By Avenash Ramzan
Guyana’s delegation to the Tokyo Olympic Games later this month will include a COVID Liaison Officer/Physiotherapist, the Guyana Olympic Association announced on Saturday.
During a press conference at its headquarters in Liliendaal, President of the Association, K.A. Juman Yassin, related to the media that Angelica Holder will be part of the country’s 16-member group to the July 23 to August 8 global showpiece.
Holder, speaking on her role, explained: “As the COVID protocols relate, everyone travelling to Tokyo will be undergoing daily testing, twice a day. I would have to report on the current status of everyone- coaches, officials and athletes- including myself, on whether negative or positive results have been submitted.”
“I would also have to make arrangements with Tokyo if we have any persons testing positive, to get them isolated or get them to the hospital if symptoms are present. Luckily, I’m also a Physiotherapist who worked in the COVID unit so I can also handle any severe respiratory distress.”
Holder added: “Everyone in the delegation is required to download two Apps prior to travelling, one is the Ocha App, which is basically a health reporting App; that’s what they will use to report their status every day. When they arrive in Tokyo, they will have to download the Cocoa App, which is basically an App that everyone in the Olympic Village will be using via Bluetooth.”
The Cocoa App will record positive COVID-19 cases within the Olympic Village and notify persons who have been in close proximity to immediately isolate, Holder explained.
Meanwhile, Treasurer of the Guyana Olympic Association, Garfield Wiltshire, has been designed Chef-de-Mission of Team Guyana and four-time Olympian Aliann Pompey will travel as the Athlete Representative at the Games.
Below is Guyana’s full contingent to the Games:
Garfield Wiltshire- Chef-de-Mission
Angelica Holder- COVID Liaison Officer/Physiotherapist
Deion Nurse- Secretary General
Aliann Pompey- Athlete Representative
Julian Edmonds- Athletics Manager/Coach
Denzel Abrams- Athletics Coach
Idi Lewis- Table Tennis Coach
Sebert Blake- Boxing Coach
Shyka Gonsalves- Swimming Coach
Aliyah Abrams- (Athlete) Women’s 400m
Jasmine Abrams- (Athlete) Women’s 100m
Emanuel Archibald- (Athlete) Men’s 100m
Chelsea Edghill- (Athlete) Women’s Table Tennis
Keevin Allicock- (Athlete) 52-57kg Boxing
Aleka Persaud- (Athlete) 50m Freestyle
Andrew Fowler- (Athlete) 100m Freestyle