Held under the theme “Maintaining our Traditional Practices while promoting a Green Economy”, the 2019 edition of the Heritage Games kicked off in grand style.
The opening saw hundreds of people gathered last evening at the Everest Cricket Club ground under the moonlight to witness the opening of three days of action, featuring sports such as cricket, football, volleyball and archery.
Hon. Valerie Garrido-Lowe
The night opened with the Guyana Defence Force leading the march past as competing villages followed close in unison to every step of the beat. Also present at the ceremony were: Director of Sport, Christopher Jones; Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Hon. Sydney C. Allicock; and Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Hon. Valerie Garrido-Lowe.
In an address to the large gathering, the Hon. Valerie Garrido-Lowe said, “I welcome you this evening to the Heritage Games 2019. The Heritage Games are growing, changes will have to come, as things will not always remain the same. For us, it is wonderful, as we are proud of the level that this sport has taken. I believe that soon we will have matches being played on an international level, as persons from overseas will visit and compete alongside us.
Hon. Sydney C. Allicock addressing the audience
“We have seen an increase in our Guyanese brothers and sisters from all ethnic races coming out to celebrate with us in our culture, and it feels as though we are one. These Heritage Games have become a Guyanese Heritage for us. It can be compared to our motto, which states: ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’, we have changed for the better. So I welcome you all to the Heritage Games, and I hope you enjoy what it has to offer.”
Also echoing the same remarks was Hon. Sydney C. Allicock, who urged the sportsmen and women to work hard towards their goals, and do so in all honesty and fairness.
He also said that, over the three days of the Games, competing athletes should carry themselves with discipline and show sportsmanship. “Sports is what we can term a universal language, where there is no ethnic group, age, country; nothing but happiness, as long as you are an honest sportsman.
“The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, and the Government by extension, is aware of this, that is why we continue to be bigger and better every year. I must urge the teams that, after these three days, whatever the results be, that the teams must plan ahead for 2020, to avoid hiccups.
“I urge you to be good sportsmen. Everybody (is a) winner in their regions, but we are looking for champions; but we must celebrate nevertheless. We are expecting high quality performance from everyone when they step out on to the field.”
The action will commence today at 09:30 hrs. The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs is expecting that more than 600 sportsmen and women hailing from Indigenous villages across Guyana’s ten regions will be competing in the Games, and several cash prizes and trophies will be up for the taking.
In addition to the headline sports, the weekend’s activities would offer a number of novelty sports, such as: piwari-drinking, hot tuma pot-eating, firewood bursting competition, lime-and-spoon race, and other traditional novelty games.
