SEVERAL athletes and associations were beneficiaries of the National Sports Commission’s generosity, following a request for funding towards various up-coming competitions and programmes.

Led by Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, and Chairman Kashif Muhammad, the NSC made presentations to the Guyana Body Building and Fitness Federation ($1.6M), Guyana Badminton Association ($900 000), Youth Basketball Guyana ($500 000) and Guyana Table Tennis Association ($1M for Chelsea Edghill).

The GBBFF’s assistance is towards their seven athletes’ participation at the August 11-16 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships, which will be hosted in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Badminton’s request is to assist the Ramdhani siblings, Priyanna and Narayan, in training for future tournaments in Canada.

Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG), the organisation that has established itself as the custodian/preserver of Schools basketball, had engaged the NSC for funding towards its return-to-play countrywide programme.

Ninvalle said the NSC, since the installation of the six-member commission by Minister Charles Ramson Jr, has been working hard behind the scenes to meet the needs of several athletes and associations.

However, the recent support, Ninvalle noted, is just the beginning.

“We’ve just started, but there’s a lot more work to do, but we want to make sure that whatever little that we’ve done, we are able to justify why we have been supporting. It is not done by one person, we have a team of people working; so we pool our ideas and we’re also listening to the associations,” Ninvalle said.

According to the Director of Sport, the NSC will not be looking at how things used to be, but rather how they can ensure that sport doesn’t return to a state of despair.
Ninvalle is encouraging all sport associations to reach out to the NSC for a frank discussion on their needs and how the Commission can play a part in helping to see them forward.

Guyana was represented by seven athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and while their performances didn’t yield any medals or near-podium finishes, Ninvalle said the National Sports Commission was proud of their efforts and was happy to support the realisation of their Olympic dreams.

The country’s Director of Sport said the NSC has taken notice of the various athletes’ reflection of their plight and the need for support.

“This Commission is very cognisant of some of the hardships that the athletes would have gone through. So this Commission understands what is happening and we would take a collective approach in order to alleviate some of the burdens that the athletes go through,” said Ninvalle

He said the NSC will be working with all the various sports associations and advocating groups to help revamp, highlight and advance sports in Guyana.

Prior to the Olympic Games, the athletes representing Guyana each received $200 000 from the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport for spending in Tokyo, as well as financial assistance towards their preparation.