The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Local Organising Committee is all geared up and ready to welcome the international athletes back to the second Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational.

The invitational is all set to be held on Saturday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, starting at 6pm, following the completion of the junior segment from 11am to 5pm.

Herbert Cash III, the chief executive officer of the LOC, said they are in a much better place to put on the invitational than when the initial one was held in 2013.

“I’m comfortable that the team is well on its way in executing the plans,” Cash III said. “I believe that we are going to have an exciting event and the key to pulling off a spectacular event like this is communication and as we continue to communicate, the execution of the event will be stellar.

“I’m happy with the team of persons working on the LOC and I believe that the fire that they brought to the table will spill over in the stadium when the event gets underway. We have a lot of young faces around the table, but they have a lot of experience being in the background and working up front in terms of the IAAF World Relays and some of them have worked in the IDB Meeting of the Board of Governors Conference. So the experience that they have will prove to be meaningful in contributing to a very successful event.”

While the focus of attention will be on the list of international stars who will be coming to compete in their season opening meet as they prepare for the Road to Rio and the Olympic Games in August, there will be a junior segment from 11am to 5pm where the future stars are expected to be showcased.

“These are going pretty well. We have our listing of the international athletes coming in and we are arranging them in their various events, so it should be very competitive,” said Dianne Woodside, who is responsible for the scheduling of the meet. “Our junior segment also looks good. We have about 500 athletes registered to compete in the junior segment so it’s coming along very well.”

Woodside said they are just waiting for the invitational to kick off on Saturday because everthing is now in place.

“The excitement has been building. Ever since we had the world relays over the past two years, we have been used to seeing these superstars run in the relays,” she said. “Now Bahamians will get to see them run in their individual events, which should be even more exciting.

“I think it’s an exciting time and so I think Bahamians should really come out and watch the event.”

Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, who is delighted to be able to bring the invitational back after the previous two were postponed the last two years, said the LOC should be commended for making his job an easy one this time around.

“I feel pretty good about where we are and how the meet is coming together,” he said. “We have a very strong LOC and everybody knows their role and they are staying in their lanes. So right now, we have just ran the first 300 metres and now we are getting ready to complete the final 100m on the home stretch.”

Although he won’t be competing in an individual event, Brown said there are enough superstars coming in town, including arch- rivals Kirani James from Grenada and American Jeremy Wariner along with American sprinters Jutlin Gatlin, Wallace Spearmon, Natasha Hastings and Tori Bowie, hurdler David Oliver, Jamaicans Veronica Campbell-Brown and Sherone Simpson and triple jumpers Christian Taylor and Will Claye.

The Bahamas will not be left out as quarter-milers Shaunae Miller and Steven Gardiner, triple jumper Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands, long jumper Bianca Stuart and high jumpers Donald Thomas, Trevor Barry, Ryan Ingraham and Jamal Wilson will all be among the list of competitors to compete.

“We are just waiting for the event to kick of,” Brown summed up. “We are looking for some positive response from the Bahamian crowd, the ticket sales are still ongoing and we are just waiting for the first group of athletes to arrive in town tomorrow (today).”

The bulk of the athletes will be in town on Thursday.