Several athletes and Associations have been beneficiaries of the National Sports Commission’s generosity following a request for funding towards various upcoming competitions and programmes.
Led by Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle and Chairman Kashif Muhammad, the NSC has made presentations to the Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation ($1.6M), the Guyana Badminton Association ($900,000), Youth Basketball Guyana ($500,000) and the Guyana Table Tennis Association ($1M for Chelsea Edghill).
The GBBFF’s assistance is towards their seven athletes participating at the August 11–16 Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Championships, which will be hosted in San Salvador, El Salvador.
(Seated) Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle and NSC Chairman Kashif Muhammad
Badminton’s request is to assist the Ramdhani siblings, Priyanna and Narayan, in training for future tournaments in Canada.
Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG), the organisation that has established itself as custodian and preserver of Schools’ basketball, had engaged the NSC for funding towards its return-to-play countrywide programme.
Ninvalle has said that since the installation of the six-member Commission by Minister Charles Ramson Jr, the NSC has been working hard behind the scenes to meet the needs of several athletes and associations. However, the recent support, Ninvalle noted, is just the beginning.
“We’ve just started, but there’s a lot more work to do, but we want to make sure that whatever little that we’ve done, we are able to justify why we have been supporting. It is not done by one person, we have a team of people working, so we pool our ideas and we’re also listening to the associations,” Ninvalle said.
According to the Director of Sport, the NSC will not be looking at how things used to be, but rather how they can ensure that sport doesn’t return to a state of despair.
Ninvalle is encouraging all sporting associations to reach out to the NSC for a frank discussion on their needs and how the Commission can play a part in helping to see them forward.
Guyana was represented by seven athletes at the Tokyo Olympics, and while their performances didn’t yield any medals or near-podium finishes, Ninvalle has said the National Sports Commission is proud of their efforts and is happy to have supported the realisation of their Olympic dreams.
The country’s Director of Sport has said the NSC has taken notice of the various athletes’ reflection of their plight and the need for support.
“This Commission is very cognisant of some of the hardships that the athletes would’ve gone through. So this Commission understands what is happening, and we would take a collective approach in order to alleviate some of the burdens that the athletes go through,” the Director of Sport has said.
Ninvalle has said the NSC will be working with all the various sports associations and advocating groups to help revamp, highlight, and advance sports in Guyana.
Prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the athletes representing Guyana each received $200,000 from the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as financial assistance towards their preparation.
