Once upon a time, all of us was in chains - Kendrick Lamar, song “Not Like Us”.
Given the challenges facing contemporary Caribbean society - sport in the region is in danger of being left behind and left out if sports leaders don’t get their act and house in order declared Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana as he called on Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) to take the lead an act with a sense of urgency and engage regional governments and Caricom as a matter of priority.
Stop thinking small! Be Bold! Think Big! Be Innovative! Advocate and lobby for the power of sport to drive holistic national and regional development including economic development–Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
The CANOC executive held a strategic planning retreat in Georgetown, Guyana last Friday and Saturday. It was an intense two days of meetings and discussions that had significant implications for the present and future of the Caribbean Olympic movement.
What made the two days invaluable is the fact that, unlike the majority of Olympic movement meetings, the entire agenda focused on Caribbean issues and concerns, problems, and solutions. The focus was on cooperation, coordination, and collaboration, not subordination. Unlike IOC (International Olympic Committee), Pan Am Sports and other global sport meetings where the lack of genuine interest in issues and matters that impact the Caribbean is a reality.
In Guyana, CANOC had two significant meetings - one with Dr Ali that was exceedingly progressive, and the other at the Caricom Secretariat with Dr Wendell Samuel - senior Economic Advisor to the Secretary General and Acting Assistant Secretary General Directorate of Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, David Prendergast, Director, Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, Davion Leslie, Programme Manager, Human Resource Development, Directorate for Human and Social Development, Sherwin Toyne-Stevenson Programme Manager; Crime and Security Directorate for a Human and Social Development and Timothy Odle, Deputy Programme Manager Services Sector Development Directorate for Economic Integration, Innovation and Development.
The discussions focused on strengthening regional collaboration, advancing sustainable sports initiatives, and the role that sport can play in holistic national and regional development.
CANOC president Keith Joseph asserted during the two days that the Guyana Olympic movement has an important role to play in the development of the broader Caribbean Olympic movement and Caribbean sports movement.
Joseph also said that CANOC’s interest is sport for development and noted President Dr Ali’s commitment to the engagement of sports people (and) sports organisations as a critical mechanism for the development of Guyanese society, and ultimately, for the development of Caribbean society.
He (Joseph) expressed to the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and media that he was happy that the GOA and sport in Guyana have the support of the current leader of the government, and further noted Dr Ali’s commitment to work with CANOC to broaden CANOC’s engagement at the level of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
What came across crystal clear is the current Guyana president’s determination that sport and culture are integral to Guyana’s national development strategic plan. More significant is his appreciation that in the modern world - sport is a business with the potential to facilitate sustainable economic development.
Guyana’s potential to become the Hub for sustainable Culture, sport, and entertainment firstly in the Caribbean and the Americas is tremendous.
In 2015, Exxon Mobil discovered 11 billion barrels of oil off the coast of Guyana.