–given September 15 deadline, sources confirm
As accusations of lack of transparency within the governance structure of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) continue to swirl, there are growing calls for President Dwayne Scott to do better in order to contribute to the development of the sport’s participants.
Scott, who has been at the helm of the sport since November 2020, is being accused of administering the association in contravention of the tenets of good governance.
The undesirable practice has become a worry for many swimmers, parents, and affiliates along with the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport (MCYS), the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA).
Another contentious issue is the one pertaining to the application or request of US-based swimmer Delroy Tyrell, who wrote asking for permission to represent Guyana at international competitions.
According to leaked e-mails, Tyrell, a Guyanese by birth, and whose parents are Guyanese also, had written to GASA on his behalf outlining his desire to represent Guyana in competitions overseas, submitting all the relevant information to satisfy his eligibility status, but later found out that GASA failed to submit the required information to World Aquatics that would have enhanced his chances of representing this country.

The trail of emails between Tyrell’s father, Fitzroy Tyrell, and Jan Exner, legal counsel for World Aquatics revealed that repeated inquiries from the swimmer’s parent confirmed that the GASA President when asked whether the association had submitted the information disclosed that he had done so, which was later found to be inaccurate, judging from the responses obtained from the world governing body.

It brings into question the President’s inability to be transparent since his admission of forwarding the relevant information was proven to be inaccurate and at the same time it also highlights his willingness to contravene one of the most rudimentary strands of good governance which is being truthful.
It must be noted also that the GASA President had been asked to meet with the relevant stakeholders of sport in the country such as the MCYS, NSC, GOA, and clubs on several occasions to resolve several issues, but those
engagements failed to garner positive outcomes.

The result was that the above entities decided to withdraw all support from GASA pending the expression of willingness from the Body to resolve the issues highlighted.
Some of the issues that were deemed contentious were the purported non-submission of audited financial reports, the allegations of unfair treatment to certain clubs and swimmers, the non-acceptance of new clubs, and the non-submission of Mr. Tyrell’s request to represent his country of birth.

The MCYS, NSC, and the GOA are recognised as the surest financiers of sport in Guyana, assisting in the provision of funding for the procurement of
facilities, athletes’ development and the facilitators of coaches and requisite personnel for all aspects of sports development so for GASA to be non-co-
operative with these bodies can only stymie the sport’s development and its participants.

Time will tell whether the course taken by GASA was the right one or one that they will have to admit was wrong and shoulder the blame.
Based on reliable information, World Aquatics has given GASA a September 15 deadline to submit Mr. Tyrell’s documents and it would be interesting to see
whether or not GASA remains steadfast in its reluctance to submit the athlete’s details or do the right thing and let the world body make its ruling on his eligibility.
Once again only time has the answer.