Commonwealth Games set to open today

…Tough draw for table tennis, Poole optimistic about boxers

The 2022 Commonwealth Games are set to be opened today with a grand ceremony at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England. The pomp and splendour are expected to get underway from 2pm local time.

While Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, will not be in attendance at the opening ceremony, Prince Charles would perform the Royal duties. Prince Charles, along with his own remarks, will read his mother’s message at the opening ceremony.

Boxer Keevin Allicock and track athlete Aliyah Abrams will bear Guyana’s flag at the 2022 Games.

Meanwhile, every member of Guyana’s 32- member contingent has arrived, and each is settling in pretty well, with all the teams getting the necessary preparation in.
The table tennis team has described its draw for the Commonwealth Games as tough, in the words of Coach Idi Lewis. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the country’s male and female team would come up against some of the world’s top countries within the Commonwealth on Friday in the Team event at the National Exhibition Centre Table Tennis facility.
The team of Shemar Britton, Joel Alleyne, Christopher Franklin and Johnathon Van Lange, seeded 10th in Group One, would face England (#1 seed), Fiji and Bangladesh.
The females Chelsea Edghill, Priscilla Greaves, Thuraia Thomas and Natalie Cummings are down to face Fiji, India and South Africa in Group Two.
“It’s a tough draw, but I like our chances,” Coach Lewis said in an invited comment. “Those are teams we can beat and compete against, both male female; so, I like our chances to at least make it to quarter-finals.
In 2018 when the Games were hosted in Australia, the Guyanese women fell short of a medal in the team tournament when they were knocked out in the quarter finals by Singapore. The Men’s team exited in the Round-of-16, losing to Canada.
In the discipline of boxing, Coach Terrence Poole is finding the demands of international competition much easier with another coach accompanying him. For the first time, the boxing team has the benefit of two coaches, Poole and Sebert Blake.
Poole spoke about this development, saying, “It very, very much makes the work far easier, where one can concentrate on training and one can concentrate on going to technical meetings. So, that move is a wonderful move, and I do hope it’s just the beginning of the journey.”
In addition, the Coach has high hopes for his three-member team in Keevin Allicock, Desmond Amsterdam and Colin Lewis.
“I expect great things. I expect a podium finish,” Coach Poole has said on the eve of the opening ceremony.