Latest update November 13th, 2024 1:00 AM
Mar 21, 2023 Sports
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) election of office bearers meeting scheduled for today has stirred much interest within the sport fraternity and even beyond its environ.
This level of interest should not be seen as alarming since sport is an integral part of the holistic development of a nation and this feature alone makes it vitally important that those chosen to serve are committed and competent enough to deliver the objectives of the entity.
As we take a close look at the two combatants for the top post of President, Robin Singh of the Guyana Baseball League (GBL) and Godfrey Munroe of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), one is immediately tempted to lean towards the latter candidate based on obvious experience and proven results as an administrator.
Singh is relatively unknown in the realm of sport administration with his one notable distinction being that of the introduction of baseball to Guyana.
That attempt was evidently a dismal failure and his involvement in sport after that as an administrator simply disappeared.
On the other hand, Munroe has been extremely consistent in propelling the sport he heads to new heights in recent years and his administrative acumen is unquestioned in the sports domain.
While baseball disappeared from the local sports landscape, table tennis became one of the busiest programmes on the calendar with new achievements attained constantly over the past 7-8 years.
During this period, Munroe has honed his administrative skills admirably and his interaction with administrators from other disciplines has proven to be a vital asset in his quest to become an excellent steward of his sport.
Even outgoing President Kalam Juman Yasin reposed confidence in his ability as an administrator, affording him opportunities to enhance his knowledge as well as display his repertoire whenever there was a chance for him to do so.
Singh’s ability to lead at the highest level is unknown, while Munroe enjoys an excellent relationship with most members of the GOA.
Just to highlight the importance of experience and a winning mentality in the new world of sports, one just has to look at what English Premier League club Arsenal did in its quest to give itself a real opportunity of competing at the highest level.
They recruited two players Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko who possessed the habits, standards and experience to help them navigate the road to success, qualities that were lacking in the recent past and it is paying huge dividends right now.
Munroe has an irrefutable record of success; having seen the upward mobility of the sport he leads as well as that many of our players climb up the international rankings.
Add to that the hosting of many local and regional competitions, undertakings that require a level of expertise and knowledge not to mention a solid relationship with the corporate community.
This is just a small testament to his ability as a very good administrator which should be enough to sway the vote of members in his favour.
Singh as stated earlier is of unknown quantity with the baseball fiasco being his most notable highlight.
His knowledge as an administrator is questionable and uncertain since the sole record of reference is that of failure.
The Presidency of the GOA is not a trivial one and those entrusted to vote should not gamble with the future of our athletes.
The performance of the outgoing president was not a glittering one and this should serve as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that the next Head of the GOA is equipped with the proficiency to advance the agenda for sports development.
Yasin’s 26-year tenure bore little, if any, examples of success in terms of achievements and his enthusiasm to attempt to disrupt or delay today’s constitutional undertaking should be viewed with scorn.
Time has caught up with Yasin following the recent decision to limit the age of eligibility to 70 years, leaving him five years over the agreed entitlement ruling.
The time for real growth in sport has come and stakeholders have the opportunity to participate in this new dispensation.
It is time the commitment to serve supersede the ambitions of ‘Power and Perks’.
Nov 13, 2024
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