THIS week’s Caribbean Development Boxing tournament would be used as a forum for presidents of Caribbean associations to meet and plan strategies for the development of the sport across the region. A meeting of five regional presidents is scheduled for Friday morning with the main focus being implementation of programmes that would take the Caribbean towards Olympic glory.
President of the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association Steve Ninvalle would be joined by Anthony Jones of Barbados, Stephen Jones of Jamaica, David `Shakes’ Christopher of St Lucia and Cecil Ford of Trinidad and Tobago.
The team would be assisted by Secretary of the Boxing Association of Barbados Kathy Harper-Hall who is hailed at the Mother of Caribbean boxing.
“This upcoming tournament is a product of us meeting last year as regional leaders. The One Voice, One Goal, One Caribbean motto has reignited a sense of deep unity as is highlighted by the response to the Caribbean Development Tournament,” Ninvalle said yesterday.
The English speaking Caribbean has been without Olympic medals for some time with Guyana’s only medal at the Games being achieved in 1980 from boxer Michael Parris. The regional administrators would be looking at ways to create a positive change with focus being on the 2020 Games.
Caribbean presidents last met in large numbers in June 2014 in Barbados. The regional sport administrators are heading to Guyana for the Caribbean tournament which commences on Thursday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
To date 15 countries have registered to participate in what is being dubbed as the largest gathering of regional countries in Guyana for boxing. Over one hundred boxers and 30 officials are expected in for the tournament which concludes on Sunday. At stake are regional bragging rights.

The countries registered are: Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St, Lucia, St, Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago