Marks keen on making bodybuilding a prominent sport

By Treiston Joseph

Newly elected President of the Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GABBFF), Coel Mark, sat down with News Room Sport to share his thoughts and plans on the sport of Bodybuilding. Bodybuilding in Guyana was in need of a facelift and on February 18 it got just that when Marks was voted in as President.

“First and foremost, it’s creating a structured environment for the federation, so one thing we want to ensure we have economic viability… secondly, we want to ensure our athletes have enough information, certify more coches ad have more judges. Thirdly, we want to trap more patronage to the sport where persons can come enjoy the sport,” Marks noted.

Not only is Marks a breath of fresh air for the sport, but his plans will likely aid in developing and establishing the sport in the country. Further, Marks ventured to clarify the misconception of bodybuilding, noting that there is more to the sport than what meets the eye.

“What we do is facilitate the competitive nature of bodybuilding, but once you are sculpting your body as a man in the street, whether you have taken part in any sport, bodybuilding is a part of it because you take time with your body, so whether you are a regular man not interested in the sport lifting a dumbbell is bodybuilding,” Marks shared.

Marks is also hoping to tap into resources of the Government in the hope of improving the sport, revealing that only a federation that is responsible should be able to garner the resources of the  Government.

While Marks presidency is still in its infancy stage, there is no doubt that there is new enthusiasm for the sport and the new president, along with his executive, is hoping to leave a lasting impact.

“Essentially, the plan is to produce a strategy where the sport is stable and the model can be used even if our tenure is up, the plans we have is no copyright to us, but we want to ensure that the sport moves forward,” Marks shared. 

Marks and his executive committee will have the next two years to leave their stamp on the sport before another election is had. A change is the federation was needed and Marks seemingly has a plan to move the sport forward.