Guyana’s long-awaited National Sports Policy is expected to be implemented before the end of 2026, with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. revealing that the document is now at the final internal review stage before being sent to Cabinet.
Ramson told the media recently that the draft has been completed, but the Ministry is conducting one last review to ensure key officials are familiar with the document before it moves forward.
“We’ve finished our draft, we are doing one more internal review, which the Assistant Director of Sport, Melissa Dow-Richardson, she is the one that has conduct of that, also because I wanted to make sure everyone who is new at the Ministry et cetera, that they are familiar with it as well, before it gets to Cabinet, but once it gets up there, it’s not going to take a very long time for it to be reviewed,” Ramson said.
Asked about the current stage of the policy, Ramson said the Ministry remains committed to having it made public this year.
“We want for it to be laid, publicly presented this year, that is what our plan is, and we are sticking to that,” he said.
The update marks another major step in a process that has stretched across several administrations. While Guyana has had a legal framework for organised sport for more than three decades through the National Sports Commission Act, the wider National Sports Policy has gone through years of proposals, consultations and revisions without being formally published and implemented.
The National Sports Commission Act, which came into operation on February 1, 1994, established the National Sports Commission and outlined its role in promoting sport, supporting associations, developing facilities, encouraging high standards and advising the Minister. However, the national policy meant to guide the broader development of sport remained unfinished.
Early work on a national sports plan dates back to 2010, when a proposal was prepared for Guyana’s sport sector. By 2013, the issue had reached Parliament, with questions being raised about whether a National Sports Policy existed and why it had not been implemented.
The process gained momentum again after 2015, when consultations were held with stakeholders from more than 40 groups. Those discussions covered areas such as sport governance, athlete development, safe sport, coaching, financing, sport tourism, media responsibility and the role of the diaspora.
A public draft was later produced in 2019, outlining plans for stronger school sport, athlete development, better funding systems, improved governance, compulsory physical education, regional participation and high-performance sport. However, the policy was not formally adopted before the change of government in 2020.
Under the PPP/C administration, Ramson said the document was reviewed and reshaped to reflect the Ministry’s current direction, including the National Sports Academy, which has become a major part of the government’s sport development agenda.
In January 2024, Ramson had indicated that the policy was expected to be published in the first half of that year. That timeline was not met. In February 2026, he said the policy had been completed in 2025 but was not published because of the elections, and that it would move forward once Cabinet completed its vetting and approval.
The policy remains pending, but government has continued to expand sport spending and programming. In Budget 2026, $6 billion was allocated for sport development, including $1.3 billion for the maintenance and upgrading of grounds. Government has also pointed to major investments in community grounds, synthetic tracks, sport facilities, athlete support, academies and the Palmyra International Stadium.
Ramson has also previously stated that more than $20 billion has been allocated to sport since 2020, while more than 600 community grounds have received investment.
If approved and publicly presented this year, the National Sports Policy is expected to provide a clearer framework for sport development, governance, infrastructure, athlete support, school sport and high-performance programmes across Guyana.
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