… President Dr Irfaan Ali promises level playing field

HEAD-of-State, Dr Irfaan Ali, is promising the country’s sportsmen and women that under his leadership, the Government of Guyana will put their interests first, while doubling-down on plans to ensure that everyone, across the country, will benefit from advanced facilities and training.
President Ali was at the time addressing the gathering at the launch of the President’s Cup Softball tournament at the Everest Cricket Club over the weekend.
“The first fundamental that we have to fix is to ensure that we remove the disparity when it comes to sport across the country; we have to invest in the facilities and the programmes that will give our young people, our people all across this country the opportunity to be the best that they can be in various sports,” said President Ali.
The President, who reminisced on his school days, noted that prior to his secondary education at St Stanislaus College, he was a country boy without exposure to certain sports, adding “that is why we have immediately embarked on a programme to have multipurpose sport facilities of international standard in every region beginning with three in the budget.”

In keeping with a promise made during his campaign, President Ali, last September announced during a press conference that the PPP/C Government will be building multipurpose sport facilities in Regions 2 (Anna Regina Community Centre), 6 (Blairmount Community Centre) and 10 (Mackenzie Sports Club).
According to the Commander-in-Chief, there is a need to equip the facilities with necessary amenities, including proper light, to facilitate night competitions at the venues.
Emphasis, according to President Ali, will also be placed on developing sports from the grassroots level, while also rekindling the powerful tool of sport in the minds of young people and that his Government will place “a lot of heavy focus” on school competitions and school tournaments.
President Ali, who played cricket in his earlier years, said that collectively, sport is an important tool for unity and transcends barriers that hinder development in Guyana.

“The greatest output of sport is its ability to bring people together, to unify people, its ability to break-down social barriers. You might see a child of a very wealthy family depending heavily on a child of a very poor family to be successful as a team on the field of a play,” the President said.
He added that sport has many intangibilities but pointed to the need for structure and camaraderie at the board levels to create a conducive atmosphere for growth and development.
Efforts will also be placed on developing the human resource capacity in sports, as President Ali revealed “we also have to work on training and developing a core group … sports facilitators, coaches and trainers, to be attached initially to a district, where we can bring a number of schools and have them in charge of the district.”

In their manifesto, which will guide government’s policy, the PPP/C Government also said they will provide a special fund for upgrading of sports and cultural facilities, as well as building sport academies in all regions.
Plans, according to the manifesto, will be in place to provide incentive packages for businesses that provide sponsorships or employment opportunities for sports persons.
The Government also intends to upgrade the South Dakota Circuit, the country’s lone motor racing track, to international standards.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, has reiterated that under President Ali, sports will not be left behind and the country’s sportsmen and women can rest easy knowing that they now have an administration that will cater to their needs. (Rawle Toney)