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Sports Last Updated: Apr 27, 2017 - 8:59:00 AM


Bahamian Olympic swimmer writes the Prime Minister
By E. Vereance Burrows
Apr 27, 2017 - 8:49:20 AM

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Dear Honorable Perry Christie,

It’s us again, the swimmers. Our federation has boasted many successes over the past 8 years including our up and coming youth winning the CARIFTA Championships last week, Joanna Evans hauling medals from CAC, Youth Olympics and the Pan Am Games, and even our very own Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace medaling at the World Championships and finishing 9th at the Olympics. We have appreciated your support over the years and as election season is upon us, we know you will be very busy. However, I’m writing this letter to make you aware of some serious issues we are facing.

Despite our continued growth and successes, the Bahamas Swimming Federation has mysteriously lost its funding over the last year. We have tried to contact the Ministry of Sports on numerous occasions only to continuously be ignored. That funding was the very reason that our athletes were able to train at the standard which allowed us to compete on the world stage. Not only has our funding from the government disappeared, but so have our scholarships from the International Olympic Committee. Not many people are aware of this program so I will briefly explain it.

The IOC scholarship program provides funding for top athletes in developing countries and assists them with their training for two years leading up to the Olympics. This money comes directly from Switzerland IOC Headquarters to the Bahamas Olympic Committee, and from there the BOC is supposed to forward it to the respective athletes. $158,000 was secured for 9 recipients from The Bahamas. Out of the 9, only three of them actually made the Olympics. Out of those 3 athletes, two of them were swimmers, and for two years now, the money has been sent to the BOC but has not been forwarded on to these athletes. Mr. Romell Knowles is responsible for these funds and our inquiries to him have also been ignored.

This misallocation of funds has disrupted the training of ALL swimmers on the program including those at the highest level of the “elite athlete” classification. Several have considered early retirement, others have taken on second jobs and now our athletes abroad in college will not be able to afford to train over the summer for the upcoming World Championships.

Minister of Sports Mr. Daniel Johnson scheduled a meeting with Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace on April 18, 2017 to discuss and hopefully resolve these issues. To our initial suspicions, Mr. Johnson did not show up to that meeting whilst Arianna waited over three hours for him. To me, this not only shows cowardice, but it also shows a complete lack of respect for the athletes and what we have done for this country that the Minister of Sports would blatantly lie to the face of a decorated Olympian such as Arianna. This type of behavior is unsavory and unbecoming of someone that should hold such a prestigious position as a Minister.

To see the impact we have on the world stage, just take a look at the CARIFTA Championships, or the IAAF World Relays. We put so much pride into our hard work and do our best to remind the world that our small country is a force to be reckoned with in the sporting arena. When we travel abroad, we are treated with great reverence for our accomplishments, but at home we are ignored and cast aside by the very administration that’s supposed to elevate us.

My parents have always shown me through their words and examples that we should always give back and bless others when God has blessed us. Because of these opportunities that have been awarded to me through swimming, I have always been a big supporter of our athletic youth who weren’t afforded some of the same opportunities as me. Every year I’ve supplied children with new swimsuits and goggles, I have personally taught over 400 children to swim at no cost, and the older swimmers know I have an open line of communication for them whenever they needed anything from technique advice to choosing a fitting college and finding scholarships.

I am at what I consider to be the eclipse of my career. As I transition from the world of athletics back into the general population, I do not want to vanish into darkness leaving my fellow athletes in turmoil. So I write this letter on our behalf in hopes for an answer and hopefully for reconciliation to these grave issues. I am more than willing to meet with you and the heads of the respective committees and ministries to come to a resolution on these matters so we can continue to keep making strides in the world of athletics. Honorable Perry Christie, we look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
E. Vereance Burrows


Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his/her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of TheBahamasWeekly.com




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