The yearly review of the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) lists as one of its major successes, the performance of Guyana's national female volleyball team who performed outstandingly against Suriname and defeated a team of experienced players from the MELBV Volleyball Club of Boa Vista, Brazil, when the GVF hosted that club last October.

Also, for the first time, the females were represented in large numbers when the federation organized a FIVB Coaches Level 1 Course in August.

The women were also actively involved in the annual "Women in Sports" activity at the National Park. They also organized many of the fund-raising activities of the federation and were in the frontline of forging links with other federations to promote "peace and unity through sport" and promoting "fun volleyball" and "all-fours volleyball" at the corporate level.

The federation also noted that the commitment and resilience of officials and players of the GVF to meet and overcome challenges and the great improvement in the standard of play of the female players coupled with the efforts of the federation to popularize the game.

At the international level, the GVF, despite many constraints, fulfilled its obligations of pursuing activities within the "Bloc Development Plan" by sending male and female teams to Suriname for a series of matches and hosting MELBV from Boa Vista, Brazil. Those experiences benefited the national players immensely and the federation was able to achieve those aims at the lowest possible cost.

According to a release from the federation last year could be described as a challenging time for volleyball because during the early part of the year the federation lost the services of its vice-president and secretary general through migration, and was without the services of its Media Commission Coordinator.

A conflagration at the president's business place severely affected his communication channels. However, due to the `infrastructure' established in the previous year, of having functioning associations in the three counties; the commitment and dedication of acting secretary- general, Linden Couchman and competitions committee coordinator Emmanuel Khan; and the other hard working officials and dedicated players, the federation was able to achieve 100% in the execution of its National Competitions for Males and Females at both the senior and "B" Division levels.

According to the GVF all officials and players must be commended for rising to the challenges and for turning adversities into opportunities. Guyana did not participate in the 2003 CSV North Zone Championships but the male and female players that were in training did not lose heart or focus. The GVF was able to make arrangements at very short notice for the players to tour Suriname, in keeping with the "Bloc Development" Plan.

The federation wishes to extend its gratitude to several agencies and businesses without whose support its work for the year could not have been accomplished.