THE Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will commence its official registration drive for the opening of a new gym in the Mining Town of Linden this Saturday at the Mackenzie Car Park from 12:00hrs to 18:00hrs.

The registration period and the eventual opening of the gym, which will be located at the Bayroc A, is part of the GBA’s objective in resuscitating the boxing scene in the Mining Town.
Initially, the GBA had conceptualised two smaller registration periods, which were August 3rd and 4th respectively. However, this major registration drive will now be conducted, which will also feature an exhibition of activities at the Mackenzie Car Park.

Approximately 30 individuals will form the machinery for the registration process and the exhibition exercises. The quartet of Seon Bristol, Lennox Daniels, Lancelot ‘Wild Pine’ Easton, and Cuban national Francisco Roldan are tasked with supervising the impending cataloging procedure on behalf of the GBA, while 20 fighters from various gyms will be utilised during the exhibition segment.

Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Bristol stated, “The registration drive on Saturday will target all ages. This is just the start because they will be a continuous registration process when the gym becomes operational in 4-6 weeks. Linden doesn’t have an active gym at the moment and that is sad”

According to Bristol, “In addition to the registration process, exhibitions, demonstrations, and training exercises will be staged during this period. We are going to take the ring to Linden and conduct these exhibitions and exercises during the registration period, which will provide a preview of what is to be expected at the gym when it becomes operational. At the official opening of the gym, a national tournament featuring all the major gyms will be staged.”

He further said, “Linden is a very important region in boxing, they have always had world-ranked fighters and many of the top prospects in history have emanated from Linden. They have a strong history of building quality fighters and we cannot ignore that. We cannot afford to forget this region because they have made significant contributions in both the amateur and professional ranks.”

Meanwhile, GBA President Steve Ninvalle affirmed, “Linden as a community is unquestionably revered in the local sporting landscape. In boxing, their athletic achievements are storied, and this move, which is of developmental enterprise, has the sole objective of resuscitating a sport that produced and unearthed notable talents from that fertile soil.”

“The GBA has a commitment to develop every aspect of the discipline, from its physical structure to its soft infrastructure. That is our mandate. We endeavour to restore prominence to the community that has a storied boxing tradition, which will be to the overall benefit of the discipline and the nation. That is national development!”

Head of the Women in Chess Committee, Marcia Lee, was present to award medals to all ten players advancing to the nationals. Since the Women in Chess Committee was established under Mrs. Lee’s leadership, the participation of women and girls in competitive events has increased significantly.|

More so, creating avenues for community and bonding among female chess players has added value to the local chess community by creating spaces for girls to learn from more senior players and improve their game, narrowing the gender gap in the historically male-dominated game.

This Championship could not have been possible without the generous support of Diamond Fire and General Insurance. As such, the Federation extends its gratitude for acknowledging the value of this tournament and contributing to the advancement of chess for women and girls in Guyana.
Special thanks to the School of the Nations for granting the use of their facilities for both the Qualifying event and the National Championship.