Sports is not sport
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
July 2, 2002
Hamilton Green, during his tenure as Prime Minister of this country had once declared that "Sports is not sport." In his own way Green was simply stating that sports is serious business and should not be taken lightly.
Last week something occurred which showed that to date some local sporting organisations have not taken heed to Green’s words. On Saturday our men’s basketball team was supposed to commence participation at the CARICOM Championship in the US Virgin Islands.
Two days before departure it was leaked out that the team may not be making the trip. The president of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation Godwin McPherson explained that his organisation encountered difficulties in trying to get the teams from Antigua to the US Virgin Islands.
McPherson stated that the only airline plying the route between Antigua and St Thomas was LIAT which was overbooked until yesterday.
So the whole episode could be written of and it would go down that difficulty in securing flights out of Antigua was to blame for Guyana not being at the championships. No it shouldn’t.
Not when something just short of a national disgrace has happened.
Isn’t it queer that only when players are supposed to travel that all these problems occur.
It never happens that flight arrangements get mixed up when these administrators are to travel to meetings and congresses. They have their schedule long in advance and make arrangements.
Then we must be a nation of numbskulls to accept the flimsy excuse handed down by the GABF. How could the GABF be so insensitive?
The public should be told when exactly flight arrangements were made for the players. Wasn’t there a back up plan?
Guyana’s non-participation at this year’s CARICOM Basketball Championship is a slap in the face of the entire country.
McPherson and company should bend their head in shame after bungling something as simple as traveling arrangements.
The Championships would have been a golden opportunity for our lads. The chance to impress scouts and possibly secure scholarships.
There is no excuse for us not being there and those responsible should be taken to task.
Because of an apparent ad hoc approach a grave injustice has been done to Guyana. Shame on those responsible.
After all sports is not sport.