Videsh Sookram, the Organising Secretary of Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, has indicated that financial support will be needed for the Guyana team he describes as one of the best ever that will attend the Central America and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships.
The CAC Bodybuilding Championship is scheduled for August 11-16 in El Salvador, and according to Sookram, the high costs attached to travel means that both the athletes and the coach will need some assistance.
“It is very important [getting financial support],” Sookram related to News Room Sport in an interview on Wednesday.
“The pandemic is one because it is very hard for an athlete to gather his own finances because gyms have been closed and most of the athletes are trainers, so corporate support will have to come on board and give us a big hand.”
Sookram related that airfare is about US$1,000 per athlete, and there are additional expenses for accommodation, meals, and pre-tournament preparation.
Sookram, who is also a Fitness Coach, indicated that he strongly believes this team can bring home numerous gold medals.
The athletes selected are former medallists Kerwin Clarke, Emmerson Campbell, Yannick Grimes and Rawle Greene, along with Miss Bikini Rosanna Fung, Roger Callendar, Darius Ramsammy, and Nicholas Albert.
“I think everybody on this team is capable of medalling and I think we might turn up with the largest amount of gold medals that we ever had for bodybuilding at CAC with this team.”
He too felt that the restrictions imposed by the pandemic would have derailed the progress many of the athletes were making, but at the same time, it afforded them the opportunity of rest and a chance to work closely on their nutrition.
In a recent interview with News Room Sport, both Campbell and Ramsammy expressed confidence they are way ahead in their preparation ahead of the event due to off-season work.
When Guyana last participated at the Championships in 2019, Clarke won gold in Under-176lbs Class and Grimes, a bronze in the Men’s Physique.
