“Baptism of fire” – Guyana’s sport product takes international spotlight in July

President Dr Irfaan Ali has long preached about his intentions to transform Guyana into an international sporting hub, making Guyana the premier destination for international sport events in the Caribbean region.
As sport associations adopt the President’s vision and work towards a common goal, this July will be the ultimate test for Guyana’s capabilities on the international front.
The proverbial “baptism of fire” will see Guyana hosting the GT Challenge de las Americas at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri; the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Men’s Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH); New Zealand’s ODI tour of the West Indies; and the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, both at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
With this season fast approaching, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr Jr is “feeling the pressure” as he highlighted the magnitude of those events.
“How do I feel? Pressured, and that’s just coming off of Independence,” Ramson Jr shared cheekily. “So, what I can tell you, it’s courageous being able to host those four major, major tournaments where the global spotlight is there.”
He continued, “That’s at the international level. It almost doesn’t get any bigger than that unless we’re talking, like, let’s say you’re hosting the World Cup or Commonwealth Games.”
Ramson Jr Jr, speaking on the side-lines of another event, addressed what will be a fiery baptism for Guyana’s sport sector in hosting, attributing the success of being chosen to host such events to the partnerships they have formed with associations over the years.
“In terms of the international and global organisations having to approve that these tournaments are going to be held here, that is already a baptism for the country, an international baptism for the country,” the Sport Minister admitted.

“We could never have dreamt of hosting these tournaments, with the exception of the West Indies series – we’ve done that for decades; that was our big international event. Now, in different areas, we’re doing that in one month,” Ramson Jr shared. “What does that say for the various sports, is that all of the partnerships that are important are moving in the right direction. We could not do this without having a strong relationship with the Basketball Federation, motor racing association, GCB [Guyana Cricket Board] and CPL [Caribbean Premier League]. It takes time to build those relationships.”
Touching on the topic of investment, the Minister justified those made by his Ministry, especially in infrastructure, as renovations (some minor) are being carried out at each of the host venues currently.
“It’s not just making the investment; it’s making the investment that is right and then, at the same time, that fits our budget,” Ramson Jr explained.
He delved deeper. “There are lots of countries that have far more money than us, and they can go and spend billions of US dollars for a sporting facility, and that makes sense for them. We’re not there yet. I mean, I would love it one day, that we got there, but I know what we can afford now.”
“What we can afford now, we’re making these events happen here at a relatively low budget, comparatively speaking, and it gives us an opportunity to sell the country but also bring a lot of money into the country, a lot of direction into small businesses and all of the spin-off benefits, getting Guyana on the map,” he added.
Keen on presenting a good product to the wider world, Ramson Jr Jr shared how impactful a good impression will be for visiting athletes, fans and stakeholders.
The Minister said, “When they leave there, when they leave these events, they’re now a marketing agent for us. Without having any direct contract with them, paying any money but the experience they get from what we do, in terms of the investment.”
The GT Challenge de las Americas race is set for July 11 and July 12, while the CBC Men’s Championships will run from July 8 to 12. The West Indies will take on New Zealand in three ODIs on July 11, 13 and 16, while the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League runs from July 23 to August 1.
With high hopes, it is left to see whether Guyana’s sports fraternity will rise from the ashes of their fiery baptism like a phoenix, fulfilling a vision that has already been clearly set out by the Head of State. (Jemima Holmes)