A section of the athletes that will represent Guyana at the upcoming Games
A 69-member contingent will represent Guyana at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, set to open on June 23rd in San Salvador, El Salvador and according to the GOA, this has costed the Association over US$100,000.
This revelation was made on Tuesday afternoon during a briefing and information sharing exercise on the CAC Contingent hosted at Olympic House, Liliendaal.
GOA Treasurer Garfield Wiltshire
“A significant cost in going to the Games; in 2018, the cost for accommodation of athlete at the Games Village was $5 per athlete, the cost has jumped to $55 per day per athlete in 2023. So, you can see how significant a cost it is, and the GOA has had to, well we expended close to $150,000 USD to take the team to the 2023 CAC Games,” GOA Treasurer Garfield Wiltshire disclosed.
However, the hefty cost is a small price to pay for giving Guyanese athletes the exposure and competition that they need.
Wiltshire went on to share, “It’s a substantial investment, but we feel that it’s important that the athletes get the necessary exposure and benefit from participating in these Games, even though the cost is a significant one to the Guyana Olympic Association.”
Meanwhile, GOA President Godfrey Munroe, at the same forum, charged the 52 athletes with being good ambassadors of the Golden Arrowhead. Munroe shared, “I know going to these Games, it’s going to be a very competitive Games, and from this end, the Olympic Association end, we always speak about managing expectations, but ensuring that you do of your best, be good ambassadors.
“We know that we face difficulties, but we are a resilient bunch and we can lead by example, as good patriots and ambassadors. So, the expectation is for you to do of your best, support your teammates, and if we get medals, that’ll be the icing on our cake, but do your best,” the GOA Boss went on to encourage.
A 52-athlete strong contingent will represent the Golden Arrowhead later this month in San Salvador, El Salvador and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at the 24th edition of the Games.
Accompanied by 17 officials, Guyana will compete in 10 disciplines, namely: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Fencing, Hockey, Swimming, Table Tennis, and Weightlifting.
Given certain restrictions, the Guyanese team will not all be in San Salvador at once. Archery will compete from July 2nd to 7th, Athletics from July 3rd to 8th, Badminton from July 1st to 7th, 3×3 Basketball from June 30th to July 2nd, Boxing from June 22nd to 28th, Fencing from July 2nd to 7th, Hockey from June 28th to July 6th, Swimming from June 24th to 29th, Table Tennis from June 21st to 27th, and Weight lifting from June 23 to 27th.
Meanwhile, the Hockey team will be competing in Santo Domingo.
