AAG under fire again: Participation of Track & Field team at CAC Games in limbo

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is under fire again as the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) on Friday revealed that the AAG has not fulfilled its requirements in relation to the submission of the names of athletes and officials to compete at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador and Dominican Republic from June 23 – July 8.

Just days ago, the AAG faced heavy criticism for the mismanagement of the CARIFTA team after some athletes arrived after the event commenced in The Bahamas

According to a press release from the GOA, the Track and Field team’s participation “is in limbo due to the submission of an incomplete and inadequate Long List [of] biographical information of athletes and non-submission of officials by the AAG. This information is necessary to allow the accreditation of their submitted list of athletes and officials into the CAC games accreditation system within the deadline outlined by the organizing committee.”

The GOA further indicated, “Despite repeated formal requests and extensions of deadlines to the AAG for the provision of data on the named athletes based on the organizing committee of the CAC games requirements, the AAG has failed to comply.”

It was further explained that the CAC organisers indicated that due to the short timeframe before the games, there would be no extension of deadlines for submissions of athletes’ and officials’ long list information since they are battling logistical issues.

“The GOA is still exploring ways to seek compliance from the AAG, in view of ensuring members of Guyana’s athletics team participate at the prestigious games”, the release added.

Nine disciplines qualify

Nine sports disciplines have qualified to represent Guyana at the multisport Olympic cycle event that will see 37 nations from the CAC region competing in over 54 sporting disciplines.

Guyana is slated to see representation in Boxing, Squash, Badminton, Swimming, Table Tennis, Archery, 3×3 Basketball, Hockey, and Track and Field.

The newly-elected executive committee of the GOA has confirmed that experienced sports administrator Dr. Karen Pilgrim will serve as Guyana’s Chef de Mission.

The disciplines of squash, badminton, and table tennis have all qualified their male and female teams while basketball qualified their female 3×3 team.

Hockey, which will be played in the Dominican Republic, has qualified their male team.

In contrast, boxing has qualified on the basis of its elite boxers’ rankings and performance in regional competitions.

With the qualification positions of the respective disciplines being outlined, the Guyana Olympic Association is currently working with the respective national federations to ensure that all the coordination elements are aligned for Guyana’s successful participation at the 2023 edition of the games.

The final names and compositions of the respective sports disciplines will be revealed on finalisation of their respective teams.