From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Bahamas readies to receive thousands of athletes for Carifta
By Felicity Ingraham
Mar 8, 2013 - 5:13:50 AM
Photo: Felicity Ingraham
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Nassau, Bahamas -
With
only a matter of weeks to go before the $100 million Thomas A. Robinson
Stadium, the crown jewel of the 400 acre sporting complex, receives
thousands of athletes, sporting officials and fans from across the
region to attend the 2013 Carifta Games, senior sporting officials are
assuring the Bahamian public that with the completion of minor upgrades
to the stadium nothing will stand in the way of the successful launch of
the sporting competition and the positioning of the Bahamas as the
premier sports destination in the region.
Addressing
the media during the 2013 Carifta Readiness press conference held
Thursday at the Thomas A. Robinson Sports Stadium Minister of Youth,
Sports and Culture Daniel Johnson predicted that the 2013 Carifta Games
would be an outstanding success for the Bahamas because of the strength
of the hometown team and the construction of the best sporting facility
in the region.
The
facility, with a seating capacity of some 15,000, along with the
adjoining stadium which has been refurbished and upgraded and will serve
as a warm up facility for Carifta athletes, has been assessed for its
readiness by three technical teams, including a US-based firm, the world
athletic governing body and Chinese technical teams. “It is important
to note that three technical teams have assessed our new and renovated
facilities and have confirmed that today they are indeed world class
standard. These agencies include the Beynon Sports Company; a company
which has extensive experience in this business and is responsible for
laying tracks in some of the most highly profiled sites throughout the
United States… The other firms that have favourably assessed these
facilities are the IAAF’s technical head and the technical teams from
the Government of China and those from the Qilu Construction Company who
built this stadium.”
Alluding
to the fact that the Bahamas has not won a Carifta Game since 1984, Mr
Johnson said that with the 2013 Games, young Bahamians now have the
opportunity to renew the Bahamas’ journey to again becoming number one,
“not only [as] a premier sporting entity in our region, but also a
premier sporting destination in the hemisphere” he said.
Photo: Felicity Ingraham
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He
acknowledged the fact however, that despite the country’s inability to
capture the top spot at past Carifta events, the nation has “produced a
number of outstanding athletes at these games who have earned the
prestigious Austin Sealy Award. They include the country’s first
recipient, Maryann Higgs, followed by Laverne Eve, Pauline
Davis-Thompson, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and, most recently, Anthonique
Strachan.” The Austin Sealy Award is presented to the most outstanding
athlete at the games.
Joining
Mr Johnson at the press conference, Bahamas Association of Athletic
Associations' (BAAAs) president Mike Sands noted that 500 plus athletes
were expected to attend the 2013 Carifta Games and that some 70 coaches
from the US were also expected to be on hand to view individual
performances. Mr Sands said further that with the 30-day countdown to
Carifta, he expected the upcoming Games to be the most exciting ever.
Also
on hand, chairman of the National Sports Authority Leroy Archer
detailed the minor upgrades needed to ensure complete readiness of the
stadium. He pointed out that railings still needed to be installed and
that repairs to the inner field were ongoing to ensure that the field
met not only IAAF’s standard, but would also be upgraded to a level
acceptable to International Federation of Association Football (FIFA),
the world governing body for soccer. Other upgrades include repairs to
cracks, painting, the establishment of an Event Command Centre to the
south of the field and the launching of the stadium’s online ticketing
system, which is expected to be up and running beginning Monday. Tickets
for the Carifta events will not be available through this venue
however.
Photo: Felicity Ingraham
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Basil
Christie, chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2013
Carifta Games, promised that the opening ceremony would be an
extraordinary display of Bahamian and Caribbean culture that would
motivate the athletes to perform at their very best. He added that the
grand celebration and spectacular entertainment which are being planned
are meant to elevate the Games to more than a competition.
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