Guyana out of South American Box-Off
- NSC can only fund one boxer
Stabroek News
April 3, 2004
Guyana will not be represented at the South American Box-Off slated for Rio de Janeiro next week because of a lack of funding.
According to a Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) release, the team for the second box-off in Brazil is unable to participate owing to the unavailability of funds.
The release stated that the decision not to send the team was reluctantly arrived at after the Association was verbally informed by a member of the National Sports Commission (NSC) that they are willing to provide funding for only one person.
The Association's secretary Howard Cox, in the release pointed out that the NSC was informed by the GABA in writing last year of the international tournaments which were scheduled for 2004 and as was requested, a budgeted cost for participating in each of these events was also supplied.
Cox in the release pointed out that he wrote the NSC's chairman Laurie Lewis on March 17 giving details of the cost of attending the Box-Off and requesting financial assistance to send a team of five boxers and two officials.
Cox said himself and GABA's president K Juman Yassin were invited to meet with Lewis and a committee which, to his understanding, was set up to consider all requests made to the NSC for funding.
However, at the March 23 meeting, only Lewis and two committee members were present and Cox and Yassin were informed that because two members were absent, no firm decision could have been made.
Cox in the release said the GABA went ahead and presented their case during which they advised that the cost of sending one boxer to Brazil is $G250,000.
Cox said he was promised that a decision would be communicated to him on March 29, but to date has not received any written communication from the NSC on their decision.
Cox in the release, said on March 31, after receiving no word and on learning that Lewis was out of the country, finally made contact with a committee member on his cell phone and the member seemed to express surprise that he had not yet received a cheque for $250,000.
He, however told Cox to contact an officer of the NSC and instruct her to send him (Cox) the cheque using his (committee member) name as an authorisation.
Cox said he was further advised that if he did not receive the money in time, the GABA should use their own funds and they will be refunded.
Cox said there seems to be little interest in the advancement of sports by those who have been put into administrative positions to oversee growth of sports in Guyana.
"Boxing especially seems to very low on the list of priorities if it is on the list at all. There still seem to be a stigma attached to the sport despite the fact that boxing has brought more glory and recognition to this country than any other sport," Cox stated in the release, adding "There has been too much idle and hollow talk about the importance of sport from our government and no meaningful action. The truth is that sport is regarded as being not important to merit any kind of substantial expenditure. This is a view shared by many other sporting bodies in this country."
The association wishes to express its deep disappointment at the decision of the NSC and has since informed the boxers and coaches.
According to the release, the boxers and coaches felt that this was the best prepared and most talented team selected to represent Guyana for many years.
The release said that the GABA will continue to commit itself to continuing to rebuild amateur boxing with or without the help of the authorities and it will begin preparation of its senior and junior teams for the Caribbean Championships slated for Trinidad and Tobago in June. (Michael Da Silva)