AS GUYANA prepares to celebrate 50 years of being an independent nation, I will dig deep into the archives of the Guyana Chronicle, to bring to you ‘Sports in 50’. This will be a weekly feature in Chronicle Sport, highlighting major sports events and athletes who would have made significant contributions to Guyana.

July, 1966, Guyana Sports Union (GSU) was formed.
A group, including former international sportsmen and other persons interested in the welfare of the country’s athletes and sport in general, formed the Guyana Sports Union (GSU).
Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, former Guyana and West Indies long distance athlete George Cumberbatch, former cycling champion Neil Chan, Ronald Blackman, Norris Franker, Percy Boyce, Cecil Ramsingh, Earl John, Edgar Stewart, John Phillips and Monty Clarke, formed the steering committee for the GSU.
Members of the GSU had pledged to protect the interest of Guyanese athletes at home and overseas, as well as to promote the status of sports socially and to assist the national bodies in the development of sports.
The GSU had also hoped to ensure that Guyanese athletes, especially international representatives, are given fair and proper treatment, and to expose irregularities and malpractices in certain sports organisations.
Efforts were also made to make representation to Government, the National Sports Council, and the international organisations on issues as they arose and to the keep the public informed on their efforts.
Sadly today, the GSU is no longer in existence, and with all that has happened, surely, Guyana is in need of an organisation like the one that existed 50 years ago, since our athletes currently compete with no proper representation, especially from their respective association/federation.