Guyana's Pan Am Games contingent to be decided by July 15
By Donald Duff
Stabroek News
June 19, 2003
Chef-de-Mission of Guyana's Pan Am Games team Charles Corbin says the size of the Guyana contingent to this year's Pan Am Games scheduled for Santo Domingo in August will be determined by July 15 the latest.
Guyana pre-registered some 21 athletes, 14 male and seven female athletes for the August 1-17 Games in Santo Domingo also known as the Dominican Republic.
However, Corbin told Stabroek Sports that the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) has a July 17 deadline to submit the team to participate in what will the biggest games to be held in the region this year.
Some 42 countries including powerhouse United States of America are down to compete in the 35 sports disciplines at the Games.
Guyana are due to participate in only four sports disciplines - track and field, weightlifting, swimming and table tennis, Corbin said.
So far the quota of athletes for weightlifting and swimming have been decided.
"Swimming and weightlifting have already confirmed their participation criteria," said Corbin. "Weightlifting will be represented by one female and one male weightlifter while swimming have also been allotted two slots."
"Table tennis has applied for one wild card which, if they get it, they will be allowed two athletes to play in both the singles and doubles," said Corbin.
Guyana have also pre-registered eight coaches and delegates most of whom will be named by their respective federations along with the final members of the team.
Corbin said that the AAA still has some time remaining to select their athletes but most of these will be done at the South American Seniors and the CAC Seniors.
The AAA has shortlisted several athletes to represent Guyana at a few international meets with a view towards them making the qualifying times for the Pan Am games.
For, although they have pre-registered the names of 21 athletes, only those who make the qualifying times will be allowed to compete.
The AAA sent four athletes Tai Payne, Clyde Gibson, Nyota Peters and Michelle Vaughn to the South American Seniors which starts on Saturday in Venezuela while Aliann Pompey, Marian Burnette, Vaughn, Peters, Alec Henry, Andre Blackman, Payne and Gibson are down to compete at the Central American and Caribbean Seniors scheduled for July 4-6 in Grenada.
Pompey, however is a doubtful starter for the CAC Seniors unless sponsorship is secured for her to travel from Europe to Grenada.
According to the Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist ,she has been informed by an official of the AAA that the association is strapped for cash and, unless funds are made available, she would not be a part of Guyana's team to the meet.
Pompey and Burnett have recently been inducted into the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) world top athletes lists.
They are among several Caribbean stars, who have registered top-10 marks in their respective events.
Burnett, an NCAA champion, holds the #9 spot in the IAAF's top-10 outdoor 800m list comprising several elite stars from across the globe.
Pompey on the other hand has been having a fine indoor season twice holding the world's fastest 400m time. She has also recorded a new Guyana national record (52.17s) at the distance.
Pompey last weekend placed first in the 400m at a meet in Poland while Burnette placed third at a meet in Germany.
