“Gov’t did not destroy Inter-Guiana Games” – Min. Norton

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─ “This administration, in no way or form, would try to destroy something we enjoy, something the athletes look forward to” – Min. Norton

─ Aquatic Centre, Leonora Track in bad state

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, December 4, 2018

The accusation by the Opposition that the Coalition Government destroyed the Inter-Guiana games was today dismissed as “farthest from the truth” by Minister of Social Cohesion, with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton.

The minister, speaking on the sidelines of the 2019 National Budget Debate, was responding to Opposition Member of Parliament and former Director of Sport under the PPP administration, Need Kumar.

“This administration, in no way or form, would try to destroy something we enjoy, something the athletes look forward to. We had good success at past games and we want it to continue,” the minister stated.

Dr. Norton said during Kumar’s tenure as Sport Director, he demonstrated little interest in the sector, citing his absence during the 2013 Inter-Guiana Games.

Further, Minister Norton made reference to the bad state of the National Aquatic Centre located at Liliendaal and the Leonora Track and Field, both constructed under the PPP government.

According to the minister, there are visible cracks at the bottom of the pool at the National Aquatic Centre while the synthetic material is already peeling at the Leonora track. This, he estimates, has just a few more years before it is totally destroyed.

“We do hope, because we are in the process of constructing two other tracks, in Region Ten, Linden and Region Six, New Amsterdam, that they are a much higher quality than that at Leonora.”

Stacy Carmichael

Image: Department of Public Information