GUYANA’S participation in this year’s Las Vegas Invitational Sevens rugby championship was secured yesterday, following  President Donald Ramotar presenting a cheque for G$5M to the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) at the Office of the President.
Prior to the presentation of the cheque, President Ramotar congratulated the team on their success story to date while urging them to go to Las Vegas and make all of Guyana proud.
“I would pass you guys undergoing your training sessions in the National Park and I must take this time to commend you on your success so far, which is not only good for you, your club, friends and family, but Guyana.”
President Ramotar said he was happy to know the Government of Guyana was playing an integral role in the team’s preparation for not only the Las Vegas tournament, but also the HSBC Sevens World Series (SWS) in Hong Kong, which scrums off from March 23 to 25 of this year.
“Sports is important in our society today, as it not only builds solidarity, friendship and camaraderie among the individuals who are involved in it, but also help those individuals to remain healthy.
“In a world that has so much negative influence, sports has a part to play, bringing values to some individual lives which stay with them for a long time and it is nice to know that the performances of the national rugby team is a success story and I hope that you can go on to develop into one of the top rugby-playing nations in the world,” stated President Ramotar.
The President took the time to wish the team all the best in their preparatory championship, while reiterating the charge to make Guyana proud with their performances.
According to Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento, the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens championship which will be held from February 9 to 11 would provide the Guyana team with the elite level of competition essential for the preparation of the team for the Hong Kong Sevens.
“It is nice to know that the President, like his predecessor, recognises Guyana’s performances on the rugby field where we have kept the Golden Arrowhead flying proudly.
“We made history with the gold medal that was won in the Pan Am Games and will continue to make Guyana proud. I must say that this team has lost only one rugby match in the last six years, while this is the third time in two years, the Government of Guyana came on board with the GRFU,” stated Nascimento.
The HSBC Sevens World Series (SWS) will be held in Hong Kong from March 23 to 25 of this year and the International Rugby Board (IRB) has introduced a “transitional qualification process” to qualify three new teams from the six Rugby Regional Associations, namely Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, Oceania, North America and the Caribbean.
They will join the 12 Core Teams in the SWS plus one IRB invitational team to comprise a 16-team tournament, with the qualification tournament being introduced for the first time at this year’s Hong Kong HSBC Sevens World Series.
Guyana and Canada will represent the North America and Caribbean Rugby Association respectively, with the other participating teams in the Qualification Tournament being Hong Kong, Japan, China, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Zimbabwe, Uruguay, Tonga, Canada and Guyana.
The twelve Core Teams are Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, England, France, Australia, Wales, Samoa, Argentina, USA, Scotland and Kenya.
Beginning with the 2013 Sevens World Series, a promotion and relegation process will be implemented each year providing the opportunity for new teams to qualify.
The Sevens World Series will now become one of the tournament pathways for qualification for the twelve-team Rugby Sevens competition at the 2016 Olympics to take place in Brazil.
Guyana is, therefore, the first Caribbean country to qualify for the Hong Kong Sevens World Series qualification tournament with an opportunity to qualify as a future Core Team providing a pathway to the Olympic Games.
Present at yesterday’s presentation ceremony were: Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony, Adviser to the President Navin Chandrapal, GRFU president and vice-president Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento respectively and Robin Roberts, team manager Peter Campayne, national captain Claudius Butts, Theodore Henry and other team members.