The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

As the technical director for competitions, Paul Hardy likes what he sees developing as they will incorporate junkanoo music in the staging of the inaugural International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Relays at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in May.

With just about 92 days left before the championships are held, Hardy and Ernest Obeng, the IAAF director of broadcast, made another site inspection and they both left impressed with what they have organised with the local organising committee, headed by Keith Parker and Mike Sands.

The quartet held a press conference Thursday when Hardy said they have something special for the viewing public, whether in person or watching by television.

“We are here today to really consolidate the idea that we developed at the beginning when we introduced the idea of the world relays to the world,” said Hardy, who is back for his fourth visit to the Bahamas. “We did a lot of research before we actually announced this event and we decided, from the IAAF point of view, that we needed a new event.

“We needed a new event and we needed something a little different and something exciting. We did some research and the relays, among the research, always comes up as the most popular event. It’s a team sport, very exciting, very dramatic. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Having sat and discussed the idea of the relays with Obeng and the other committees within the IAAF, Hardy said they presented a concept that was different than just the relays. The idea was to develop a concept that was made for television and ideal for the stadium.

“It’s probably the first time that our two forces, competition and television, have come together and worked together,” Hardy said. “We had a lot of ideas, but we can’t make them happen on our own. We need our collegiate here in the Bahamas to make that happen. So the last day and a half, we sat down with them and we presented our ideas and we heard their ideas and we now know what we will do.”

When the relays are held May 25-26, Hardy said they are expected to introduce the athletes from the more than 50 participating countries like they have never been introduced before at any of their IAAF events as they parade them down the track to the junkanoo music.

“We know we are going to have all of the top countries here. Are we going to have all of the top athletes? We certainly hope so,” Hardy said. “What we are pushing is the idea of the team concept. We know Jamaica is going to be here. We know the USA is going to be here. We know Trinidad is going to be here. We’re pretty sure they are going to have all of their top athletes here.

“But for us, it’s important to have all of the top countries who regularly participate in relays to be here. So we spent the last day and half sitting down. We know how important the junkanoo music is and we know we had to involve them. We have to capture the flavour, which they embody here in the culture.”

Hardy said while they have not finalised all of the plans with the junkanoo groups, they have an idea of where they want them to be stationed inside the stadium and how they can help the IAAF to achieve their goal when the championships are staged May 25-26.

In addition to the parading of athletes, Hardy said the IAAF will also introduce a new concept for the medal presentations immediately following the completion of the relays with the athletes being recognised in the outfits that they would have competed in.

“It’s a pioneering event and an innovative event and we are happy to work together with the people of the Bahamas to help make this happen,” Hardy said. “We are going to do the medal presentations right after the event so we can keep the action flowing with a lot of music, all designed to bring the stadium to life and all of this will be captured on the television images as well.

“We know it’s going to be great because we have the plans in place right now. Now it’s just sitting down and getting the work done so that we can be ready with one heck of a show.”

Obeng said as a result of their planning meeting, they are more confident than ever before about how they can deliver something that is going to be very fantastic for the world to see here in the Bahamas.

“This is going to be something that people will come to understand, appreciate and love,” Obeng said. “I’m sure that you have all ran a relay at one point or the other in your life. Just imagine that everybody is focused on what you are doing and wishing that the other team drops the baton so that you can win.

“We have taken a lot of time and effort over the last few years to come up with something that those of you who are fortunate to be here in the Bahamas and those of you around the rest of the world.”

To ensure that the event is carried around the world, Obeng said they have contracted ISB (International Sports Broadcasting) headquartered out of Madrid, Spain, but has offices in the United States, as the host broadcaster. They will produce the international signal for their broadcast partners, including Eurovision.

Created in 1996 after successfully winning a competitive bid to become the host broadcaster for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, the ISB has been actively involved in every Olympic Games since 1998 while members of its staff have worked in each Games since 1968.

“What you will see, if you are not here at the stadium, is something which we hope to increase your interest in broadcasting,” Obeng said. “What we have realised is that something broadcasted is not appreciated, but we have come up with a concept that will be fast and action-packed and moving.

“We have redesigned the logo for the IAAF and the graphics to give the flavour for the Bahamas and for the relays and the flavour of what will be a wonderful event. We have also taken the time to look at the details of all the possible locations and we will provide a high quality production for the world to see.”

While it’s not known exactly which countries will be coming, Hardy said they have had an interest from more than 50 of their 212 member countries. Those countries, according to Hardy, regularly participate in the relay events in all IAAF Championships and the Olympic Games.

By next week, Hardy said they intend to get a definitive confirmation on the countries that are expected to participate.

Obeng said what is going to be so unique about the relays is that while they are only putting on five disciplines - 4 x 100, 4 x 200, 4 x 400, 4 x 800 and 4 x 1,500 metres - both the 4 x 200 and the 4 x 1,500m are not events that are generally held and so they anticipate a lot of excitement from the viewing public.

“The 4 x 1,500 is a new event. The American colleges do it a lot so because of that, we could very well see a world record,” Hardy said. “We in the IAAF are offering world record bonuses, so we can see a number of world records. It’s a straight final. We don’t anticipate more than 15 teams, but we can manage up to 15 teams.

“It’s an event that we need to educate the public about. This is where we will bring in the junkanoo to motivate, not just the athletes, but the people in the stands because the race will go on for a long time. So those are the things we want to do to make the event more exciting.”

Additionally, Hardy said the IAAF will present the gold baton to the country which accumulates the most points in the men and women divisions combined. So they are encouraging the countries to participate in more events so they stand a chance to win the overall title.

Parker, the chairman of the local organising committee, said since the launch of the ticket sales a week ago, there has been a steady flow of persons making their purchases and that’s surprising to him because, in his opinion, Bahamians like to wait for the very last minute.

As for the visitors, Parker said a number of countries have already expressed their intent to attend and they are seeking the package, including the tickets and the hotel rooms, because it’s a real world event where each team that wins will be crowned the world champions.

In preparation for the relays, Sands said they are negotiating with the teams that want to come in early to travel to Grand Bahama where they can participate in a training camp at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex.