Elite training, university scholarships, stipend for athletes – Minister Ramson

Guyanese athletes made history at the 51st Carifta Games in Grenada, achieving the highest medal count ever seen.

Applauding the remarkable efforts of the 25 athletes who represented Guyana, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. expressed great enthusiasm for the future of ‘team Guyana’.

“We are champions. I have the privilege of welcoming you home back to our shores, returning wearing gold and glittered in glory,” the minister told the athletes during a red-carpet welcome at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), on Tuesday evening.

He continued, “Many of you are unaware of the impact that you have on this country just by succeeding in the way that you did. So next Carifta games, we are going to be letting everyone know all the other countries know that we are coming for more medals.”

Minister Ramson announced that the ministry has already established an elite training programme that will see Olympic coaches and medallists from the United States of America providing intensive training to athletes. The programme is expected to be operational in August this year.

In addition, the minister revealed ongoing efforts by the government to secure scholarships for athletes and coaches to attend overseas universities.

Furthermore, the sports minister emphasised that Guyana’s success in sprint disciplines is a significant achievement, underscoring the government’s substantial investment in sports as yielding tangible results.

“Amongst this group and on these shores, Guyana has its very first Olympic track and field medallists… [you] can’t tell me that we don’t have the talent, what we just didn’t have was the collective vision and effort to achieve that common objective. We got the talent so now it is time to realise our greatest potential,” he underscored.

Alluding to the past events surrounding last year’s Carifta games, the minister reported that a robust system for athletes’ departure from the country was established and has proven successful in its execution.

“I am reporting to the public that as far as our responsibilities are concerned which is to get the administration of sport and governments of sport at the premium level, so that they [athletes] all of them, our babies, our kids, our future, they can realise their purest potential,” he emphasised.

Moreover, all athletes who have won a medal will automatically receive a monthly stipend. The ministry’s stipend support programme was implemented following the return of the Carifta games in 2022, to provide the necessary support to the nation’s athletes.