THE Ministry of Education (MoE), through its Chief Education Officer Olato Sam is promising better National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships in the future.The announcement was made at the Ministry’s Lot 26 Brickdam Boardroom yesterday at a press briefing to update the media on preparations for this year’s event.
‘At the end of this year’s event we will all sit down and craft for ourselves a plan going forward as to how we can make it even better, so I can promise the national public that we will have significant changes to what they are currently accustomed to at the end of this cycle.’
Mr Sam said a “ground-up” approach would be used to bring about “some variation” in the way the championships are organised and run.
He said stakeholders are going to examine a possible shift in the dates for the staging of the championships, that is, the lead-up, the structure of related events and the ministry’s relationship with corporate Guyana and the Athletics Association of Guyana.
“This has to be in my view, more of a broad-based kind of engagement that can see us really seriously grooming our athletes from the most fundamental stages right through, so that Guyana now can take its rightful place with our Caribbean neighbours in having top quality athletes representing this nation at the highest level.”
No time frame has yet been set for this meeting, but Mr Sam thinks it appropriate to hold such a discussion right on the heels of this year’s championships when a lot of the related events of this year’s event are still fresh in the minds of those involved.
That aside, this mecca for this year’s athletics and cycling championships is the Camp Ayanganna ground. This will be the first time the Schools Championships will be staged at the Army facility.
The Guyana National Stadium out at Providence is hosting cricket.
Tuesday, the Swimming event will be staged at the Liliendaal facility. The traditional 40km cycle road race and the 10km male and female road races will also be staged on the morning of November 18.
The official opening ceremony for the 54th annual event will be held at 09:00hrs on Wednesday at Camp Ayanganna. Athletics will definitely be held on the track, but if there’s rain, cycling events will be switched to the National Park, according to the organisers.
The Guyana Teachers Union president is Mark Lyte. He said works are being done at the schools that will act as dorms for the athletes from the outlying districts. He said rehabilitation works are some 60 percent complete and expects all major areas to be done by this weekend.
Some 15 districts are competing. They will arrive in the capital city on Monday 17th.
Both Sam and Lyte are encouraging everyone to come out and support the athletes when the championships begin on Tuesday.
They are also hoping the high level of competitiveness will continue.
Along with the GTU and MoE, Banks DIH – with Malta Supreme and its Aqua Mist water brand and Demerara Distillers Limited’s Gatorade will ‘re-hydrate, replenish and refuel’ athletes throughout the championships.
Gifltland OfficeMax and COURTS are also sponsors of the event.

(By Leeron Brumell)