… promises velodrome and warm up pool at NSC 2011 Awards ceremony
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar last night challenged the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) and National Sports Commission (NSC) to erect a Hall of Fame, in recognition of those outstanding sportsmen and women of Guyana. Delivering the feature address at the MCYS/NSC 2011 Sports Award presentation ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre last night, President Ramotar also promised to have a cycling velodrome constructed so that our cyclists would cease to battle for supremacy on the carriageways of Guyana.
The President further told his audience which included Dr Ian McDonald, former Guyana and West Indies skipper and Chairman of the Interim Management Committee of Guyana’s cricket Clive Lloyd and Retired Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard that the request by the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association to have a warm-up pool will be honoured by his Government.
Alluding to the proper administration of sports in Guyana, President Ramotar said, “While it is not my administration’s wish to meddle into the affairs of sporting bodies, we must insist on greater accountability and democracy within the sporting associations.
“These organisations are important to the substance of our athletes and without good associations our athletes would face daunting challenges in achieving their goals. Sports, as a whole, would suffer also and when these disagreements lead to stagnation, when our athletes and sportspersons are affected and stakeholders have no recourse to remedy, the Government is duty bound to act in the interest of all.”
Also delivering remarks were Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony, while Director of Sport within the NSC, Neil Kumar, delivered a report on the activities undertaken by the NSC during 2011, which he described as a hectic year.
Apart from the presentation to the selected individuals, in which 10-year-old Priyanna Ramdhani set a record by being the youngest recipient of an award when she copped the Junior Sportswoman title, sports officers from within the 10 administrative regions were also recognised.
More on President Ramotar’s speech and the remarks made by Dr Anthony and Kumar in tomorrow’s edition of Chronicle Sport.