By Rawle Toney

MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, will begin his re-engagement with the various sport associations and federations from today.

While Ramson, during his first week in office after being sworn-in as minister would have met with various sports bodies, this time around, he explained, will be with the intention of setting up engagements which will lead to the consultation process for the implementation of the country’s National Sports Policy.

“We’ve got to do our sports policy. That’s happening right now. We can get this done in three weeks if we really were to put our minds towards it, but it will exclude a lot of people and a lot of organisations. We don’t want to do that; we want to involve as many people as possible,” Ramson said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the remembrance ceremony for the Cubana Air Disaster yesterday, Ramson revealed that the meetings will take the form of a “working session, where we want to frame our mutual goals and how we improve the overall management of their associations.”

During his engagement with the sport media on August 15, Ramson was adamant that the Sport Policy was crucial, since it will help to make better decisions for the future of sports in Guyana.

After taking his Oath of Office from Head of State, Dr Irfaan Ali on August 5, Ramson had called the approach to sports in Guyana “ad hoc”.

“In order to create a sustainable sport development programme that is a sport economy as well, because sport is a business too. We need a system that is sustainable and that can only be done through organised stakeholders and people who are connected to the overall development trajectory of the country,” the Sport Minister said.

Ramson was adamant that “sport is more than just hobbies and staying fit; it is far bigger than that. It is one of the largest sectors in the world and it could very well be transformational for the country as well, by being able to draw on our human capital and our talents as young people.”