GUYANA’s leading sports apparel and fitness conglomerate, MVP Sports, has announced that it will be supporting the latest venture of the Jefford Track and Field Classic organisation to rebrand and resuscitate the historic Golden Mile.

The Jefford Classic Mile, as the event is being called, is scheduled to be held around the circuit of the National Park on Sunday, March 12, and promises to be entertaining and competitive, and feature Guyana’s leading middle-distance athletes.

“Jefford has created an impressive list of successful sports events over the years, and we believe that this one will be no different. MVP Sports wants to ensure that we are visible at what will be a great showcase of local athletics talent,” Managing Director Ian Ramdeo said.

MVP Sports, which is housed at the Giftland and Amazonia Malls, will sponsor the Under-20 Male and Female categories of the race, as well as Gift Vouchers, which will be presented to the Under-14 Male and Female categories of the Jefford Classic Mile.

Founder of the Jefford Track and Field Classic, Edison Jefford said that the venture is largely about resuscitating a prestigious platform for middle-distance athletes, and that each category of athletics should have a signature event.

“There should always be a platform for each category of athletics, where the crème de la crème, or the best athletes in that segment is showcased. The South American 10km Road Race does that for distance athletes, but there is no signature event for the middle-distance athletes, following the absence of the Golden Mile for some years,” Jefford said.

“The aim is to fill this gap, while resuscitating a prestigious and historic event. We want to bring this back with a lot of hype, which means that the atmosphere and environment must be the best for the athletes, since it’s all about them,” he added.

According to the mastermind behind the venture, all the funding for the event will be given to the athletes, so as to offset marketing and administrative costs. He said that the activity is largely developmental, and as such is asking stakeholders to continue to contribute to its success.

“We have written the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and National Sports Commission (NSC) to jump on board this event to help us. I am confident that they will support this venture, just as the Athletics Association is giving us their full support,” Jefford said.

He thanked MVP Sports for their efforts, stating that the participants will welcome their support. MVP Sports was recently recognised for its Corporate and Social Responsibility at the National Sports Awards 2023 in the category of “Corporate Sponsor (small)”.

The company specialises in providing high- quality fitness and athletic apparel like Nike, Under Armour, Sketchers, Puma and Adidas for men, ladies and children.