EXECUTIVES of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) as well as representatives of various clubs affiliated to the Federation have successfully moved and passed a motion to install an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to run the affairs of the Federation for the remainder of the current term.

According to a source very close to the federation and who was present at the extraordinary meeting which was called and held on Wednesday at the Guyana Olympic Association’s headquarters, High Street, Georgetown, the executives and club representatives that were present passed a motion to install an IMC, since most of the elected executives that were installed last year to serve a four- year term have been under-performing, hence the need for an IMC to run the affairs of the Federation until the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held.

The source said executives and club representatives agreed that the incumbent president Horrace Burrowes, since his election to office, has not done anything for the development of the sport locally and as such, a decision was made to move a no-confidence vote against him.
Burrowes, who resides in the United States, had said even though he is resident in North America, he can still manage the affairs of the Federation from there. However, it has been noted by those persons who were present at Wednesday’s extraordinary meeting that Burrowes and most of his executives have not been doing anything to develop the sport.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Burrowes’ club, Team United as well as Team Coco were not represented, but their absence did not affect the outcome of the no-confidence vote.
According to one executive who prefers not to be named, things have not been going right with the federation since the current executive was elected to office in June last year.
The official noted that Burrowes, a United States businessman, since being elected to office, has only been in Guyana “maybe once or twice since his election to office and this is totally unacceptable.”
According to the executive, some members of the executive are totally fed-up at the way the Federation is conducting its affairs since the new executive was elected to office last year June.

According to the former national cyclist, the administration of the sport is being done in a haphazard manner and more needs to be done in order for the sport to blossom locally, regionally and internationally, thus taking the sport to a higher level and will see local cyclists making an impact at the regional level and farther afield.
Burrowes had been given the mandate of leading the sport until 2019, and narrowly defeated the incumbent Cheryl Thompson by one vote, 6 to 5, as 11 clubs cast one vote each.
Veteran cyclist Paul Choo-Wee-Nam was elected First VP following a three-way race among himself, Mark Conway who was eliminated after the first round of voting and Malcolm Sonoram by a similar 6-5 margin.

The AGM had its challenges as no Audited Financial Report was presented, just a normal report which was presented by William Howard the former Treasurer (ag), who called for a total audit of the federation’s accounts from 2011, citing the lack of accountability by a number of persons, whose names he did not call, for poor stewardship.
Former President Thompson in her report had also chided former executive members for their lack of commitment as many meetings did not come off for want of a quorum. There was no smooth sailing in the conduct of the AGM as the previous executive clearly did not prepare the relevant documents to be circulated as per constitution.

But even as that was the case, the 11 clubs present had collectively stated that they were there to change the course of the sport for the better. Constitutionally, the AGM was due since March last year.
The setting up of an IMC in local cycling administration is thought to be a first but regrettable development. New President Horace Burrowes in his acceptance speech, had thanked the clubs for showing confidence in him and promised that there would have been many changes for the better in the first year of the new executive.