GOA hosts awards ceremony for 2012

– Guyana Times/ TVG Channel 28 journalist Avenash Ramzan receives Sport Journalist of the Year award

By Treiston Joseph –

The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) officially capped off its 2012 Olympic year with a classy awards ceremony at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street. As high ranking officials and special invitees embellished themselves in their elegant outfits while being serenaded to the soft acoustic melody of the steel pan, the night’s proceeding was brought to an official start by Vice-president of the GOA, Noel Adonis, who welcomed everyone to the event.

Administrative Secretary of the GOA, Shanomae Blackmore, then delivered the report of the year 2012 which featured some high points along with disappointments for the GOA. Among some of the high points, Blackmore highlighted the 62 million dollar that was invested last year to start the building of the GOA complex in Liliendaal, the training scholarships for four athletes, namely Jessica Stephenson, Aliann Pompey, Adam Harris and Adrian Spelling, all whom receive US$ 1000 per month.
She also highlighted the attendance at some international conventions, the maintenance of the Michael Parris (Guyana’s lone Olympic medalist) Fitness Centre and the Lloyd Harper long jump facility and the 2012 Olympics, in which Guyana participated in track and field, swimming and judo, but failed to capture a medal.
Further, Blackmore pointed out in her report that one major disappointment was the general thought of sport and the way the Olympic athletes were thought of by high ranking officials after their showings in London.
In the feature address delivered by senior lecturer of the University of Guyana (UG), Dr Michael Scott, which was titled “The Finish Line beyond that One Moment in Time”, Scott outlined that sport provides cohesion among society and helps with the educational discipline of athletes. Scott ventured further to say that in essence what defines the moment in time are the struggles to get to the finish line and all that come with it such as criticism and success that can define a person.
However, Scott concluded before congratulating the awardees that for Guyana to reach its peak, the country must engage the diversity of stakeholders to turn sports around.
“Finally, for the Olympic Ideal to be accomplished there must be engagement of a diversity of stakeholders to repair the fractures in sports and games – it is not about the athletes only but about what sports and games have become – an instrument of policy, commercialised, combative rather than competitive; as well as a potential ‘hand’ to get out of poverty,” Scott remarked.
Meanwhile, among the awardees Guyana Times Sport Journalist and TVG Channel 28 News Anchor, Avenash Ramzan, was recognised for his contributions to sport journalism in 2012. Ramzan is also the National Sports Commission Sports Journalist of the Year (Non-print) 2012, copping that award for the second year in succession.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) 2012 Trophy for Sports and Sustainable Development was won by the Buxton Youth Developers, while the GOA council member of the year 2012, Ivor O’Brien, was rewarded for his exceptional service.
The former secretary general of the GOA recently resigned from the association after serving as a member for 37 years.
Awarded for their contribution to sport were: Frank Tucker (body building), Richard Fields (rifle shooting), Beni Sankar (table tennis), Amir Khouri (karate), Maurice Amres (athletics and canoeing), Carmen Pertab (cycling), Linden Johnson (table tennis) and Donald Sinclair (body building).
Floral awards were also presented to Marva Patterson, Shanomae Blackmore, Desiree Blackman and Priyanna Ramdhani.