– swimmers leave for Suriname today

THE Guyana swimming team which departs today for the Goodwill Swim Meet in Suriname was yesterday given a warm send off by Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, who took the time to congratulate the junior athletes on the developments that swimming, in Guyana, has made over the past few years.

The Guyana contingent, which includes some 29 swimmers, gathered in the boardroom of the National Sports Commission office on Middle Street yesterday, as Kumar bade the swimmers to be good ambassadors and reminded the swimmers of how far swimming in Guyana has come, while emphasising how far it still has to go.

“Swimming has become more competitive more recently, and when I see how good you are, how competitive you’ve become I feel very good, I want to congratulate you. Even still swimming must come better,” Kumar said.

Kumar gave a brief history of how far the fraternity has come and the kind of development that has occurred over the years, since he took over as Director of Sport many years ago.

Citing Guyana’s most recent performance at the Inter-Guiana Games, where the Guyana team took on teams from Suriname and French Guiana, Kumar noted how happy he is that though Guyana still brought third at the regional event the lost is not as steep as in past occasions.

“I was really heartened about [Guyana’s performance at the IGG because before we used to get ten points and eight points [against] 200 and 300 points, but thanks to the coaches, [who] are doing a wonderful job, we have been able to close that gap with French Guiana and Suriname, the gap is very closer.” Kumar recollected.

Guyana had finished third with 146 points at the IGG, which concluded two Sundays ago, when it was held here in Guyana. Guyana finished behind French Guiana which concluded with 200 points, Suriname topped with 208 points. Additionally, Guyana ended with 16 medals, which included four gold.

Kumar also noted, the Sports Commission and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will do all that they can to assist the development of swimming in Guyana. The Sports Commission will be assisting the team with transportation, providing the buses that will transport the team.

At the Goodwill Swim Meet, which begins tomorrow, Guyana will once again come up against swimmers from Suriname, in addition to swimmers from Barbados and Trinidad.

Each country is allowed a maximum of 40 swimmers to participate at the event and over the years Guyana has always struggled to meet this number, while the other countries continue to field concentrated teams.

The Guyana team had been in training since earlier this year and is expected to at least churn out improved timings. The team has been training under the watchful eyes of Cuban coach Isabel Couso Fals, and assistant coaches Paul Mahaica, and Jamie Skeete, all of whom will be travelling alongside the team.
Fals will also act in the capacity of female chaperone for the team along with Shaka Noel. The other officials travelling with the team are team manager Leon Seaton, and assistant Shefetah Tzedeq.

(By Tamica Garnett)