The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH the tremendous success that they have achieved in recent times despite not having the proper facilities, Dr Daniel Johnson said they will be the first recipients of his Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture's sports revitalization programme.

For too long, the new minister of sports said he heard how the tiny island just off Abaco has been neglected, although promise after promise was made to provide them with some type of modern facilities for the athletes to train on.

"I will be in Moore's Island and they will begin cutting this field," Dr Johnson said. "Moore's Island will get a facility that will begin in June. I'm going there in two weeks. I will not leave until we get that started."

Over the last few years, coach Anthony Williamson has groomed some of the top male sprinters in the high school system who have gone on to compete at the Carifta Games and Penn Relays.

However, it has been amazing to see how they have developed when they only have had a grass surface that Williamson marked out for them to train on.

While Moore's Island is gearing up to get some attention, Dr Johnson was asked what other plans are on the horizon for the other sporting bodies during his tenure in office.

"I've spoken with V Alfred Gray, the Minister of Agriculture and Local Government, who is responsible for those local facilities," he said. "I will be touring all of the major islands with V Alfred Gray, starting next week Friday. We will be going through these islands and he has his duties for Local Government and I will be there to survey the sports, human and facilities capacities, and we will get an inventory of what is available and we will do a priority list on who will get what first."

Dr Johnson, however, assured all of the Family Islands that they can expect an upgrade to their sporting facilities in concert with preparing them for the seventh Bahamas Games that should be held within three years.

Talking about the Bahamas Games, what are your plans for the revitalization of the mini-Olympic Games?

"We need to bring it back. We need to bring our people back in the spirit of love and competition annually," he said. "It means that we need to go back to the Family Islands and get the best talent available and showcase them in their arenas.

"We might just have the next Bahamas Games in Grand Bahama so that we can help to stimulate their economy and, at the same time, put these athletes on the national stage so that we can find those diamonds in the rough, who will become the Carifta athletes, the Olympians and the medallists."

Dr Johnson said he has plans to ensure that no stone is left unturned in his quest to bring out the best in the Bahamian public, whether it's through competitive or recreational sports.

With the Bahamas Government already committed to hosting the Carifta Games at the new Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium next year and the IAAF World Relays for three consecutive years from 2013-15, Dr Johnson said they will need at least three years before the return of the Bahamas Games.

"When we bring it back, we will have it as a celebration of our past and present superstars," he said. "We will be committed to making it a grand celebration."

How do you intend to inspire and encourage all of the sporting bodies to produce more athletes to excel at the international level?

Dr Johnson noted that one area in particular that concerns him is the fact that, being surrounded by so much water, there are so many Bahamians that can't swim or even sail a boat.

"We intend to host a sailing academy where the young men can come and be taught the art of sailing," he said. "I can't see why we can't have another Bahamian excel in sailing as Sir Durward Knowles did. We need and we intend to change that. We had a world boxing champion in Elisha Obed. But we need another one. We need more people like Boston Blackie (Leonard Miller), who worked tirelessly to get young men involved in the sport. Track and field has done well but we're looking at more athletes to rise to the occasion and we can get some more medals from the young men."

Pointing out that every sporting body will "get a piece of the pie," Dr Johnson said that the ministry's only request is that they provide a financial report to show how they are spending their moneys to better their various sporting disciplines.

"We need you to make your programmes available to a wide group of people in several locations," he stated. "What we have, we will make available to as many people as we can. So this thing about the budget, it's rubbish. You will have to take what you get and spread it around. I don't need a cent more. I just need to spread it around across this country."

Finally, with this being an Olympic year, what are your expectations for Team Bahamas heading into London, England, in July?

"Gold, gold, gold," said Dr Johnson. "The Bahamas gone gold. We expect London to see some gold from the Bahamas. Tell them just like that: Gold, gold, gold. We might even be there singing that song 'They scared, they scared. Bahamians coming."

Dr Johnson said the goal is for a number of athletes to win medals in athletics but he's looking forward to a breakthrough in swimming. "We expect that with the host of talent that we have, we will bring back some shining hardware," he said. "That's our expectations for London - gold, gold, gold. That's it."