International standard equipment arrive for CBC Championships
Upgrades to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) have hit new highs, as Guyana fine tunes preparations to
From left: Patrick Haynes, NSC Chairman Ivan Persaud, Nigel Hinds and Christopher Jones stand in one of the crates that housed level 1 FIBA certified basketball equipment
host the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Under-16 Championship which tips-off on Sunday.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Level 1 Certified Equipment, which includes the latest version of Gared Sports Basketball Goals, Shot Clocks, control system and other apparatus, arrived on Tuesday to be erected at the Sports Hall and are expected to be permanent fixtures.
However, preparations are still incomplete, since CBC Vice-President, Patrick Haynes on Tuesday said, “the federation and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has assured me that it will be completed prior to the start of the Championships and 70% completion is expected by the end of Wednesday June 29”.
President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation, Nigel Hinds described the arrival of the equipment as a momentous event and described what it meant to local Basketball.
Hinds posited, “it reinvigorates sports in the country the CBC U-16 tournament is about development, it is about the exposure of male and females from schools all across Guyana and the interest this will generate for basketball will be tremendous”.
Director of Sports Christopher Jones views the arrival of the equipment as extremely important and lauded the moment as “historic”.
Jones further revealed that the bold step of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to spend in excess of US$60,000 on the facility puts Guyana in a position to host any Caribbean or international basketball championships.
He added, “players can now benefit from upgraded locker rooms with granite countertop cupboards and showers that actually work”.
Rehabilitation works have been done on the washrooms and the VIP Area.
Guyana will host the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting during July 3-5, and it is likely that the Heads of CARICOM Member States that are playing in the CBC U16 Championships will visit the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The CBC games begin on Sunday July 3 with four games. At 13:00hrs Antigua & Barbuda will take on The Bahamas and Barbados will come up against the British Virgin Islands at 15:15hrs. Group B will see Jamaica taking on Suriname at 17:30hrs and host Guyana wrapping up against Aruba at 20:30hrs.
