The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ROMELL Knowles will return to office unopposed for his second four-year term as president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

The BOC’s elections will take place on Saturday at 7pm at the Royal Bahamas Police Force headquarters following the annual general meeting.

The former long-time executive in softball and volleyball said he’s always been interested in giving back to the development of sports, especially considering the fact that he played just about every sport and at a high level.

“What really motivates me to do what I do in sports administration is to see the accomplishments and the development of young people in sports,” Knowles said. “There’s no greater joy, I can tell you, when in 2012 in London when the Bahamas had not won any medals at the Olympic Games.

“Then in the last event, the Golden Knights came through with a magnificent performance, capturing the gold on the world stage in the men’s 4 x 400m relay. I can tell you the sense of pride, the accomplishment, the tears of joy hearing the national anthem played and the flag being raised was one of the greatest experiences in my life.”

Behind the scenes, Knowles said there’s tireless hours being spent to prepare teams to compete in the Central American and Caribbean Games, the Pan American Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Youth Commonwealth Games, the Youth Pan Am Games and the Caribbean Games.

“To see Team Bahamas assemble and to see our athletes with the guts and pride get set to go out represent the country is an awesome experience,” Knowles said. “To know that you played a hand in that behind the scene is just awesome.

“I think one of the greatest take aways from being in office was the hosting of the Commonwealth Youth Games. More than 100 athletes paraded during the opening ceremonies. I believe it was one of the largest team’s contingent of athletes assembled on home soil.”

After working with the National Sports Authority to get the facilities ready, Knowles said he commended the federations and associations, who all pitched in to make the event a grand success.

“One of the young ladies in judo had only been practicing for a year, but she captured our first youth Commonwealth Games medal,” he said. “We captured 15 medals and it turned out to be our largest haul at the games.

“Then, to have been able to travel to the Family Islands to see young athletes compete in the trials or the team with less than adequate facilities as well to get ready for our own Bahamas Games, these were priceless moments for me as an administrator.”

When he looks at federations like track and field, swimming, soccer and now basketball with the men’s national team on the verge of qualifying for the Olympics next year in Paris, France, Knowles said it brings a lot of satisfaction to be president of the largest sporting body in the country.

Knowles said he will be content knowing that he has given the best of his service as an administrator, just as he did when he was on the other side of the playing field as an athlete.

Nominations for the elections closed on Saturday and from the list of nominees, Knowles, secretary general Derron Donaldson and treasurer Dorian Roach will not be opposed.

However, there are three candidates for assistant secretary, which include Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson, the Bahamas Softball Federations first female president; Catherine Ramsing-Pierre, Equestrian Bahamas president, and Oria Wood, the assistant secretary general of the Bahamas Baseball Association. 

Isaacs-Dotson; Adam Waterhouse, of the Bahamas Rugby Football Union and Vincent Strachan, president of the Bahamas Boxing Federation, have been nominated for the post of assistant treasurer.

There are also 17 persons running for six vice president posts, including incumbent members of the past administration – Roy Colebrook, Robert Butler, Joseph Smith, Clarence Rolle, Cora Hepburn and D’Arcy Rahming.

The new additions are Gina Rolle from the Bahamas Golf Federation; Drumeco Archer from the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations; Brian Cleare from the Bahamas Basketball Federation; Algernon Cargill from Bahamas Aquatics; Theodore Sweeting from the Bahamas Baseball Federation; Catherine Ramsingh-Pierre from Equestrian Bahamas; Sean Bastian from the Bahamas Handball Federation; Lori Roach from the Bahamas Triathlon Association; Vincent Strachan from  the Bahamas Boxing Federation; Shane Albury from the Bahamas Softball Federation; Moses Johnson Jr from the Bahamas Basketball Federation.