Linden Edition of Rawle Toney 3×3 Classic launched

…Winner to pocket $100,000

The Linden edition of the highly-anticipated Rawle Toney 3×3 basketball Classic was launched on Thursday evening at the Palm Court Restaurant and Bar on Main Street, Georgetown.

In the feature address of this launching, founder of the event, Rawle Toney, expressed gratitude to all the sponsors that made the event a success. He related that he is thankful to the sponsors, whom he believes are in support of his vision for basketball in Guyana.
Toney also said, “Sports is more than just a pastime in Linden, but, unfortunately, nothing is happening where basketball is concerned over the last three years. Linden is dear to me; it is where I had my start; it is where I represented Guyana. This initial event should have been held in Linden when I hosted the tournament on February 19-20. But the initial plan going forward is to host the entire tournament in Linden, rather than having a Georgetown edition and a Linden edition.”

He related that this event would be done differently, in that three teams would be coming from Georgetown and five from Linden.

“Each team will be given $25,000 for participating. I know it’s meagre, but it’s a start. We want to set a precedent similar to what happens in football, (wherein) teams are given a fee to participate, making the players who are a commodity feeling a bit appreciated”, Toney explained.
Toney divulged that some of Guyana’s top DJs would be in action, while there would be an international artiste out of Barbados, CKush, and a number of acts emanating out of the community would be performing.
Also sharing her view was Ansa McAL’s Hennessey Brand Manager Atina Samad, who noted that the brand is happy to be supporting sports in Guyana. She explained that this is also owing to the fact that the brand would be working to refurbish basketball courts in various communities, and sponsor similar events or initiatives in terms of basketball.
FK Sports owner Felix Walker explained that when approached on the idea of being a part of the tournament, he considered the decision a no-brainer, as the company has a passion for sports.
Apart from uniforms, each team would receive $25,000 as an appreciation for participating. The winning team would be awarded $100,000, while the second- placed team would be awarded $50,000 and the third-placed team $30,000.
This tournament will be played on April 23rd at the Richmond Hill, Linden residence of Kashif Muhammad, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Linden is celebrating 52 years as a town, and the tournament would mark the start of the week-long series of events to commemorate the occasion.