FOR the first time in its ten-year history, the final leg of the Caribbean Premiere League (CPL), dubbed the ‘biggest party in sport’- was held in Guyana. This cricket tournament brought much excitement (and anxiety) to these shores, but perhaps, more importantly, it has provided an opportunity now to revisit sport development in Guyana.

Months ahead of Friday’s showdown, it was evident that Guyana would witness an influx of eager sports fans and people just coming to enjoy themselves. Though still in its formative stages, it was a sound idea to tailor carnival activities around this highly-anticipated event.

The twin occurrences illustrate the appetite for sports and the arts here in Guyana. But today, let’s focus on sports development.

Let me establish that when I talk about sport development, I don’t just mean hosting more exciting events here in Guyana. Sport development, I believe, is a process of enabling people to meaningfully participate in training and sporting activities and providing avenues for those people to refine whatever skills and talents they may possess.

Let’s take cricket, for example. Having CPL here and providing opportunities for Guyanese players, especially the young players, to play among international cricketers were both invaluable. Let me also acknowledge that there have been substantial national allocations to upgrade facilities, inter alia.

Still, when I think about sport development (cricket and generally), it seems as though there is a much greater need for more institutional support. That is, the development of more year-round, well-invested programmes that allow persons interested to get involved in sports and then nurture their talents without them having to struggle for sponsorship and support.

We’ve seen some of these already- sporting academies and camps that go a very far way in nurturing young talent.

Better facilities in every community so that playing the game and training is more accessible to all should also be a strong focus. If there aren’t facilities available, we will continue to rely on passionate young people defying the odds and making do with the bare minimum when we could be nurturing their talent in conducive spaces.

It is simply not enough to have interspersed tournaments that allow sportspersons to show up and shine. And support for individual athletes in need, as has been well-ventilated, is always a concern. There’s also a conversation to be had on support for professional sports persons- instead of forcing them to juggle multiple occupations and interests.

Last week, I read an interesting piece from prominent local sports journalist Rawle Toney, arguing that even though hosting the final round of this year’s CPL in Guyana showered much attention on local sports (cricket in particular), the development of sports in Guyana needs much more attention. I agree.

Again, this isn’t to say that little to no attention is placed on developing sports in Guyana. That would be an unfair statement given the government’s recent thrust to invest in facilities and programmes that will benefit many young sportspersons. It is also evident that there is great interest in expanding (or maybe further diversifying?) the sports sector- whether it’s horsing or powerboat racing.

Still, I think the only way these and other positive developments can happen is if we are first honest about the challenges and concerns that we are confronted by.

Before I end this column, I must briefly mention women’s sports.

Since 2018, when a leg of the Women’s T20 world cup was held in Guyana, I have been fascinated by women’s cricket. Not only because the women are just as explosive and entertaining as the men but because they appear to be pushing the sport forward with far less support from all stakeholders. I imagine that it is the same for many, if not all, other sports.

I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of women’s sporting events in Guyana. I will say, however, that revenue generation, or the lack thereof, should not be a deterrent to investing in the development of women’s sports. As we think about establishing and expanding facilities and programmes, the focus should also be placed on getting more girls and women interested and involved in sports by creating safe spaces for them to participate and train.

All in all, I think the nation is engrossed in our recent cricket festivities, and now is as good a time as any to discuss and pursue sport development in Guyana meaningfully.

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com