The stage is set for the exciting 19th edition of the Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival from November 28 to December 1 at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
Teams will battle in several categories, namely Open Men, Open Ladies, Men’s Over-35 and Men’s Over-45.
The Open Men competition will feature eight teams, namely Bounty GCC, Pepsi Hikers, Old Fort and Saints of Guyana; TT Defence Force, Queen’s Park and TT Police of Trinidad and Tobago; and Toronto Lions of Canada.
The five-team Open Ladies division will see GBTI GCC, Old Fort and Saints of Guyana, and George United and TT Police of Trinidad and Tobago battling for supremacy.
In the Men’s Over-35, GCC and Hikers will represent Guyana, while Queen’s Park and Fatima will compete from Trinidad and Tobago and Toronto Lions of Canada.
The Men’s Over-45 will be a Guyana-T&T showdown, with GCC and Hikers/Old Fort having home advantage against Carib and Fatima.
Corporate support
Larry Wills, Brand Manager of the competition’s title sponsor Demerara Distillers Limited, said the competition is proud to strengthen a long-standing partnership it shares with the Guyana Hockey Board and by extension the hockey fraternity.
According to Wills, the continuous support for the festival is a solid demonstration of the company’s commitment to sport development in Guyana, noting that such long-standing partnerships help to develop and showcase local talent.
Wills also urged members of the public to fill the National Gymnasium, as the festival promises a display of top-level hockey by notable teams.
This year, the festival has attracted support from ExxonMobil Guyana, Republic Bank, Bounty Supermarkets, Sterling Products Limited, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission.
Enhancing the profile
Notably, this year the Hockey Board will utilise the services of Umpire Ayana McLean of Trinidad and Tobago and Medical Officer and Physiotherapist Aaron Finer of the USA to serve the tournament’s medical needs.
President of the Guyana Hockey Board and coordinator of the tournament Philip Fernandes said services of the duo will significantly enhance the profile of the annual year-end tournament.
“Former national player Ayana is only the second person, and first female from the Caribbean, to be qualified to umpire at a World Cup or Olympic tournament. Ayanna also holds the record in the region for having officiated in over 100 international matches. Our local umpires will benefit hugely from having Ayana’s guidance and example during the festival,” Fernandes related at the tournament launch at the Georgetown Cricket Club pavilion.
“Aaron is a highly specialised physio/physician in the field of sports medicine and sports therapy and works exclusively with athletes. Among Aaron’s many services are old and new injury evaluation and treatment, soft tissue, deep tissue and rehabilitation massage, adjustments, mobility exercises and general advice of athletics needs. Aaron will certainly add a higher level of professionalism and care toward the welfare of our athletes and is a welcome addition to our festival.”
Fernandes added the tournament is more than just four days of games, but a great avenue for the hockey fraternity in the region to assemble and strengthen the strong bond that has been created over the years.
“This tournament serves a multitude of purposes by exposing firstly our premiere athletes to a high level of competition our young while also allowing our inexperienced players to face new challenges in an environment suitable for development.”
The tournament will be livestreamed, compliments of ENet.
