PRESIDENT of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Kalam Juman-Yassin, is calling for the implementation of the country’s first National Sports Policy, as well as the installation of the Commissioners of the National Sports Commission (NSC), paving the way for a Director of Sport.
Speaking exclusively to Chronicle Sport yesterday, the former Chief Magistrate, now an Attorney-at-Law, believes with the country’s sports landscape growing and more athletes developing into world-class and rated competitors, the Sports Policy now becomes mandatory, rather than optional.
In a recent interview, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, said a revision of the draft National Sports Policy is currently ongoing, while being adamant that seeing the implementation of the country’s first National Sports Policy is of utmost priority for the Dr Irfaan Ali government.

Yassin believes that it’s important for the country’s athletes, especially, to “know exactly what is expected of them and what they can get. I would imagine, in a proper sports policy, standards will be set and if an athlete achieves those standards, then he would be able to get something.”
“We need to be able to classify our athletes as elite athletes. And if an athlete is in the category of an elite athlete, what can they expect. They cannot be named an elite athlete and don’t get the funding or facilities, to ensure that they perform and maintain that (performance),” Yassin firmly stated.
During an interaction with the Sports Media on August 15, Ramson relayed that the implementation of the National Sports Policy will be part of the critical areas for sports during his tenure as the minister responsible for sport in Guyana.
Ramson has inherited a document that has been in the ‘draft state’ by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government prior to 2015 and the former APNU+AFC Government.

NSC LONG OVERDUE
Meanwhile, as it relates to the National Sports Commission (NSC) Yassin thinks that after almost nine months in the position of Minister of Sport, Ramson would have had enough time to make his assessment of the Sports Commission, with the long-serving GOA president pointing out “he would have met all the associations, he would have met dozens of athletes and officials, so he would be able to nominate or recommend persons for the National Sports Commission. “
Ramson, since becoming minister, has also been chastised by Opposition Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira, over the failure to appoint the commissioners at the National Sports Commission.

The minister, however, insisted that he’s being guided by the 1993 Sports Commission Act, and would have also pointed out that since the March 2 Elections, the PPP/C party has been vocal about being compliant with the laws of the land, and as such, he is insisting that he doesn’t “intend to break the law” when it comes to the appointment of a Director of Sport.
“The Sports Commission has been set up by an Act of Parliament. They have their functions and we need to respect and let that work,” Yassin said.
Yassin said he was also “not impressed with the work of the last National Sports Commission. I think it left a lot to be desired and I hope the new Sports Commission will do and act much better.”

In 1993, Samuel Hinds, in his capacity as acting President of Guyana at the time, assented to the National Sports Commission Act which was passed in the sitting of the Sixth Parliament on December 3 that year.
According to the National Sports Commission Act, Section 11 (1), “The Commission may, after consultation with the minister, employ upon such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, a Director of Sport, and such other officers and employees as the Commission deems necessary for the proper carrying out of its functions.”
The Act outlines the Director of Sport as being the “Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, and subject to any general or specific directions of the Commission, be responsible to the Commission for ensuring that the functions of the Commission are properly discharged and objectives achieved.”