GOA seeks to enforce greater accountability in improved athlete-support grant

The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) has implemented a sweeping new accountability system for its PanAm Sports Support Grant, stressing that future funding for athletes will be directly tied to measurable performance and rigorous reporting.

The GOA held a press conference on Wednesday at Olympic House to formally outline the new structure to athletes, coaches, and federation representatives.

The grant provides essential financial support for 72 athletes and their coaches across a wide range of disciplines, including athletics, boxing, and racquet sports.

Under the grant, each athlete receives US$200 (G$40,000) per month, paid quarterly.

While this level of support was increased from $20,000 in 2023, GOA President Godfrey Munroe stated that the new priority is to ensure the funds translate directly into improved results.

Munroe noted that in previous cycles, some athletes “were not treating it with the kind of respect required,” often failing to submit essential progress reports.

“We have an obligation as an Olympic committee to report to PanAm Sports and the IOC for the monies we expend,” Munroe stated.

“The more you perform, the more we can see how we can support you.”

To address past compliance issues, the GOA will now require strict adherence to a new system in which athletes and coaches must submit detailed performance and training evaluation forms to monitor progress and account for funds.

A new athlete monitoring mobile application is scheduled for rollout within two weeks, designed to track training sessions, workloads, and performance data digitally.

To elevate the status of the selected beneficiaries, Munroe announced that the 72 athletes will collectively be known as “The Olympic Team.”

GOA Vice-President Cristy Campbell reiterated the focus on discipline, noting that the goal is to strengthen the structure of federations benefiting from the grant.

The 72 recipients were nominated by their respective national federations and include athletes from:

Racquet Sports: Tennis (nine), Table Tennis (eight) and Squash (nine).

Combat Sports: Boxing (seven), Weightlifting (four).

Other Disciplines: Athletics (17), Archery (four), Badminton (three), Bodybuilding (four), Cycling (three), and Rugby (three).

Tennis: Kalyca Fraser, Leyland Leacock, Jonathan Fagundes, Kimora Erskine, Afruica Gentle, Gavin Lewis, Nathan DeNobrega, Paula Kalekeyzi and Zephan Henry

Table Tennis: Colin France, Candacy McKenzie, Jasmine Billingy, Thuraia Thomas, Samara Sukhai, Jonathan Van Lange, Elishaba Johnson and Niran Bissu

 Squash: Carl Ince, Nyron Joseph, Kirsten Gomes, Emily Fung-A-Fat, Ethan Bulkan, Jason-Ray Khalil, Samuel Ince, Nicolette Fernandes and Mary Fung-A-Fat

Weightlifting: Sean Cozier; Tyson English, Delice Adonis and Shammah Noel

Badminton: Akili Haynes, Priyanna Ramdhani and Frank Waddell

 Cycling: Alexander Leung, Aaron Newton and Sidney Sandy

Boxing: Michael Parris, Lennox Daniels, Jeff Roberts, Abiola Jackman, Akeelah Vancooten, Terron Wintz, and Ken Harvey

Athletics: Lyndon Wilson, Johnny Gravesande, Keisa Burnette, Quinse Clarke, Robin Phillips, Moses Pantlitz, Ezekiel Millington, Noelex Holder, Shemar Horatio, Tishawn Easton, Kaidon Persaud, Savannah Adams, Cassie Small, Analissa Redmond, Akeem Stewart, Deshanna Skeete, Kenisha Philips and Leslain Baird

Archery: Umasankar Madray, Jeewanram Persaud, Faraad Gani and Devin Persaud-Permaul

Bodybuilding: Christina Ramsammy, Julio Sinclair, Emmerson Campbell and Videsh Sookram

Rugby: Claudius Butts, Ronaldo Griffith and Lionel Holder.