The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Another member of corporate Bahamas has joined BAAA and the local organising committee for Carifta to help provide money for the hosting of this year’s Carifta Track and Field Championships.

CIBC First Caribbean yesterday announced that they have joined the committee at the bronze level with a $30,000 contribution.

“CIBC First Caribbean takes great pride in being the first commercial bank to announce its sponsorship of the 42nd annual Carifta Track and Field Championships. The theme ‘A Celebration of Caribbean Unity’ is certainly fitting for the event. It also seems tailor made for CIBC First Caribbean whose footprint extends across 17 countries, including the Bahamas. Most of these islands will be represented at the event,” said Marie Rodland-Allen, the bank’s managing director.

“This is indeed a proud moment for all of us as we get to experience extreme levels of talent as our young athlets do us proud in true Bahamian-style, spurred on by the homespun sounds of cowbells, drums and the cheers of their fellow Bahamians.”

Twenty three out of a possible 26 Carifta member federations have confirmed their participation in these games, with 550 athletes

registered thus far.

Allen said the sponsorship was just another example of the bank’s

commitment to the development of Bahamian youth through sport.

Earlier this year, the Bahamas placed third overall in the Carifta Swim Championships, a meet where CIBC was the second largest sponsor of the event.

“And if we can recall, not so long ago in 2002, the last time that the Carifta Games were held in the Bahamas, our bank was also one

of the main sponsors,” she said.

“CIBC FirstCaribbean sincerely thanks the LOC for presenting the bank with an opportunity to be a part of something big. We know that organising such an undertaking is a lot, but we have faith that it will be an excellent event and we look forward to the athletes putting their best ‘feet’ forward and to our partnership leading to a successful 2013 Carifta Games.”

The local organising committee has set a budget of $1.2 million to cover the expenses of hosting the games.

Both LOC chairman Basil Christie and BAAA president Mike Sands said they are well on their way to accomplishing their goal.

“We depend heavily on corporate sponsorship, there is still need for more sponsorship, but Atlantis has again proved to be a reliable corporate citizen with their effort.

“We have promoted this as an event everyone should be proud and be privileged to be a part of,” Christie said, Just about everything is in place. Categorically we have assembled a very dynamic organising team and we have gotten support of the government and the National Sports Authority. We have no reservations in saying that this will be the best Carifta ever.”

With approximately 30 days before the Bahamas will host Carifta for the seventh time since 1976, they have already gotten confirmation from a number of dignitaries around the world, including Lamine Diack, the president of the IAAF, who attended Carifta for the first time when it was hosted here in 2002.

“It was at those games in 2002 that he [Diack] declared the Carifta Games as the best junior championships to be held in the world,” Sands said. “These games can be a costly undertaking and it cannot be possible without the support of corporate Bahamas. We have made pleas to corporate Bahamas on a number of occasions and I’m pleased to say that CIBC First Caribbean has answered our call.”

Sands said the commitment from CIBC First Caribbean will go a long way in helping the committee to defray the hosting expenses and, at the same time, invest in the future generation of track and field stars.