No financial reward for Gov. Akpabio's choir for breaking World Record - Guinness World Record

The Guinness World Records has said that the Godswill Akpabio Unity Choir, a choral group, would not be given financial rewards for breaking the world record as the largest number of Christmas carol singers.

The Godswill Akpabio Unity Choir had on December 13, 2014 set a world record with a 25,272–man choral group, at the Uyo Township Stadium, Akwa Ibom State.

According to the Guinness World Records, the choral group sang a medley of The First Noel, Joy To The World, O Christmas Tree, Hark The Herald Sing, Once In Royal Davids City and O Come All Ye Faithful, during the concert.

 

A group known as CENTI in Bogota, Columbia was the previous world record holder of the “largest group of carol singers” with 15,674 participants singing at a concert that was staged on December 15, 2013.

But following widespread online speculations about the monetary considerations for the new record, the GWR issued a disclaimer via its official Twitter handle.

“New record! Congratulations to 25,272 carol singers of Godswill Akpabio Unity Choir, Nigeria. But record holders do not get paid for breaking records,” the 60-year-old London, the United Kingdom-based international franchise, tweeted.

It added on its website, guinnessworldrecords.com, that as “the world’s unrivalled authority on record-breaking achievements,” its role is to celebrate the world’s best, inspire ordinary people and entertain and inform.

GWR noted that the organisation does not foot the bills covering any expenses incurred or offer sponsorship or provide equipment for anyone attempting to set a global record.

“For these reasons, we do not pay record-breakers for their achievements or for carrying out a record title attempt,” it added.

According to the GWR, some of the most frequently-broken records include the “longest DJ marathon,” the “heaviest item lifted with glue” and the “most apples bobbed in one minute.”

It said that another record that is broken regularly is the “oldest person in the world,” but noted that the oldest person ever remains the French woman, Jeanne Louise-Calment, who lived to see “an incredible 122 years and 164 days old.”

The standard application process for its world records, GWR stated, is free-of-charge and opened to anyone wishing to earn their place in the Guinness World Records history.

The GWR, which receives over 40,000 applications yearly, stated that many of the requests it gets could not be recognised as world records.

Such activities the GWR does not recognise, it added, included those which are “not sufficiently challenging,” or too specific to an individual or “anything that is unbreakable.”

“Guinness World Records does not endorse the following: unsuitable activities or those which could cause potential harm danger to spectators and animals.

“We do not permit people under the age of 16 to attempt or to hold record titles which are considered unsuitable for minors.

“In these instances, GWR works closely in association with the official regulatory body for the particular skill or sport,” it added.

The GWR which has regional offices in China, Dubai, New York, and Tokyo, with 65 trained judges situated across nine countries, explained that it only verifies and recognises world records and not national/country specific achievements.