A group of Guyanese boxers and their Coach, who are currently stuck in Cuba owing to COVID- 19 travel restrictions, are said to be in good health and are doing well. However, members of the group are holding on to the hope that they will have the opportunity to return home soon.
The athletes who departed Guyana on January 4 were initially supposed to spend three months in Cuba for an Olympic Qualifier preparatory training stint, with their return scheduled for the end of March. However, with Guyana recording its first confirmed Coronavirus case on March 11, Guyanese authorities made the decision to close the Eugene F. Correia and Cheddi Jagan International Airports.
With the initial period for the closure coming to an end on March 31st, there was hope for the athletes, but the closure was later extended to May 1.
Team captain, Colin Lewis, said that the athletes were moved to Havana, Cuba, to stay at the Guyanese Consulate. He said there isn’t much for them to worry about and their main priority is to get home at the soonest possible time.
However, Lewis shared that being in a foreign country for this long is beginning to become frustrating for the group.
“We’re in a country that we don’t know their language, and we’re hoping that the airport can open on the First for us to come home,” Lewis said.
When asked about their fitness and training, the boxer went on to share that although they are doing what they can to stay fit, their training schedule has been restricted due to the current situation.
The group of four boxers consisting of Lewis, Keevin Allicock, Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas, along with Coach Terrence Poole were said to have made great strides in Cuba.
Under the watchful eyes of Coach Francisco Roldan, the group was more than ready for the Olympic Qualifiers which were scheduled for March 26 to April 4 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
