‘Historic’ new courts open at National Gymnasium facility

Story and photos by Jemima Holmes

The National Gymnasium will now be able to better facilitate multiple sporting disciplines being played simultaneously with the commissioning of three new outdoor courts.
Outdoor courts for Basketball, Futsal and Lawn Tennis will add to the diversity of the Mandela Avenue venue in Georgetown, with those disciplines eyeing expansion of their pools of players. The courts, which according to the Sport Ministry have been in the works for the past two years, have boosted the capabilities of the indoor facility, which has been home to over half a dozen sports in recent months.

Subject Minister Charles Ramson jr, after getting a good look at the courts and a feel of the spectators’ accommodations last Saturday, has described the move as a historic one.

“This is history in the making, that we’re able to have four sports at one facility being played at the same time. I don’t think any other facility, not just Guyana; I don’t think any other facility in the Region, probably, has that capability. So, we’re pretty proud of this,” Minister Ramson declared.

The Minister further explained, “This is something that we started working on in 2021 and continuously, after we started having a vision for this place; and we realize the importance, because it’s a connecting point between North Georgetown and South Georgetown, and there’s a lot of people living here. So, when we had a number of initiatives and a number of projects, it gave us the opportunity to expand the horizon and see what this facility really can do.”
Ramson jr went on to share the aim of the additions to the venue, noting that it provides entertainment in a more safe, responsible environment.
He divulged, “The aim is to give everybody an opportunity to play (at) different points of the day, day or night, and different types of sport. So, it’s a very satisfying feeling from the Government side, but it also is a much more satisfying feeling seeing so many young people being part of so many different types of sport being played at the same time.

“Plus, on the spectating side, it gives so many people the opportunity to come and have good quality entertainment; that’s responsible type of entertainment. So, it’s not just about the concerts and the bars. I think this is great, it really sends a strong signal for the country about where we’re going and where sport’s going,” the Sport Minister added.
A few other stakeholders were present to ‘take in’ the new Courts, with Jermain Slater, representing Basketball; Cristy Campbell, representing Lawn Tennis, and Jamaal Shabazz, representing Football, appreciating what the new facilities would do to boost their respective sports.

“Something like this we’ve always wanted: more facilities. And this is not just another facility; I mean, it has the FIBA- approved hoops, as you can see; sufficient lighting; the court size is standard court size; we have good bleachers, so people can brace their backs, relax and enjoy basketball; and it’s a space for our own,” Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) President Jermaine Slater shared.
Slater added about the significance of the basketball court, especially for the ongoing One Guyana League, “So we don’t have to compete with a lot of persons wanting to use the space to do other events. The Minister has made it clear that this is a basketball space, because we find some courts, there’s other things that happen on a basketball court, but this is our space, and this space is specifically dedicated to this league.”
Meanwhile, in the case of Tennis, the courts will be used to expand the sport, as revealed by Guyana Tennis Association (GTA) President Cristy Campbell.
Campbell disclosed, “It’s a good feeling, and the tennis fraternity is extremely pleased and grateful as well to see this facility in its final stage. Of course, we’re having a mini tournament here, and the overall objective is to expand tennis, and particularly we want to introduce the sport to the South Georgetown area.
“That aligns with our objective at the GTA: to expand and to reach new areas to introduce and also develop the sport,” The GTA President reiterated.
While it is not the conventional set-up for Football, Senior Men’s National Football team head Coach Jamaal Shabazz opined that the Futsal court can still be a place for discovering new talent.
“I think facilities is so important, first of all for participation, mass participation; and basketball, futsal, boxing, it’s always good to have somewhere where people could gather in a safe environment. and the way the facility has been refurbished, I think it’s very impressive,” Shabazz told this publication.
The Golden Jaguars Head Coach further stated, “The lights also add the opportunity to play after hours; and, you know, often times it’s in these situations with the grassroots players playing and participating you get some gems that can move into the national team.”
In addition to the opening, tournaments for the respective courts were also contested on Saturday evening, while the indoor aspect of the Gymnasium hosted Boxing for the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schools Boys and Juniors’ tournament.