7-member junior chess team off to French Guiana alongside IGG contingent

The Guyana Chess Federation’s junior chess teams have departed for French Guiana, accompanied by members of other sport disciplines, to participate in the 2024 edition of the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) from October 24 to 26, 2024.
The young female team comprises Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi, Ciel Clement, Kaija Clement, and Italy Ton-Chung. The young males comprise Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber, Alexander Zhang, and Omar Shariff. Kyle Couchman and Amara Branche, who were selected to be part of the teams, respectively, opted out at the last minute, leaving the male team with one member short. Kaija Clement was able to fill in for the females. The team are led by Coach Roberto Nero and officials Tanya Clement and Archana Joshi.

The seven sport disciplines that will contest the IGG are athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, chess, futsal, swimming, and table tennis. Travel arrangements were made by the National Sports Commission (NSC), which provided uniforms for every player and official.
The 140-member contingent met with Culture, Youth, and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr on Monday at the Guyana National Stadium Providence. The Minister declared that the teams represent the elite athletes in their age group in their respective disciplines and encouraged them to stay safe, compete to win, and enjoy this adventure to French Guiana.
The contingent is expected to arrive in the host city, Cayenne, today, October 22, 2024, to attend the opening ceremony before the competition begins.
The Inter Guiana Games began in Suriname in 1967 to strengthen relationships and forge bonds among the three territories through sports and shared values. French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana will be represented by the best athletes in their individual categories. Guyana will host the IGG in 2025.