New online presence will allow the BOC to more effectively communicate to the local and international communities leading up to London 2012

Nassau, Bahamas - Today the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) (formally the Bahamas Olympic Association) announces the release of its new website, (www.BahamasOlympicCommittee.org) that was designed and developed by IBS International, a leading provider of custom software, web application development solutions, and IT consulting services in The Bahamas.

With the Games of the XXX Olympiad which will be hosted in London in 2012 just around the corner, the BOC made a strategic decision to upgrade its web presencein enough time prior to the games in order to fully engage the Bahamian public in support of its Olympic athletes. Financial assistance for the development new BOC website was provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through Olympic Solidarity, an arm of the IOC responsible for providing assistance to member organizations according to their needs and priorities.

“Given the fact that Bahamian athletes are gaining prominence on the world stage as top performers, strategically we thought it prudent to provide a world class website that will allow the BOC to better showcase our Olympians, and allow the Bahamian public to get to know the fine young men and women that proudly represent this country in this prestigious international sporting event”, says Wellington Miller, current President of the BOC. “Further, we intend to leverage this new website to assist us in raising funds for our Olympic Team via sponsorship opportunities, an online team merchandise store, as well as public donation opportunities via eCommerce transactions”, continued Miller.

Since 1948, more than 200 athletes have represented The Bahamas at the Summer Olympic Games beginning with the country’s own Sir Durward Knowles, who had his Olympic debut in 1948 in Torquay, England where he represented England and placed fourth. Sir Durward won his first Olympic medal in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics, and in 1964 at the Tokyo Games, he won gold for sailing with Cecil Cooke as his crew.

The new BOC website also features one of our most decorated Olympic track athletes and “ Golden Girl”, Mrs. Pauline Davis-Thompson. Pauline began her Olympic debut in 1984 at the Los Angeles Games and competed in her final Olympic Games in 2000 as part of the historic “Golden Girls’ 1600 meter relay team. Mrs. Davis-Thompson has won a total of three Olympic medals; two gold, and one silver. Pauline was also elected to serve on the IAAF council in 2007.

The website provides a listing of the athletes who were part of each Olympic team by Olympiad, and includes personal profiles for many of these Bahamian Olympians. The BOC plans to continue to update and add to these athlete’s profiles as information becomes available, with the goal of strengthening the bond between the Bahamian public and the athletes that represent this country at the highest level.

Mr. Romell Knowles Secretary General of the Bahamas Olympic Committee took the lead in working with IBS International to manage this new website development project. “We were very pleased with the way this project turned out considering that our functional requirements for the new website needed to complement the strategic direction in which the BOC is now headed”, says Knowles; “IBS International came highly recommended to us, and provided the highest level of professional service during the entire course of this project.”Romell continued, “We wanted a web presence that would allow us to leverage new web technologies, showcase our key sponsors and partners, provide integrated eCommerce, and enable us to include social media marketing as an integral part of how we communicate the successes of our athletes to the Bahamian public and the rest of the world.”

The new BOC website includes a flash animation that showcases historical moments and noted athletes in its Olympic history, as well as provides inspirational messages from figures that have played key roles in the Bahamian Olympic movement. Some of the key functional and informational elements of the website include, (i) an integrated video gallery that showcases performances of Bahamian athletes and key moments in Olympic history, (ii) online news article management and publishing capabilities, (iii) a section that features a noted Bahamian Olympian on a periodic basis, (iv) a showcase of the key partners of the BOC including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), The Commonwealth Games Federation, The World Anti-Doping Agency, the Pan American Sports Organization (PASEO),and the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization, (v) an image gallery that features key moments in Bahamian athletics, (v) a listing of the 18 Member and Associate Member sports organizations of the BOC, (vi) graphical links to the BOC’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and (vii) it showcases the logos of the key sponsors of the BOC.

“Working with the BOC on this project was great for us, it gave us the opportunity to help contribute to the next phase of the Olympic movement in The Bahamas”, says Dr. Donovan Moxey, Ph.D. President & CEO of IBS International. “We wanted to create a website that we as Bahamians can all be proud of, and allow the BOC the opportunity to leverage key functional elements that would enable the organization to effectively communicate its message to both the local and international sporting communities; we look forward to continuing our relationship with the BOC and supporting the Bahamian Team in London,” says Moxey.

As London 2012 approaches the BOC plans to launch an online Bahamas Olympic Team store as part of its many fundraising efforts to support its athletes. This eCommerce enabled online store will allow the public to purchase official team merchandise directly from the BOC as well as other souvenir items.There will be numerous official sponsorship opportunities that the BOC will offer to new and existing corporate partners. The new website will serve as a platform for stories about the Olympians that will represent the Bahamas in London, and will also serve as a key resource for information about the performance of Bahamian athletes as they compete in London.

“Our Bahamian athletes have continued to make us proud at each and every Olympic Games, and we have continued to expand our representation and achieve success in events other than track & field”, says Wellington Miller, “we believe we will field a strong team with athletes representing the Bahamas in track, swimming, boxing, and possibly a few other sports in 2012”, continued Miller.

The BOC intends to make a concerted effort to fully engage the Bahamian corporate community for their support of the Bahamian Olympic Team. This is a special Olympic games for the Bahamas given the country’s historical connection with the United Kingdom as a former British Colony, and the fact that the first Bahamian Olympic participant was at the games in England in 1948. London 2012 brings The Bahamas’ Olympic experience as a country full circle. Given this unique moment in history, the BOC expects a large contingent of Bahamians to travel to London to support the team, and welcomes financial support from all individual and corporate citizens of The Bahamas.

Businesses interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities with the Bahamas Olympic Committee should contact Mr. Romell K. Knowles at the BOC offices (242) 394-8143, or email him at. secretarygeneralboc@coralwave.com