‘Fireworks’ promised at today’s AP Invitational
Some of the competing athletes and officials of the Ministry of Sport and the National Sports Commission at yesterday’s Press Conference. (Rawle Toney photo)
Kaieteur Sports – With an eye on qualifying for the Paris Olympics, athletes from around the world are promising nothing short of fireworks today at the National Track and Field Centre in Edinburgh, West Demerara, as they compete in the AP Invitational.
Action starts at 4:00 pm.
The country’s only international track and field championship, established in 2016, is making a return for the first time since 2019.
This year, apart from bragging rights and lucrative prize pay-outs, athletes will compete to achieve the Olympic qualifying standards in their respective events, especially with the qualification deadline looming on June 30.
At a press conference hosted at the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport office on the eve of today’s showdown, organizer Aliann Pompey expressed her happiness at the return of the competition, stating that it was “now or never.”
Here’s a list of the athletes and events for the June 22 AP Invitational.
The country’s Commonwealth Games 400m gold and silver medallist experienced the cancellation of the 2020 championship due to the advent of COVID-19. Subsequent championships were curtailed by necessary remedial work at the country’s only track and field facility at West Demerara.
Pompey praised the almost 100 athletes from countries as far as Thailand, Ghana, Liberia, and Australia for making this year’s event possible.
Minister Charles Ramson, flanked by Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Kashif Muhammad, and NSC Director Christy Campbell, spoke highly of his government’s investment in the championship.
The Government of Guyana injected $7M into the AP Invitational, marking the largest investment by the state since the event started in 2016.
Minister Ramson pledged the government’s continued support for the AP Invitational, commenting that the championship aligns with President Irfaan Ali’s vision to make Guyana a hub for regional and international sporting events.
