HE picked up the molten brand basketball that was presented to him by GABF president Nigel Hinds, one bounce and a smooth mid range jump shot that “swooshed” through the nets was all it took from President Donald Ramotar to commission the new basketball court in the West Coast Berbice village of Ithaca.
Flanked by Government officials – Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sports Steve Ninvalle and Presidential Adviser on Youth Empowerment Odinga Lumumba – President Ramotar spoke profoundly of the idea of the youths and other people from the village finally having a facility that would not only aid in their development of the game, but add to the growth of the sport in the area.
“I would like to see you care the facility and I would like to know that in our national team, from this facility, with hard practice and training, that we can have from this community, people to represent our country,” the Head of State said.
He further added, “Sports keeps you fit, and once you’re fit, it is also expected that you wouldn’t be just physically fit, but also mentally alert, and for young people who are studying in the various disciplines, it is expected that you will be able to learn more and grasp the new profession/education that you can develop with”.
“If you look at our country’s budget over the last years, you will see that the biggest expense that the government has is in the social sector. Most of the money goes to education, health, housing, water, and pension; largely because we think that those things are important to build the human capital.”
The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) president Nigel Hinds said that as Guyana prepare to participate in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championship in Tortola, the commissioning of the new facility shows the Government’s commitment to further decentralise the sport in Guyana.
Hinds went on to thank the Government of Guyana for their $2M contribution to the Championship-bound team and said that the GABF is very much open to working with the administration to help in the development of the game locally.
Meanwhile, Ninvalle noted the court is “yet another promise that is delivered by the Government of Guyana and finally the people, especially basketball players from Ithaca have a surface that’s fitting to play basketball.
“I hope, like the President said, it’s cared for and that it will help them to better organise themselves in the game of basketball.”
The President’s Youth Choice Initiative is the brainchild of President Bharrat Jagdeo, and was initiated in 2001 after countrywide consultations with youths, aimed at creating avenues and activities for them to beneficially use their spare time.
Written By Rawle Toney