size Swimming Pool is yet another God Bless gift for our people.  The completion of the Racquet Centre at Woolford Avenue must be seen as genuine progress in the development of sports facilities in this country.  Systems are currently being put in place for the construction of a synthetic athletic track.
With prudent and sensible spending of the little that we have, several sport disciplines that were nonexistent in the most recent past are now developing rapidly and successfully.
Chess, volleyball and Swimming just to name a few sports discipline were not in existence in 1992.  Today, we have put appropriate systems in place for the positive development in sports.  Never before did this country develop and implement a football competition that attracted more than one hundred teams from one hundred schools.
Today, the street Football Competitions are taking new dimensions.  More than one hundred schools are also participating in the school cricket competition. As for the School Basketball, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Chess tournaments we must commend the synergies between the National Sports Commission and the National Associations.
Sports Administrators must take cognisance of the fact that we need to produce medals and win tournaments so that we can win the hearts of our sponsors and people.
Gone are the days when we must tolerate coaches and officials who are parasitic and are looking for trips.  Coaches and Officials must be fully trained and able to carry out their function with fair-play and integrity as their hallmark.
Sports Associations must develop programmes to improve the status of our coaches and officials. Sports have become an essential part of the development of our youths and thus our country. It is therefore imperative that our Sports Administrators and Officials rise to the challenge of ensuring that our athletes are allowed to attain their full potential and win success and pride for themselves and our country. Sport is a must today and Guyanese must rise to the occasion and win medals, keep the golden Arrowhead flying high and our people fully satisfied.