NO FUNDS! Baird, Thompson not in receipt of Olympic Solidarity

By Treiston Joseph 

Top Guyanese sprinters Brenessa Thompson and Kadecia Baird have little to no funds and have not been receiving Olympic Solidarity funding.

Baird’s Olympic funding was cut last year at the end of June, while Thompson was never in receipt of the funding even during her Olympic quest last year.

Both athletes indicated to News Room Sport that they have not been receiving any funding from Guyana and has gotten the royal-run-around treatment when communicating with various stakeholders in the sport, from the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) to the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG).

However, it was noted that both sprinters are scheduled to meet with AAG boss Aubrey Hutson today (July 16) to discuss their state of affairs.

Both Thompson and Baird have qualified for the World Championships scheduled for London in less than a month and while both are on scholarship with Texas A&M, because school is closed for the summer break, their college stipend has been suspended until the start of the new school term in September. 

This lack of funding has severely hampered the preparations of both athletes in the lead up to the second highest stage for track and field.