While the spotlight has been on the distressing experience of the talented Guyanese track and field athletes at the CARIFTA Track and Field Championships in the Bahamas over the Easter weekend, reports are that the experience for the Guyana’s national swimming team at the CARIFTA Games in Curacao was also stressful as GASA failed to to properly organize the participation of Guyanese athletes in the regional swim meet.
Despite their rigorous training and preparation, Guyanese national athletes found themselves facing one obstacle after another. The poor condition of the pools at the National Aquatic Centre led to closure of the facility multiple times over the past four months and crucially, two weeks before the team left for Curacao. GASA’s poor planning and execution threatened to dash the athletes’ hopes and dreams as everything was done at the ‘last minute’. Unlike in the past, no meeting was held with parents of swimmers to apprise them of the plans including whether they would have to fund their children’s participation in the Games. Parents were assured that those who met the qualification standards would be funded. However, approximately one week before the athletes were set to leave, GASA advised clubs that parents and/or the swimmers’ clubs would have to find money to pay for their airfares under the condition that they would be reimbursed after GASA received the monies from the Guyana Olympic Association and the National Sports Commission. This was an enormous financial burden on parents since by this time, there was limited availability of airline seats, and those available were quite expensive due to the last minute bookings.
Consequently, members of the team were forced to travel separately, with two separate groups overnighting in Suriname before heading to Curacao, and others going through Panama. Additionally, there was a lack of uniformity among Guyana’s swimming team compared to other teams at the Carifta Games. While all other teams had nationally branded equipment and outfits such as bags, tech suits, tracksuits and T-shirts, Guyana’s team members were given a mere one jersey each leading to no uniformity among them.
Up to yesterday, the Curacao Amateur Swimming Association had not yet received from GASA, money to pay for the Guyanese swimmers’ participation in the CARIFTA Championships, including for their accommodation, race fee and meals. This deadline for payment was four weeks ago. It is only through the graciousness of the Curacao Association that the Guyanese team was allowed to participate but it was embarrassing for the athletes and officials to be asked when the money would be paid.
Many have also questioned the silence of GASA considering the historic and extraordinary performance of Raekwon Noel, who won five gold medals for Guyana, and in the process smashed two CARIFTA records and reset five Guyana National Records. Up to press time, GASA had not put out any statement offering congratulations or called Noel himself to congratulate him. Some onlookers therefore note that while the Amateur Athletic Association is being rightly criticized for its treatment of the track and field athletes at the CARIFTA 2023, GASA deserves equal condemnation.
How can we expect our athletes to perform optimally on an international stage when sports administration in Guyana is so poor?
