AS Guyana prepares for another appearance at next year’s Commonwealth Games, Minister of Social Cohesion, who also holds the responsible for Sport, Dr George Norton, pledges help to enhance the country’s chances of winning medals at the event.

Norton, speaking at last weekend’s Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Meeting of the Americas and Caribbean, stated his mission but also noted that time is of the essence since the Commonwealth Games is five months away.
“My mission is to increase Guyana’s medal tally and ranking in the shortest possible time (and I want) to ensure that our athletes are given the necessary support to represent Guyana effectively,” Norton noted during his address.
The minister will be put to the test immediately, with Guyana’s Sevens Rugby team preparing for the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championship in Mexico, November 25-26.
Guyana team are known for their dominance in the Sevens format, having won seven regional titles; the most by any Caribbean team under the RAN umbrella, and Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) had stated that while retaining their title is priority, qualifying for a number of other international tournaments is also key.
This year’s RAN Sevens Championship is a qualifier for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO) Games, 2018 Hong Kong Sevens, Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 and Commonwealth Games.
Should the ‘Green Machine’ finish on top as expected in Mexico, they will make their second appearance at the Commonwealth Games. Guyana for the first time, in 2010, qualified for the Commonwealth Games, which was held in India.

In 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo-led Government of Guyana had contributed $5M to the GRFU to help prepare the team who were unsuccessful to secure a win against eventually winners, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada and Tonga.
Guyana have participated in 16 Commonwealth Games, with their first being in 1934, when the games were hosted in Hamilton, Ontario Canada, when it was known as the British Empire Games.
Phil Edwards, in 1934, won Guyana’s (then known as British Guiana) first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Winfield Braithwaite, in boxing, won the country’s second gold medal at the 1978 Games in Edmonton, Canada.
It was not until the 2002 games in Manchester England, that Guyana won another gold at the Commonwealth Games, thanks to Aliann Pompey’s exceptional run in the women’s 400m.
It was also Guyana’s lone medal win at the event that year. Pompey was also Guyana’s lone medal winner at the games in 2010, winning silver in the 400m.
Guyana, in total, won 15 medals in their 17 showings at the games – three gold, six silver and six bronze – and with the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) already beginning preparations for Guyana’s showing at the games in Australia next year, it will be interesting to see how Minister Dr Norton responds to the athletes’ request for assistance.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Gold Coast 2018, will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia between April 4 and 18.