Preparation for next year’s Olympic Games and qualifiers will be a little easier for boxing prodigy Keevin Allicock, after being awarded an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship.
With the Olympic Games on the horizon in 2021, Keevin Allicock has been afforded the luxury to focus entirely on his training, without having to worry about finances and stipends.
Keevin Allicock receiving the official documents from Guyana Olympic Association Executives (Abel Harris Photo)
This is one benefit of the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship, of which Keevin is Guyana’s most recent recipient.
Badminton’s Narayan Ramdhani, Table Tennis’s Chelsea Edghill and Shemar Britton, and Track and Field’s Troy Doris, Winston George, Brenessa Thompson, Andrea Foster and Kadijah Baird have all benefitted from the programme.
While Allicock was not a part of the initial list of Guyanese to receive the scholarship, the non-compliance of one athlete opened the portal for Keevin to benefit, and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) did not hesitate to nominate him a second time.
Guyana’s Keevin Allicock (Abel Harris Photo)
While the GOA had made provision to grant Allicock a stipend, GOA President K.A. Juman-Yassin informed that the scholarship will last until the Olympic Qualifiers. However, should he qualify, it would continue for a few more months.
“If he does not qualify for the Olympics, then it comes to an end; I believe the qualifying tournament comes sometime in May, so it means the scholarship will run until May. If he qualifies – and I sincerely hope that he would – then it runs until August,” Yassin informed.
Guyana Boxing Association President, Steve Ninvalle, was very elated about the development.
“We’re extremely happy at the level of the Executive of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA). I think it’s fair to say that it’s the first time since I would have been at the helm of this association that we would’ve had a scholarship handed to one of our boxers,” the GBA boss opined.
Ninvalle added, “Keevin will now be able to focus entirely on boxing, and this is something that we’ve been hoping for some time.”
Also speaking at the official handover ceremony on Saturday morning at the GOA Headquarters in Liliendaal, Allicock’s coach Sebert Blake pledged his commitment to seeing Keevin through to the Olympics.
Keevin Allicock is all ears to some valuable advice being dished out by Steve Ninvalle, K.A Juman- Yassin, Sebert Blake and Godfrey Munroe. (Abel Harris Photo)
“I just want to say thanks to the GOA for making what I would say is a great move in assisting Keevin to achieve his dream; and hopefully, we would be able to eclipse the medal Mr. Parris brought many moons ago. As coach of Keevin, I will try my utmost best to give as much to make sure that he comes out successful,” Blake shared.
On the receiving end of the benevolence, Allicock described the opportunity as a blessing that would allow him to put more focus and time into perfecting his craft ahead of the Olympics.
“I want to say thanks to the President of the Boxing Association, and I want to say a big thanks to the GOA that has been supporting me over the years. This is a blessing to me, and this would help me to focus more on the Olympic trials and, after that, the Olympic Games,” Allicock stated.
Ahead of the 2021 Games, Allicock, along with other local boxers, would have multiple opportunities to qualify for the Olympics. Allicock, along with Colin Lewis, Dennis Thomas and Desmond Amsterdam, spent a three-month stint in Cuba in preparation for the Olympic Qualifiers; however, those plans were quashed by the deadly coronavirus pandemic. (Jemima Holmes)
