THE Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) has been carefully plotting a course of return to competition for the 2021 calendar. This is according to the president of GAPLF, Ed Caesar. In a statement, the president said: “Members of the executive of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation have been meeting every Saturday to look at several issues and to plan carefully. The executive is a caring body which desires to have its athletes perform but continues to have the health and safety of its athletes on the front burner.”
He added that the federation has been given useful guidance by both the Minister of Sport and the Chairman of the National COVID Task Force.
“A formal request with respect to our proposed competition will be forwarded shortly to the Minister of Health,” Caesar disclosed.
He noted that it is important to have readily prepared athletes to represent the nation when events arise on the calendar.

“The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation executive wishes to have its athletes prepared diligently for all competitions, both locally and overseas. To participate internationally, each athlete must surpass the appropriate qualifying total. It is therefore necessary to have meets/competitions, to allow athletes as many opportunities as possible to qualify.”
The GAPLF boss concluded by saying: “The proposed meet on March 7 is primarily to allow our national athletes to qualify for overseas engagements in 2021. Our plan is to hold our Novices Championship, two to three weeks after that qualifying competition and that would be followed by our annual general meeting.”
Meanwhile, the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) has already released its calendar of events for 2021 and although dates and venues have been scheduled for the events, IPF stated that due to the pandemic, the calendar is subject to change.

For Guyana, they may have some time to get their athletes into the competition phase under the guidelines of COVID-19 since their first International engagement is scheduled for August. The IPF’s calendar has the 18th edition of the Pan American/South American Powerlifting (FESUPO) and Bench Press Equipped and Classic Championships billed for August 17-21 in Orlando, Flordia. Guyana finished third overall in the 2019 edition of the competition with Masters Frank Tucker, Nadina Taharally, Naranjan Singh, Franklyn Brisport and Noel Cummings hauling in a combined total of 65 medals. The other largely successful lifters at this event included record-holder Natoya Robinson who had six gold medals and two silver pieces and Runita White who claimed two gold medals and an equal amount of silver. Bjorn Williams also claimed six medals competing in the 105kg class while Lisa Oudit hauled in 4 medals during her run.