It was fitting that as Guyana celebrated Diwali and their President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in his message - “The Light Within That Gives True Purpose to the Lights Without,” said Diwali is a time that reminds everyone that light will always triumph over darkness and that goodness, knowledge, and virtue must forever prevail over ignorance, evil, and despair.
Guyana's light shined bright as Guyana stepped up to the plate and proved a determined host for one of the premier events on the Caribbean Olympic movement calendar. Huge credit and congratulations go out to the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) president Godfrey Munroe, secretary general Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon and their entire team.
Over the weekend, Guyana hosted the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) XIII Annual Workshop and XXIII General Assembly at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre.
But before we look at what transpired with regard to the Caribbean Olympic movement, I thought I would mention that a few years ago Guyana made American military history. Reason I am pointing it out is that it's a reminder of the power of the Caribbean. We, in the Caribbean, doubt ourselves and take each other for granted. We aren't perfect but we constantly step up to the plate and deliver. There is within Caribbean people, the blood and seed of success and achievement.
Lt Col. Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell nee Ng A Qui, the youngest of four children, her mother and father, Eve (née Blackman) Ng A Qui and Dr Norman Ng A Qui, emigrated to the United States from Guyana and became naturalised US citizens. Their daughter Shawna was the first African American female fighter pilot in the US Air Force.
Guyana did it. The GOA was the centre of attraction. It was a historic meeting as CANOC continued its determined march forward to creating a new dawn for the Caribbean Olympic Movement. Delegates from across the Caribbean and the international sporting community were represented in Georgetown.
The sport leaders present included Keith Joseph, CANOC president, Steve Stoute, honorary life president, CANOC, Jimena Saldaña, secretary general of Panam Sports, Camilo Pérez López Moreira, president, ODESUR, Luis Mejía Oviedo, president, Centro Caribe Sports, Catherine Forde, vice president of TAFISA, Dr Donald Rukare, president Commonwealth Sport, Sandra Osborne, SCM, SC Regional vice president (Caribbean), Commonwealth Sport and Dr Roy McCree, Dean, Faculty of Sport, the University of the West Indies along with presidents and secretary generals from the CANOC member Olympic Committees.
The Guyana 2025 CANOC AGM was framed by the Theme “Charting the Future of Authentic Caribbean Sport” focusing on collaboration, good governance, and sustainable development.
Before the CANOC Workshop and the annual general meeting (AGM), there was the Olympic Solidarity Financial Management Workshop with 32 participants from 19 countries. The focus of the Olympic Solidarity Financial Management workshop was on transparency, accountability, and stronger financial governance within the Caribbean Olympic movement. A focus that is an absolute necessity.
In a milestone for hemispheric sports cooperation, CANOC and the Paraguay Olympic Committee signed a historic partnership.
The landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), sets out a five-year framework designed to facilitate capacity development in sport governance, infrastructure development, and athlete capacity building throughout the Caribbean.
Under the agreement, both organisations commit to mutual recognition and shared principles rooted in the Olympic Movement, while advancing cooperative funding mechanisms for strategic projects aimed at strengthening the region's competitive position on the global sporting stage.
Take a bow Guyana. Take a bow the Guyana Olympic Association. Take a bow CANOC.
