Athletics Commonwealth Games team still wide open

By Treiston Joseph

President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson, says the composition of Guyana’s athletics team to the Commonwealth Games is up for debate with the season still early.

The AAG has not stipulated any specific criteria for the selection of the team, but is hoping to rely on the performances of athletes early in the season instead of looking at past performances.

Hutson noted that with the Commonwealth Games set for April, which is fairly early in the season, the AAG is in a tough spot in terms of team selection.

As such, the Association is hoping that its long list of athletes can turn in good performances at regional competitions in an effort to make the five-member squad.

“I think trials locally may be out of the question unless we plan to do a run off based only (on) what we are seeing, it’s very, very early in the year- athletes haven’t started competing at regular distances as yet. What I know Leslain Baird (National Javelin record holder) has requested is the opportunity to go to Trinidad to be a part of Trinidad trials in February and what we have done since is contact Trinidad and Tobago and they have gladly welcome us to be a part of their trials.

“So in the near future just after our AGM the clubs should be receiving correspondence for the athletes we would have had on our long list to be a part of that movement of athletes to Trinidad to see if they can compete and gain the attention of the AAG and Guyana Olympic Association as to the level they are at,” Hutson shared.

In addition, Hutson pinpointed that since the GOA is the local affiliate for the Commonwealth Games, even if the AAG wanted to fund other athletes outside the five allotted it will be at the consent of that association.

“Commonwealth Games are games that come under the Olympic movement so we have to work with the Guyana Olympic Association; once you hear the term games it’s a multiplicity of sporting disciplines, if it was the Commonwealth Athletics Championships it would have been directly with us.

“We would have asked the GOA if the possibility exist that even if we want to pay for extra athletes and they (GOA) indicated to us no because of some of the quota systems that exist, but we just maybe…you know once we have athletes who would force us (AAG) to go to them (GOA) and say we think you need to rethink this position, we must have something to bargain with,” Hutson stated. 

The Commonwealth Games is scheduled for April 4-15 in Australia.