President of the Guyana Olympic Association K. Juman Yassin is happy that the Guyana government has honoured world boxing champions Vivian Harris and Wayne Braithwaithe with a five million dollars cash donation and a house lot each.
However, the GOA boss said he is extremely disappointed that nothing has been done for Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist Aliann Pompey who is based in the United-States.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport, Yassin said the two boxers deserve their reward. “I do not decry that, but in the same vein, Aliann Pompey should have been given something also. She came up against world class athletes and won a gold medal,” Yassin said.
Pompey who clocked 51.63 seconds in winning the 400-metre at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, ended a 68-year drought by Guyana’s athletics.
The 24-year-old beat Scotland’s Lee McConnell in a thrilling finish to clinch Guyana’s first Commonwealth Games athletics gold medal since Phil Edwards won the 880-yard event for British Guiana in London in 1934.
It was claimed that Pompey, who needs a further US$16,000 to complete her Masters degree, would not receive any financial assistance from the Guyana government because she is a landed citizen.
However Yassin said he is not aware of such an issue. “I don’t know whether Aliann is a landed immigrant or not, but Aliann is a Guyanese, born in Guyana, she has been representing Guyana at international Games, and as such, she should be given something.”
“I term a landed immigrant as somebody who is entitled to live and to work in the United States legally, but in Guyana we recognise dual citizenship, so if a person is a landed immigrant in the US, to my mind, makes no difference whatsoever, once that person still retains his or her Guyanese citizenship.
She travels on a Guyana passport, she has represented Guyana at the last Olympics, the Pan American Games, the Commonwealth Games, and when she won (Commonwealth Gold), what was played was the Guyana National Anthem. What was hoisted was the Golden Arrowhead.”
Asked about government contributing to the Kashif and Shganghai football tournament and not to the GOA for sending its team to recently concluded Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador, Yassin said his association had applied to the Ministry for assistance, but Minister Teixeira indicated that the Government did not have funds for that.
“But in all fairness, the minister had allocated funds for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, earlier this year, and that contribution that the respective associations was to have made (half the cost), was made by the ministry for the Commonwealth Games” Yassin pointed out.
“But that particular competition (Kashif and Shanghai) has proven to be very entertaining, and I suppose it is entertaining because of the prize money that is there... and the organisation has been relatively good also. So I compliment them (Kashif Mohamed and Aubrey Major). But it is a matter for the minister and the government to decide how they want to allocate funds, they are the persons in charge and I can’t dictate for them, all I can do is just hope that they may be able to put more for sports generally” Yassin declared.