Paradise, Friendship seek semi-final spots
—Christmas Day Inter Village football bonanza
The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) significantly assisted the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) with half of the US$30,000 needed to cover the cost for the threemonth training stint in Cuba for the local contingent ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers.
Christmas came early yesterday for the boxing association as Vice President of the GOA, Dr. Karen Pilgrim unwrapped a gift for the GBA to the tune of US$15,000.
The presentation came on the heels of the National Sports Commission’s pledge of $2.5M.
The monies will be used to cover the costs of expenses for boxers, Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis, Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas and coaches, Terrence Poole (MS) and Sebert Blake.
The outfit is scheduled to depart for Cuba on December 29.
While in Cuba, the Olympic hopefuls will be exposed to a high level of discipline, training, sparring partners, medical checks and coaching.
President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle pointed out that in the past, training stints ahead of major tournaments lasted just a couple of weeks and proved insufficient since Guyana has not clinched an Olympic berth since 1996.
Ninvalle, who was thankful for the GOA’s support, noted that preparation for the Qualifiers is paramount and that the three-month exposure should be adequate for the four boxers ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers.
According to Ninvalle, the Olympic Qualifiers will be staged from March 26- April 3 in Argentina.
Meanwhile, Dr. Pilgrim and President of the GOA, Kalam Juman-Yassin stated that the sport of boxing is dear to their hearts and as such saw it fitting to assist the sport which was won Guyana its lone Olympic medal.
Said Dr. Pilgrim, “GOA has always been happy to support sports in general. But boxing is close to our hearts. We are happy and proud to be part of this moment, proud to support the sport that has won us our only Olympic medal and perhaps the next.”
The remaining two berths in the semi-final round of the 592 InterVillage football championships will be decided this evening when Mahaica tackles Friendship and Buxton takes aim at Paradise at the Buxton Community Centre ground.
Tournament coordinator Eon Havercome during a pre-match comment said, “The knockout round has exceeded expectations in terms of atmosphere, drama and outcome. It has made for captivating and entertaining viewing for the respective spectators. We have seen two penalty shootouts already to decide the earlier quarterfinal matches which is a clear indication of the competitive nature of the event. We expect a similar drama filled evening tonight at the Buxton ground, a community which is passionate about football and their team. All systems are in place for a wonderful evening, the quarterfinal has set the trend for the semi-final section and the eventual finale. Once again I would like to thank the fans and more importantly the players for their support and commitment in making the tournament a success.”
Poole, who also thanked the GOA, then underscored that timely preparation will get the boxers and ultimately Guyana a better chance of medaling at the Qualifiers and
The Mahaica and Friendship encounter at 20:00hrs will set the tempo for the evening. The physical Mahaica unit will be led by Azuma Roberts, Eion Abel and Shameer Nazir, who are more than capable of grinding out a result come kick off time. However, Friendship possess the talents of Dillon Wright, Clive Andries and Okenny Fraser in their ranks and will be confident of securing the victory in front of a partisan crowd.
The main attraction will pit home side Buxton against tournament favourite Paradise. Given the quality of players on their roster, and led by individuals such as Quincy Adams and Tyreek Cummings, the Paradise unit will enter the match confident of overcoming the challenge of the home side.
However, Buxton are a formidable unit especially with a partisan crowd acting as the 12th man. The battle hardened unit will be led by the dangerous Eon Costello who is more than capable of dismantling any rearguard on the night.
The eventual champion of the event will pocket $500,000 and the championship trophy. On the other hand, the second, third and fourth place finisher will receive $200,000, $150,000 and $100,000 respectively and the subsequently the Olympics in Tokyo, 2020. corresponding trophy.
Similarly, individual prizes will also be awarded for the Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the tournament, the MVP of the finale, the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and the Best
Goalkeeper of the final. Some of the major sponsors of the tournament include Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, the NSC, Flavours Boss and the Colin Talbot Construction Services.