The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) honoured Guyana's Commonwealth Games gold medalist Aliann Pompey at an appreciation dinner on Thursday night at the Georgetown Club.
In addressing the gathering, GOA's president Juman Yassin took the opportunity in pleading again for facilities in Guyana.
"When I say facilities, what I mean is for land to be earmarked so that facilities can be built, not now, but in the future, we need that," Yassin said.
The former chief magistrate said.."all we want is the land which we can say 10 years from now, facilities will be there. We do not expect that if land is earmarked the government will find millions of dollars to build. I don't expect that, what we want and what we should have, is land earmarked and as the years go by, what ever is to be done will be done in phases," Yassin said.
Yassin thanked the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and the government of Guyana for the part they played in making Pompey happy. Yassin also thanked the Mayor and Councillors of Georgetown for the reception at the Promenade Gardens and asked "what is the way forward, where are we to go from here?"
He added:"that is the question I'm certain we all ask ourselves and our athletes also ask themselves. What should young athletes who live in Guyana do, shouldn't they hope to be able to achieve a semblance of winning any major international competition the way Aliann has done?"
Yassin is optimistic that Guyana's young athletes can win once they dedicate themselves. "But you can't do it all by yourselves, Aliann is a very unusual young lady, she had to work, she had to study, she had to train and she had a scholarship, but that scholarship is now expired and she had to do all these things by herself, she is now doing her masters, you know third world countries and countries like Guyana, we are basically amateurs, but when you come to the countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, the athletes in those countries, you can't consider them to be amateurs, they are sponsored, they don't have the difficulty of having to work, all they have to do is concentrate on their training. Small countries whose economies are going through difficulties, can't afford the luxury of helping out their athletes," Yassin stated.
In making another plea for assistance for Pompey, Yassin said: "all I ask for Aliann, is at least some serious thought be made, at least of trying to assist, it may not be assistance to the maximum that we may wish, but at least something should be done in order to assist."
The event which was attended by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manzoor Nadir, Director of Sports Neil Kumar, general secretary of the Peoples National Congress/Reform Oscar Clarke and a number of prominent sports personalities, got off to a late start, resulting in Pompey arriving late for a radio call in show at the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation.
However, chairman of the night's proceedings Claude Blackmore, apologised for the GOA's short comings in organising the impromptu event.
Clarke who represented leader of the opposition, Desmond Hoyte, said all Guyanese should be proud to honour Pompey whose name was not too well known among Guyanese prior to the gold medal winning performance.
Clarke referred to Pompey as a dark horse who was in North America preparing assiduously for the Commonwealth Games and she came though like a true dark horse with flying colours to win the women's 400-metre event.
Clarke challenged Pompey to move to a higher level and reach the top of the world, having reached the top of the Commonwealth in the 400-metre. Clarke said he is optimistic that Pompey will reach the top of the world.
The general secretary pleaded with Pompey to further her academic career so she could have something to fall back on at the end of her athletic career. "Not withstanding this achievement, if you are going to survive and prosper in this world, your academic achievements will be important," Clarke implored.
Kumar who deputised for Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Gail Teixeira, said Pompey won the gold medal with the distinction of being a disciplined person.
Kumar acknowledged that Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana's (AAA) vice-president Neville Denny, wrote the National Sports Commission and the government of Guyana several letters, seeking assistance for Pompey prior to her gold medal winning performance, but those requests were turned down.
Nadir admitted that the name Aliann Pompey was not a popular name in Guyana prior to July 28 this year and so he felt hypocritical to glorify Pompey for her achievement now.
Nadir however offered his congratulations to Pompey and her family and Pompey's coach Jim Ryan. "They deserve all the accolades that that gold medal brings to you," Nadir stated, adding "what you have done by winning that gold medal for sports tourism in Guyana, we cannot hope to purchase given any amount of mass media, all I want to ask you is when you win the Olympic gold and the camera focus,' on you, say, I'm taking a vacation in Guyana."
Yassin said since he has known Pompey (about two years) she has remained the same motivated person. "She is a very modest person and one who is very focused, when you speak to her, her modesty comes through, and the thing that has kept her in good stead, I know that the glitter of the gold will not sway her and that she will keep on the same path that she has walked before. I would not be held anyway by saying, that we are all very proud of her," Yassin declared.