GASA hopeful of getting access to Aquatic Centre soon

On the heels of a meeting with the subject Minister for Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) President Dwayne Scott is very optimistic about the prospects of the sport discipline, going forward.
One of the key topics on the agenda was both entities’ involvement in getting the local swimmers back into the pool in anticipation for the Tokyo Olympics. To Scott’s delight, the opportunity for swimmers to get back into action is on the horizon.

GASA President, Dwayne Scott

“The Minister indicated that he will work and provide us with a solution for that, and he promised that before the end of the week we should have access to the pool (Aquatic Centre) for the athletes to train. He assured up that he will take the responsibility of working out with the Task Force and the Ministry of Health,” Scot said.
In the interest of protecting athletes, he continued by saying, “They asked us to provide him with a list of details and names of the athletes and actions that we will take to protect the athletes. That information (has) been provided to him, and he will provide a letter to us, giving approvals with the names of the athletes, (so) that that will be able to use the facility.”
Sending a contingent to the Olympics is no easy feat, and with the need to take caution in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall cost for such an activity is expected to be steep. With this in mind, the GASA President has taken the bold step to request assistance from the MCY&S.
“For the athletes who are involved in Olympics’ preparation, the Minister indicated that he is also willing to assist us with some financials to take them through this developmental phase. We need to put together a budget and approach the Minister on this, and he will advise us on what can be made available.”
Scott further advised, “This is notwithstanding the fact that all these athletes currently do have some form of support from the Guyana Olympic Association. It will not be a duplication, but it will be an addition to that, because some expenses have gone up, due to the COVID and different circumstances.”
Essentially, Scott noted, he is grateful for the fruitful discussion with the Sport Minister on the way forward for Swimming.
“So, this is what was discussed. We are extremely grateful for whatever opportunities are provided to this discussion, and whatever initiatives can be fostered and developed and realised through these engagements. I think it’s a commendable job being done by the Minister in trying to meet with the associations on a monthly basis, just to get updates and to work through situations and work through things,” Scott said.