Coaches, administrators to benefit from First Aid, CPR training

The Guyana Lifesaving Society, in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC), has engaged the Canadian Lifesaving Society to provide First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training to scores of local Coaches and sport administrators.

The workshop began on Monday morning at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Homestretch Avenue, with almost every sport discipline represented.
There, Guyana Lifesaving Society President Paul Mahaica Sr outlined the objectives of the initiative, while praising Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle for his involvement.
“This programme is an initiative of our Director of Sport, who wants the sportsmen and women to be equipped, not only in their sports as a Coach but also be able to render first aid,” Mahaica enlightened the gathering of sport officials.

He continued, “I am so proud to see so many persons turned out; that shows the need for such a programme like this and I want to thank the Director of Sports for this wonderful programme.”
Ninvalle shared similar sentiments in his remarks, underscoring the importance of safety in sport.
He said, “For me, this is a very proud moment. I’m very, very excited with the numbers that we’re seeing here. This is a journey that would’ve started sometime back and even though Paul would’ve said thanks to me, I would have to say thanks to him, because he has been relentless in us trying to foster better relationships with the Canadian Lifesaving Society and this is exactly what we have done. It shows that when we collaborate, what we can achieve.

“What it says is that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, National Sports Commission and by extension, the Government of Guyana, sees the safety of sportsmen, women, administrators, and every Guyanese as something very important.”
“Each one of us can be an unofficial certifier o another person. So, let us share the information that we would’ve learnt in this seminar,” the Director of Sport further articulated.
In addition, Caribbean Development Coordinator at the Canada Lifesaving Society, Patrick D’Almada expressed a desire to see the skill being passed on over the next few years.
“And I would love to see in the future, as the Director said over the next four years, that we can do more first aid instructor programmes and I would like to see some of you in that programme. As he said, you become the one now that can unofficially go out and teach more people and first aid is a life skill,” D’Almada opined.
As such, the Director of Sport indicated that the programme would become an annual one.