Even as 36 young Guyanese swimmers prepare to compete at the Goodwill Games this weekend, the country’s leading power supplier has made the dreams of 15-year-old Joseph Matthews come a little bit closer to reality.
Joseph Matthews
In a simple ceremony at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) head office in Duke Street, Kingston, a cheque for an undisclosed sum was handed over to the young swimmer in the presence of his mother and coach.
GPL Assistant Public Relations Officer Natalie Pindar noted that the company was aware that there were times when it needed to exercise its corporate responsibility.
“This is in keeping with our corporate social responsibility. We have a special interest in youth, development and sport as well, so we’ve taken interest in Joseph’s performance over the years and we’re to be a part of such a venture. We’re happy to help Joseph,” Pindar stated.
She later went on to disclose that the entity has been very involved in sponsorship over the years. More recently, the power company threw its support behind the Guyana Police Force (GPF) sports.
Joseph, who only began swimming just over a year and a half ago, expressed gratitude and elation at GPL’s gesture.
“It feels very exciting actually. This is my first sponsorship and my first regional competition in Barbados,” he stated.
When questioned about his preparation, the teenaged swimmer disclosed that he would be in the pool every day until his departure for Barbados on Thursday. “I’m training hard and I want the win more than anybody else,” he said.
Matthews will be participating in four out of ten events in his 13-15 age group, inclusive of the 150 metres butterfly, 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke.
His coach, Haresh Bhagwan of Silver Sharks Speed Club disclosed that this decision was made given Matthews’ prowess in the pool. “The only reason he did not get the opportunity to swim the other events is because after distributing the events, three swimmers per event, Joseph has shown consistently that he is the fastest in the four as opposed to the others and we need him well rested to perform his utmost best,” Bhagwan said, highlighting that Matthews’ four events were the toughest in the competition.
Guyana’s 36 swimmers will depart for Barbados on Thursday along with five coaches. Last year, the local team surprised their opponents, placing third for the first time in decades. As such, the Guyanese team are looking to repeat the feat or even do better this time around.
