Guyana is working to be part of the Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship, an international powerboat racing competition. This was revealed by President Dr Irfaan Ali who spoke with the media at the Linden Regatta on Sunday.
The return of Regatta in Linden was made possible by host New Era Entertainment and sponsored by Team Mohamed’s. It is also a collaboration between the Guyana Cricket Carnival Committee and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
The packed event, which is part of the Cricket Carnival calendar, was held at the Kara Kara Blue Lake in Linden with patrons from all across Guyana in attendance.
“I am very pleased with the turn out here and this is just the initial stage of building a masterpiece of a [tourism] product.
“We are going to work with some international players also to have Formula 1 racing,” President Ali highlighted.
He added that Guyana is also looking to incorporate electric boat racing here.
“You know the world is going now in terms of electric boats and next year the world is going to have the first world championship and we are working to see how we can be part of that and if we can be part of that,” the head of state explained.
The main objective, however, is to build a tourism product with activities all across the country using sporting events and Guyana’s rich cultural diversity.
President Ali also related that the geographic spaces in the country will also be used to its advantage, “…making the best use of the advantages and competitive advantages each region has.”
He said Linden’s Blue Lake is “one of the most beautiful venues for regattas in any of the regions.”
And so, the government plans to invest in the lake. This is part of building a world-class tourism product in Linden, President Ali said noting “the facility has all the ingredients to be made into a high-end luxury resort or even a Sandals.”
Further, “What we want to do is to build our sports tourism portfolio on many planks not only cricket, we have horse racing, regatta, football and squash.
“We are looking to have all of our sporting events become a major part of our tourism product,” President Ali said.
The Regatta on Sunday was aimed at showcasing the potential of Linden as a tourist destination.
“You have the right colour water, you have enough space to build out a facility. When we do events like these it helps to showcase what we have in the different geographical space, most people don’t even know this [Blue Lake] exists.”
Meanwhile, the Regatta saw seasoned racers such as Dave Scott, Clarence Belle and Neil Gonsalves and their Powerboats in action.
With a minor incident at the start of the races, the outdoor activity was dubbed a huge success. And for the first time, a kayaking competition was part of the Regatta activities.
Prime Minister, Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips recalled that regattas were held in the mining town when he was a young lad.
On Sunday, he made a call for the Linden Regatta to be part of Guyana’s national calendar of events.
“This should now be a calendar activity as we move forward. I talked to the organisers, I must compliment them for organising this event, but I also more or less charged them that we should have this again next year and the following year and into the future. As a tourism product for Linden, and the people of Linden like myself, all of us from Linden and Guyana should be proud of this event.”
