No lifeguards/coaches leave Guyana’s lone Olympic size facility docile

The Guyana National Aquatic Centre has been completed and has hosted at least one international event thus far, namely the Goodwill Games, but the nation’s lone olympic sized pool remains elusive to the public and local swimming fraternity.
Minister of Culture Youth and Sports Dr Frank Anthony says that it simple boils down to a matter of “no person being interested in lifeguard positions,” coupled with the fact that there are no long term developmental programmes from the local fraternity, or qualified coaches available.
Dr Anthony told Caribbean Trakker today that on the part of Government, “for that swimming facility we have brought in a Cuban Coach.”
He suggested that the local swimming association through their international linkages, should be in a position to source training personnel but this is not happening.
“We do not have enough qualified coaches…we don’t,” lamented Dr Anthony.
This brought Dr Anthony to the sore issue of lifeguards.
Dr Anthony says that despite payment, training and other incentives, sourcing enough lifeguards for the pool remains a problem.
“We can’t get lifeguards….I don’t want to invite somebody from the general public to go and swim there and they drowned because we don’t have lifeguards.”
According to the Minister under whose portfolio sports fall, “without lifeguards we can’t open it to the public….we have all the equipment, we have everything but you can’t open it to the public.”