Time to walk the walk

Jan 21, 2014 Sports

By Rawle Welch
With just under three years to go before the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro host the 2016 Olympics, the hot debate among many stakeholders in sport is which teams or group of athletes will represent Guyana at one of the most prestigious sporting events on Planet Earth.
The discussion arose due to the fact that nothing tangible has been seen or heard since Director of Sport Neil Kumar speaking with the media in September, 2012 promised the Government’s unmitigated support in getting our athletes to the level where they could compete and reap success at a Games that we’ve not done well at since the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Michael Parris won a bronze medal in boxing.
The Director unveiled a Plan hailed as ‘From Now to Brazil’ which he said will target the holistic development of athletes leading up to the Games with Government through its agencies the Ministry of Sport and the National Sports Commission in the forefront of offering the kind of assistance required to produce an Elite Athlete.

Neil Kumar

Since that day, there has been some amount of help coming from the two entities in terms of procuring technical personnel, but equally there has been no disclosure about any approach to render assistance to athletes who’re likely to achieve the qualifying standards as required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
It must be noted that to produce an Olympic standard athlete is costly and countries that have reaped success at the Games could attest to the price tag to produce an Olympian much less one who could win a medal.
There is the need for athletes to participate in high level competitions which will allow them to get adjusted to competing against the best in the world, while going up against the world’s best could also help in assessing the athlete’s own readiness for the bigger stage which very often is far higher that what they are accustomed to at home.
These are just two examples of the benefits that could be derived from attending competitions at the highest level as well as competing regularly against the best; it simply lifts your own performance.
Kumar had boldly stated that “the Ministry of Sport has no intention of wasting time with idle talk; instead, it will walk the walk.”
He added that athletes will be able to utilise facilities such as the National Aquatic Centre and the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Gym, while the synthetic track, which we all know by now has not been completed since the Director’s interaction with the media in 2012, would be made available to the athletes.
The Director had also promised that the Commission was willing to work with the various governing bodies to ensure proper training programmes are initiated to keep sportsmen/ women active.
It would certainly be interesting to hear whether or not this interaction has started and if so, has it been ongoing and to what level since time is of the essence.
“The principal purpose of this initiative is to direct our attention and endeavours towards the achievement of not merely commendable, but spectacular performances at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Dismal performances must now be relegated from our history,” Kumar had said.
However, it must be restated that while at some point the Director should meet with the Principals of Associations, unless a Forum is prepared that will include a wider cross section of stakeholders to add their voices on what could stem the constant poor display of our athletes then the whole exercise will be defeated.
Things must be done differently from how it was done previously there are persons within the society with solid proposals, but who’ve not been presented with the oportunity to ventilate them, they could make a difference.
Have we begun the journey and if we have at what juncture of that journey we’re at?