MANAGING Director of Lifetime Realty, Alfred Mentore, in a simple ceremony conducted at the entity’s head office on North Road, maintained his support for the President’s/Jefford Track and Field Classic after pledging an undisclosed sum to co-organiser of the event Edison Jefford yesterday.
Mentore, a former national youth cricketer and an outstanding golfer and sports enthusiast has been on board from the Classic’s inception.
According to him, the principal motive for his assistance is the fact that it provides the opportunity for the young athletes to showcase their talent, while at the same time aiding in the development of the sport.
The easy going realtor, who is known also for his charitable endeavours, said he was indeed happy to be part of the event and promised his continued support in the future.
The current president of the Demerara Cricket Club, Alfred challenged the business community to do more for the development of sports and the facilities that serve athletes. He even took the time to make mention of an upcoming project that the club has undertaken.
“I would like to take this opportunity to solicit the support of the business community for the coming magazine that the club has embarked on as part of its 100th Anniversary which we will be celebrating soon.
Their support is critical for the viability of the project whose proceeds will go towards the infrastructural improvement of the club that provided the foundation for the careers of great West Indian cricketers such as Clive Lloyd, Lance Gibbs and Roy Fredericks, just to name a few,” said Mentore.
In his response, Jefford thanked the entity for its continued assistance and promised a Classic that will meet the high standards, to the pleasure of all who had a part to play in it, from the organisers to the athletes and onto the sponsors.
“I would like to extend thanks to Lifetime Realty and more directly Mr Mentore for seeing the need to provide another opportunity for our young athletes to get the necessary exposure that is critical for their individual development and the sport at large.”
The Classic will be staged on Sunday at the Mackenzie Sports Club and among the participants are Guyana’s middle distance star Marian Burnett who can expect strong competition from athletes who will be coming from Grenada, Suriname and Barbados.
Over 30 races are carded for the local athletes, who will be representing their clubs, with the aim of carting off the top prize of $500 000 for their club while the runner-up club will pocket $300 000 and third-place $100 000.
There will be gate prizes specifically intended to give back to the fans, especially those from the community, while the international races will have special prizes on offer for the top three finishers.
Among the top locals expected to participate in the Classic are: women’s 100 metres champion Alisha Fortune, Chavez Ageday, Stephan James, Tevin Garraway, Kevin Bayley, Elton Bollers, Jevina Straker, Juanita Hooper and Alika Morgan.
The mining town will look to the likes of Winston Caesar, Nathaniel Giddings, Bevon Noble and Parish Cadogan, to defend their home turf.