As the 56th National Schools’ Championship came to an end some student athletes were selected to be part of the National Elite Camp.
The two week-long camp should begin in January following finalization with stakeholders.
While 32 athletes were selected from taking part in Nationals, five did not, as the camp looks to have athletes prepared for the 2017 CARIFTA Games.
These athletes were identified by Commissioner on the National Sports Commission Edison Jefford who noted that the list will be sent to the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) for concurrence.
He informed that following a collaborative effort between hosts of the Schools’ Championships: Ministry of Education and Guyana Teachers’ Union and AAG to introduce The Fully Automatic Timing System (FATS) at Nationals, authentic times were produced for the athletes.
The Commissioner stated that he played a major role in facilitating the AAG that operated FATS at Nationals for the first time this year where discussions were held with AAG President, Aubrey Hutson about identifying potential athletes for national selection.
“It is hoped that the AAG, National Sports Commission and Government partner in a substantial way to facilitate the training and development of these athletes since they will form the core of a national team for the CARIFTA Games,” Jefford indicated.
Jefford said that all senior Coaches should be invited to assist in training the athletes; he named Wanda Richmond, Johnny Gravesande, Julian Edmonds, Mark Scott and Rawle Griffith among the possible candidates for the Coaches Panel.
