MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, yesterday urged the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) team to represent Guyana with distinction at championships which are set for French Guiana March 26-28. The athletes and their parents all gathered at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to be briefed about the games and what is expected of them while staying in the French colony. According to Minister Anthony, the review from the last time the teams travelled to Suriname last year for the second leg of the games were not too decent and as such, he called on the athletes to be disciplined and respect the games.
“I want you to go there and be good ambassadors for Guyana and that doesn’t mean how you compete but also how you behave on the respective field of play. The last time I heard that some of the athletes and people who were on the team were not too decent in their behaviour and I want things to be a bit different this time around so parents, please help us, talk to the athletes, your child or children before they leave here on how they should behave,” said the Minister.
Indiscipline, he said, would not be condoned and said, “Listen, it’s a stern task to represent Guyana and to do it with pride, but at the same time we would not be encouraging any indiscipline both on and off the field; all you have to do is comply with the rules.
The last time I heard about some misunderstanding in Suriname with the rules and so on, but you compete and leave the rules and so on for the officials who are travelling with the team. That is what they are going for.”
The Guyana team will leave these shores on March 24 to overnight in Suriname at the Franklin Esid football stadium in Paramaribo before making the three-hour journey to Albina border then the same day to the French Guiana Capital Cayenne where they will stay at the Hotel Amazonia.
“I know the journey would be long because you will be going by road,” Minister Anthony said, adding “In some areas, the roads might not be ideal for travel but it’s the only way, so just bear with it, and again just focus on what you are going there to do which is to win.”
As it relates to the competition, the Sport Minister said, “Based on my understanding and what I was told, is that we stand a very good chance of winning in most of the disciplines and with that I want to say to you ‘Bring back as many gold medals as possible’. These games are as much about winning as they are for building a strong relationship with our neighbours.”.
Minister Anthony also pledged his Ministry’s full support to the games and said that they are fully committed to the longevity of the IGG.
Guyana, along with long-time rivals Suriname, will compete with the host nation (French Guiana) in the disciplines of Football, Swimming, Athletics and Chess with all having male and female participation.
It was noted that Brazil will also compete in the games but will not be, officially, part of the competition. Director of Sport Neil Kumar said that the Brazilian team will come from the border between French Guiana and the Portuguese-speaking country.
Suriname are the defending IGG over-all champions after winning the swimming, football, male basketball and volleyball events last year while Guyana will be defending their track and field title which they have held since 2008.