National Sports Policy to be published in first half of 2024

According to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., the long-awaited National Sport Policy is set to be published in the first half of 2024.

Speaking Friday at a press conference to reflect on the work of the Ministry in 2023, the Minister noted that he is delighted with the immense work to modify the existing draft.

“I can’t say enough how proud I am of this document [and] the fact that we have gotten to this stage,” Minister Ramson Jr. stated

“The reality is that if you are looking at something that is going to help us in a long-term perspective, it is the Sports Policy.

Why? Because it now gets to say to everyone in the country and out of the country, how are we developing sport. What is our intellectual direction of developing sport that is bespoke and unique to Guyana?” the Minister further elaborated.

He indicated that while the policy is tailored to suit Guyana, it is open to other successful programmes implemented by other countries.

The Minister highlighted that several persons, headed by Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle and Assistant Director of Sport Melissa Dow-Richardson, led a team that developed a comprehensive framework for the policy.

It is understood that before the draft reaches the cabinet level, another round of input from the sports fraternity will be gathered to enhance the policy’s effectiveness further.

The previous government had consulted with Associations, whose members could voice their opinions and suggest what the document should entail.

In June 2018, the previous government released a draft Sports Policy.

In May 2023,  Minister Ramson Jr. was quoted in a section of the media about his dissatisfaction with the construct of that draft, noting, “We have a number of things we are working on which is still a priority for us, and for that to remain a priority it has to be included in the Sports Policy. We have started doing the Sports Academy and that has to feature in the Sports Policy.”

It is understood that the updated draft has this mechanism in place, which the Minister believes will guide sports development.