Owing to targeted government investments in youth and sport development, Guyanese athletes have secured over 1000 international and regional medals over the last three years.

This was disclosed by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, during day four of the 2026 Budget debates.

The minister said that this success is no accident but the result of a thorough system that began tracking and measuring athlete performance for the first time in the nation’s history.

“Athletes are doing better now than they have ever done before under the People’s Progressive Party leadership,” the minister noted, highlighting that the government’s investment in coaching and exposure has turned Guyana into a powerhouse of regional excellence.

According to Minister Ramson, Guyanese athletes are backed by a robust financial and technical framework, moving from grassroots community play to the professional leagues.

In 2025 alone, sporting teams departed Guyanese shores 102 times to compete globally, a massive increase from previous years that cost the government over a billion dollars in travel and association support.

This investment has yielded professional breakthroughs, such as the rise of Shamar Joseph and the issuance of seven bodybuilding “pro cards” on local soil.

Aside from these individual accolades, Guyana has emerged as a premier destination for international sports tourism, hosting 33 major events in the past year, including two Cricket World Cups and the CPL finals.

“We hosted two Cricket World Cups, and in the last one, we were judged the most organised. We held the CAC bodybuilding championship, and we issued for the first time with the international body pro cards right here, right here. And also the first one that was issued here was won by a Guyanese. And since then, seven pro cards have been issued, and we now have a world champion in Rosanna Fung, someone who we identified early and invested in and supported so that she could become the world champion,” he said.

The impact extends to the general public as well, with the Learn to Swim program reaching 15,000 participants, including persons with disabilities.

“Over the last five years we lit 145 grounds in this country. They set us a target of 25, [and] we did 145 grounds. We started for the first time in this country, a national sports academy categorised into core and non-core sports. We built strong relationships with sports associations, and all the sports associations have issued their support for us, this ministry [and] the budget, because they know how they have benefited,” Minister Ramson continued.

A significant portion of the 2026 funds is dedicated to the completion of five state-of-the-art stadiums, all of which are slated to open this year to provide world-class training and hosting environments.

On the youth side, the $1.2 billion allocation will drive the expansion of the Youth Entrepreneurial and Skills Training programme to train approximately 350 participants to achieve CVQ certification.

Additionally, $6 billion is budgeted to continue the government’s commitment to sports development. Key initiatives include the advancement of works on the Good Hope Cricket Academy, a boxing facility at Angoy’s Avenue, a chess facility at Providence Stadium, as well as multi-purpose halls across the country.