Coronavirus: Georgetown GP, Milo Football and Rugby training put on hold

The Georgetown Grand Prix season opener, the Milo Under-18 Schools Football and all training sessions for the national rugby players have been put on hold indefinitely.

Organisers of all three events issued statements, citing the need to guard against the coronavirus outbreak, which was this week declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

Mahendra ‘Raj’ Boodhoo, the coordinator of the Georgetown Grand Prix, stated that due to the reported presence of the coronavirus here and post-elections developments, they have decided to postpone the March 21 event until further notice.

Four go-kart events, an increase from the three held last year, are slated for this season, in addition to the possibility of two Endurance events. The expanded schedule is aimed at providing more opportunities for the younger generation to develop their skills.

Apart from the race in March, the other scheduled dates are May 9, June 27 and October 17.

Last season, the main attention was the 125cc Juniors, given the stakes- a trip to race in Florida; Zachary Persaud won that after being chased by cousins Nathan Rahaman and Rayden Persaud.

They were also some impressive performances from Paige Mendonca and Jeremy TenPow.

Coordinators of the Milo Schools Under-18 Football tournament, the Petra Organisation, has taken the decision to suspend play until further notice in light of the recent developments regarding the coronavirus.

According to a correspondence, “The tournament has been suspended until further notice following the declaration of the closure of school from Monday 16^th March by the Ministry of Education.”

The Petra Organisation is urging all to take the necessary precautions stipulated by the Ministry of Public Health and Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).

The tournament, which is in its final stage of round-robin action, has been at a halt since March 1 due to post-election developments.

After 18 matches 78 goals have been scored and teams are hoping to secure a top-two finish in the group to progress; the best four third-place finishers will also progress to the round-of-16 stage.

And, the Guyana Rugby Football Union has cancelled all national training until further notice, due to the threat of the novel coronavirus.

Guyana was expected to compete in a regional tournament, the Rugby Americas North (RAN), in April. The Guyana Rugby Football Union is encouraging all eligible players to stay safe and to continue working on their personal fitness.