Lewis calls on GSA to spread the game
Stories by Isaiah Chappelle
Guyana Chronicle
July 20, 2003
The team. Guyana’s players formally enter the Western Union-Supligen Caribbean Junior Squash opening ceremony at Everest Cricket Club tarmac. Manager Garfield Wiltshire is behind parade leader Tiffany Solomon. (Quacy Sampson photo).
NEW chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Laurie Lewis formally declared open the 21st Caribbean Junior Squash Championships at a simple but impressive ceremony at the Everest Cricket Club, Eve Leary, yesterday.
Lewis who represented the Minister of Sport, said such ceremonies were important because of the relationships developed during the event.
“Some of the relationships that formed at these games are life long relationships and spread over the territories. In some instances, they help to keep the territories into situations which would not be otherwise,” Lewis said.
The NSC chairman commended the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) for hosting the championships sponsored by Western Union and Supligen.
“Very few sport organisations in this country today can organise a tournament and ceremony such as this given a year,” Lewis said.
Lewis, however, noted that it was a pity that more clubs were not there or were not invited to witness what it was to host and start and prepare for an international tournament.
NSC chairman said that the GSA needed to spread the game outside of Georgetown, disclosing that there was a court at Kuru Kuru Co-operative College.
“The organisation that you have at the central level, is strong enough not only to focus in Georgetown, but to focus outside of Georgetown and get the game going outside of Georgetown,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the venture would be expensive but pointed out that there were cheaper models that the GSA could explore, challenging the body to develop one other court in some other part of the country by this time next year.
The NSC head observed that the corporate sponsors loved the GSA because the body was well “ordered” in its operations, reflecting accountability for funds, which was not the case of other organisations.
“I’m sure that your corporate sponsors are happy and comfortable in seeing that their money is well spent,” Lewis said.
Lewis disclosed because of errant sports bodies, two NSC members were appointed to look at accountability to ensure that the national body’s mandate would be realised in encouraging sport in Guyana.
“We cannot encourage sport in Guyana without properly run organisations,” Lewis declared.
The NSC chairman hinted at working in finally producing a National Sports Policy, towards which, a draft would be circulated shortly to all organizations and entities to discuss and on July 29, the NSC would be discussing with sport representatives what we want in the country.
GSA president Khalil Alli welcomed the teams from the Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Jamaica, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and Trinidad & Tobago.
Alli disclosed that the GSA was asked late last year to step in for Venezuela and within days they replied in the affirmative for three reasons: to promote the sport locally; to help develop young people socially through the important vehicle of sport and because local players had previous successes.
“Guyana has an unparallel position at the top,” Alli declared.
Marlon Williams spoke on behalf of Western Union Money Transfer and Jonathan Beepat on behalf of Supligen, both plugging their businesses.