President Dr Irfaan Ali announced plans for a new modern facility at Timehri to foster the development of rifle shooting while also serving as a haven for regional practitioners.
The Head of State was at the time speaking during a ceremony to mark the opening of the West Indies Fullbore Championship 2024.
The competition is hosted by the Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA) and runs from October 28 to November 4 at the Timehri Rifle Ranges on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
The participating countries include Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA.
President Ali explained that the current facility cannot adequately accommodate the scope of development that is underway.
The new complex will also feature waterways and lodges to provide a comfortable environment for the local association members to stay in as they prepare for competitions.
“And they also will use the facility as a means of revenue generation, because they have the necessary management skills within the association themselves, so that the ecosystem we will build will have eco-lodges, so it can be also a safe space for family, tourism, and other forms of open entertainment,” President Ali added.
The government hopes to have this facility completed within 24 months.
“We have already identified a few options…and I want the region to know that this facility will be a home for the region, not only for Guyana,” he said.
The president acknowledged that the Caribbean has not fully enjoyed the potential and beauty of its sporting legacy.
“If you go throughout the world, you will see the sportsmen and women, global sportsmen and women, associated with many different initiatives at societal level, at national level, and at regional level, in which they leverage what the country would have allowed them to do, that is make an international mark for the benefit of humanity and society,” he pointed out.
The new facility is expected to lend towards this aim, further empowering the athletes to make a significant impact in the international arena.
President Ali also commended the dedication of the GNRA. He highlighted how their passion for the sport is widely respected and evident in their consistent efforts to promote and sustain it.
Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, who is also the president of the GNRA, encouraged all athletes to continue to demonstrate their stewardship and commitment to the sport so that its valuable legacy can continue across the region.
In his remarks, President of the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Major John Nelson said that no territory in the region can compete without the assistance of their respective militaries.
He recognised the crucial role that the Guyana Defence Force plays in advancing target rifle shooting in Guyana.
The West Indies Fullbore Shooting Championship was last hosted in Guyana in 2017. [DPI]
