THE 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games opened yesterday as some of the world’s best athletes converged on Glasgow Scotland for the hosting of what is being called the biggest games ever.
Although there are 53 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, 71 teams will participate in the Commonwealth Games, as a number of dependent territories compete under their own flag.
The four home nations of the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland – also send separate teams. Only six teams have attended every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games is the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with approximately 4 560 competing athletes across 17 different disciplines, although the country previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
Over the last 10 years, however, Glasgow and Scotland had staged World, Commonwealth, European, or British events in all 17 sports proposed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, including the World Badminton Championships in 1997.
Guyana will compete in the disciplines of squash, table tennis, athletics, swimming, boxing, cycling, and with the best athletes from the respective disciplines selected, there’s hope that the country can add to their medal count at the championship since its first attendance, which stands at 15 (three gold, five silver and seven bronze medals).
Aliann Pompey (400m Manchester England 2002), Winfield Braithwaite (boxing, Edmonton Canada 1978) and Philip Edwards (800 yards run) in 1934, when the Games was held under the British Empire, won Guyana’s three gold medals.
The athletes representing Guyana are: Nicolette Fernandes, Alexander Arjoon, Sunil Seth (Squash), Christopher Franklyn, Paul David, Shemar Britton, Idi Lewis, Trenance Lowe, Jody-Ann Blake, Nathalie Cummings (Table Tennis), Onika George (Swimming) Winston George, Adam Harris, Stephen James (Athletics), Mahendra Persaud, Lennox Braithwaite, Ransford Goodluck (Rifle Shooting), Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, Alanzo Greaves, Geron Williams, Scott Savory, Raynauth Jeffrey (Cycling), Theresa London, Eon Bancroft, Dennis Thomas and Imran Khan (Boxing).
The Guyanese will begin their medal hunt today.