Core sports to get financial boost for Academy programmes

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) will soon be presenting Gy$500,000 to 10 of Guyana’s 12 core sports in an effort to better the quality and training provided by their National Sports Academies.
The move is being carried out in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC), and is part of a financial assistance package for the acquisition of equipment.
The brainchild of subject Minister Charles Ramson jr., the financial assistance mechanism is a first in local sports history, and will assist the disciplines of athletics, badminton, basketball, hockey, lawn tennis, rugby, squash, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball.

It is important to note that cricket and football, the two largest sports on the local landscape, have been excluded from this grant, as they are the recipients of annual financial aid from their respective global and regional governing entities.
Speaking on the groundbreaking initiative, Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, divulged that the project came as a result of talks between the sports entities and associations.
“This initiative is a novel approach to the development of sports, and is the brainchild of the Honourable Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. It is a direct consequence and result of the discourse between the associations of the core sports, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport and the National Sports Commission; and highlights the importance of communication, cooperation, and collaboration between sports organisations and Government agencies and bodies,” Ninvalle expounded.
“This programme illustrates that the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport and the National Sports Commission understand what is required in the developmental process, and are committed to ensuring that sports continue (the) upward trajectory and growth,” Ninvalle shared.
The Director of Sport added, “The associations are very supportive of this gesture, and welcome this initiative, which will certainly improve and evolve in the future. By the same token, additional assistance and collaborations between the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, the National Sports Commission, and the sports fraternity will be a (recurring) theme as we strive to enhance our sporting culture and landscape.”