As a part of its mandate, the National Sports Commission (NSC) is striving to decentralize sports in Guyana. In so doing, the NSC has introduced a number of training courses for sports that are not considered mainstream.
Director of Sport Christopher Jones
During the past week, an international level four coach conducted a level one archery course for local archers hailing from the hinterland regions. Owing to the success of this course, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, announced that the commission is seeking to introduce a new sport to Guyana, primarily targeting athletes from Regions One (Barima-Waini), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
“We’re hoping that before the conclusion of 2018 we can bring into Guyana someone who can do a level one training as it relates to kayaking,” Jones announced.
He explained that the inspiration for this sport came from the fact that students within the hinterland regions often use canoes as a means of moving to and from school. “The students, to get to school on a daily basis, you would see them on their canoes. Therefore, they are actually built for kayaking,” he explained.
It is the hope of the Sports Department to increase sport participation of students in the hinterland regions. “So we’re hoping to have such a person come to Guyana to conduct those trainings, so those athletes in those Regions: 1, 7, 8, 9, will have an opportunity, like those on the coastline, to participate in sport,” Jones said.
The decentralization programmes will provide equal opportunities for students from both hinterland and coastline to participate in sport.
