GUYANA’s lone Olympic medalist Michael Parris will be honoured at a special ceremony in Russia for being Guyana’s lone medalist at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.According to a release from the Ministry of Sports, Guyanese has tremendous talent, but in some cases those persons are not recognised for their efforts.
One such person is former amateur boxing champion Michael Parris, who will be travelling to Moscow, Russia, where he will be honoured by the World Olympic Association and the Russian Olympic Committee for winning Guyana’s lone medal at the Moscow Games.
While in Russia, Parris will also attend the World Olympians Forum (WOF).
Minister within the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, Nicolette Henry met with Parris last Friday at her office and while there the minister recognised Parris’ accomplishment which dates back to 1980 when he won a bronze medal in the bantamweight category.
Minister Henry shared some of the plans for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations which will see a special feature on Guyana’s outstanding sports personalities.
They also discussed Parris’ participation as a role model and mentor to Guyana’s youth. In this regard, Minister Henry assured that she will be engaging him in the promotion of positive lifestyles. Earlier this year, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) honoured Parris by naming its nursery after him.
With regards to the WOF, Parris noted that assistance will be sought for those Guyanese Olympic veterans who are in need of support to improve their wellbeing.
The WOF which is scheduled for tomorrow to Thursday brings together 143 Olympic associations, Olympians, representatives of the International Olympic committee together with the Olympic family, governments, and other key stakeholders to share best practices and discuss the topics of greatest concern to Olympians.
The forum is also a platform that brings together the key figures from the Olympic family to promote the Olympic values and to discuss and debate the key issues for Olympians and the Olympic movement around the globe.