National sports database to be established

Georgetown, GINA, June 14, 2016

A national database for sports will soon be established. It will have the history of athletes in the various disciplines. The database will be used to monitor training and development of athletes and this should make it easy when selecting athletes to represent Guyana.

Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, during a meeting with various sports associations in Guyana, asked that the associations provide the relevant information to the National Sports Commission (NSC). “We are hopeful that such a database could come on scene in August of this year, providing that the information that we seek is provided,” Jones said. The meeting was held at the Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue, June 11, 2016.

Jones explained that the E-Governance Unit would provide the technical guidance to the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Lovern Fraser, who is a member of the team developing the database, noted that such a database is important to the development of sports in Guyana. “This is something that is definitely needed for Guyana because it is really a pain when you have young people involved in a sport and there is nothing that they can emulate or anything they can follow because, there is no record,” she said.

Fraser noted that, the information that will be stored in the database “will be unique and synonymous with each association.”

According to Fraser, there are many persons who contribute significantly to sports but are not known to the public. “There is not anywhere official where you can go to and say well by virtue of the experience, certification, what are the requirements for a coach to be able to coach a team at this level, this is why he or she has been selected,” Fraser explained.

Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry, said she was happy to see that the database will be coming on-stream. “I do believe that there is value for data because, data is what should drive policy and that should determine where you move forward based on what your data is saying,” the Minister said.

The Minister pointed out that sport worldwide is becoming scientifically based; hence government sees it useful to make such an investment which will develop the level of sport in Guyana. Minister Henry pointed out that “this mechanism is not a standalone, but rather will be integrated with the establishment of a high performance centre and the creation of an elite core of athletes.”

The database will be organized to target a wide range of athletes countrywide and will also be used to select national teams to represent Guyana.

Minister Henry first spoke of the establishment of a national database for sports during her presentation on the 2016 National Budget on February 10, 2016. “The database will serve as a primary tool to access athlete’s development and serve as a mechanism through which athletes are monitored to enhance their training and professional development,” Henry had said back then.