Bent Street receives One Guyana Futsal spoils

chance to execute all of our objectives and should be seen as a great thingour athletes will be better prepared as it's in the latter part of the season.”

“The financial backing of the Minister responsible for Sport, Honourable Minister Charles Ramson, the new Guyana Olympic Association head (GOA) Godfrey Munroe, and his executives make it possible to add some new features to this year's competition that will make it a must-see event,” Pompey said.

Pompey's decision to change the date of the AP Invitational places the event within the qualification window for the 2026 Olympics. The event, which ran its inaugural competition in 2016, saw 11 athletes move on to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio.

"I'm extremely excited about this year's competition - the hiatus because of COVID and other factors made us all see the tremendous value of having something like this here in Guyana. I don't think we've missed a beat. I believe this will be the best one yet," Pompey said.

The Olympian pointed out that “the financial backing of the Minister responsible for Sport, Honourable Minister Charles Ramson, and the new Guyana Olympic Association head (GOA) Godfrey Munroe and his executives makes it possible to add some new features to this year's competition that will make it a must-see event."

This year's AP Invitational will be headlined by National 400m Record Holder Aliyah Abrams, who is having a sensational season.

Abrams recently reset Guyana's 400m record with a remarkable time of 50.20s at the NACAC New Life Invitational in The Bahamas. Her time places her in the top five in the world this year, with only Britton Wilson, Gabrielle Thomas, Rhasidat Adeleke, and Stacy-Ann Williams running faster than Abrams in the 400m.

Already qualifying for the World Athletics 2023 World Championships in Track and Field, Abrams said one of her goals this season is to be a finalist at the event set for August 19 – 27 in Budapest, Hungary, while also "dipping under 50s."

Pompey said that along with Abrams, the AP Invitational will feature a roster of high-level athletes from around the world.

Bent Street Futsal players were all smiles as they walked out of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport boardroom yesterday, $1M richer. The team had just received their spoils for their remarkable performance in the One Guyana Futsal Championship finals.

The inaugural championship saw 32 of the country's best futsal teams compete for the coveted first-place prize, compliments of KFC Guyana.

On May 21, in front of a mammoth crowd at the National Park, Bent Street defeated Sparta Boss 6-3 to clinch the top prize.

Colin Nelson was the star of the show for Bent Street, scoring a hattrick, backed by a brace from Job Caesar and a single strike from Cecil Jackman. Despite a valiant effort, Sparta Boss had to settle for the $500,000 runner-up prize.

Back Circle pocketed $200,000 for their 9-4 drubbing of California Square in the third-place match.

The tournament saw a total of 331 goals scored, with Adrian Aaron's 12 goals being the most scored by any player.

At yesterday's simple presentation, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, congratulated the players for their sterling performances. He praised the tournament as a hallmark event that showcased the best of Guyana's futsal talent. Minister Ramson also took the opportunity to update the players on several projects currently underway by his Ministry in communities across Georgetown that are specifically developed to cater to futsal.

Daniel Wilson, who is currently with the Golden Jaguars team preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). The award was a fitting recognition of Wilson's outstanding contribution to Bent Street's success in the tournament.

The One Guyana Futsal Championship, according to the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, was a resounding success, with Bent Street emerging as worthy champions.