GOVERNMENT’s announcement on October 26, of a $320 million investment in sports infrastructure is to be applauded. The investment, which will go towards the building of synthetic tracks in East Berbice-Corentyne and Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice, is tangible evidence of the commitment of the administration to improving the opportunities for self-development of all Guyanese, regardless of where they live. The demonstrated recognition by government that sport is essential to a good life should be noted and commended.
During the signing ceremony, Minister George Norton under whose portfolio sport is administered, remarked that Guyana should be able to produce the next Usain Bolt and its first Olympic gold medal. “I know we have so many Usain Bolts here in Guyana, but we can only unearth them if we provide the necessary facility in the different areas in Guyana, so that we can find those athletes.”

Sport – an activity involving physical exertion and skill – has long been recognised as an integral part of a full and satisfying life. Sport keeps us healthy and fit; sport offers a change from the monotony of daily life; sport is a productive means of entertainment; and physical games contribute to character-building, as well as to our physical well-being; and it develops team spirit. Sport, it is agreed, teaches us punctuality, patience, discipline, teamwork, and dedication. Physical activity in the form of sport develops both our bodies and our minds; and government’s recent investment in modern sport facilities will pay off as citizens take advantage of the tracks, which are expected to be completed in about six months.

Government’s recognition of the importance of having such facilities available to all Guyanese is not a new development. In fact, speaking on the TV programme, Public Interest, on September 8, 2016, President David Granger expressed a few of his personal thoughts on the subject. His Excellency underscored that all regions must have adequate facilities available to all citizens. He said, “We can’t think of sports as elite, just have one aquatic centre, one stadium; we have to think of it at the regional level, so we get the best talent coming out.” The president added, “If you are going to develop Olympic-grade athletes, we need to start at the bottom, at the schools and in the communities.”

President Granger is no stranger to sport, and evidently recognises its importance. His Excellency remarked with obvious nostalgia on his own boyhood experiences and expressed how those experiences will influence government policy. He said, “I always refer to my own experiences in the Upper Mazaruni: where every year [in] August, we have about a dozen villages coming together on their own accord.” Adding, “This is not government, the government helps, but it doesn’t sponsor or promote, so they do a lot of sports on their own and I am very impressed with the standards they achieve. Unfortunately, they are so far away from Georgetown they don’t catch the eyes of selectors, but that is the right attitude. I would like to relate that they relate to what we do in local government in terms of development of towns; and we would see eventually each town having a sport centre.”

In the long-term, President Granger envisions that, “in any given year we will find we have the opportunity to bring sports persons from all 10 regions to participate competitively.”
As Guyanese in all regions await the full realisation of the president’s stated vision, the recent development of the $320 million investment in two outlying regions should offer proof that the president intends that his vision be made real by the coalition administration.