The Tribune

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

The entire Bahamas paused on Monday night to cheer on our nation’s golden superwoman Shaunae Miller as she ran and captured the gold medal in the 400 metres final at the Games of the 31st Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Like many Bahamians, I applauded, shouted, did a jig and posted on social media, beaming with pride after Miller dove across the finish line with sheer determination, knowing that the weight of a nation was on her shoulders. Shaunae’s defeat of arch rival Allyson Felix, of the United States, by so narrow a margin, fulfilled the hopes of hundreds of thousands of Bahamians across the archipelago and abroad. However, her victory did not come without controversy. As I have previously done, I again congratulate her.

Given the fact that Miller had run the entire race at full speed, she was no doubt fighting lactic acid and, as she stated in her interview on Good Morning America, could no longer feel her legs as they became numb. Anyone who has ever run track could relate to that. The fact is that she had the sheer determination to hold on to a lead that she had the entire race and will herself across the line. She could have just as easily crumbled and fallen before getting to the line. I respect that. She must be honoured and nothing that naysayers and haters say can change the fact that she has made her country proud. I’m still feeling golden.

Prior to the Games, I told a number of persons that Shaunae was our best hope of medalling individually or in a relay. I continue to believe that.

The 400 metres appears to be the signature event for the Bahamas at the Olympics, with us attaining golds by Tonique Williams-Darling and the Golden Knights (Chris Brown, Michael Matthieu, Demetrius Pinder and Ramon Miller) in the 4 x 400m and now Shaunae Miller.

What’s more, Chris Brown - still in his prime - narrowly lost the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when American David Neville dived across the line to win that medal by .04 seconds. Admittedly, I was irate and angry but I accepted the outcome as we were told by all and sundry that it was totally “legal”.

Accordingly, section 2 of rule 164 0f the International Association of Athletics Federations’ competition rules, sub-titled “The Finish” clearly states that “the athletes shall be placed in the order in which any part of their bodies (i.e. torso, as distinguished from the head, neck, arms, legs, hands or feet) reaches the vertical plane of the nearer edge of the finish line”. No matter the criticisms of Miller, the rule is applicable to all.

In the Bahamas, Shaunae Miller is perhaps our only top-flight, elite track and field athlete, although Pedrya Seymour will be one to watch after her record-breaking efforts in the 110 metres hurdles last night. Miller is our best sprinter, I am told, in the 100, 200 and 400 metres. Whilst that is an amazing feat on her part, it is also indicative of our government’s failure to truly develop our sporting disciplines and provide the support for athletes to train and attain such elite levels. No doubt, Miller’s family and personal support system is in large part responsible for what she has been able to attain, with the government only stepping in once it had been established that she was a bona fide superstar.

Far more attention must be to the planning youth and sports development in this country.

This year, the government announced that they would spend $7m on the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. They have yet to give us an accounting of the full expenditure. Last year, nearly $12m was spent on the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. On the face of it, that is $19m!

The money wasted on the carnival could be used to build a proper sporting complex, hire coaches and some of the best athletic trainers in the world, pay our elite athletes a salary, engage in scouting and recruiting throughout the Family Islands and host international competitions so that our best -across the sporting disciplines - could compete against and train with the best. We could build a diving pool, a shooting range, an equestrian facility and so on!

Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace - as good a swimmer as she is - has already dominated the local scene and can only become better by competing with faster, well-trained swimmers. Otherwise, we will continue to fall short.

Whatever happened to the Bahamas Games? If we really wish to field the best Bahamian athletes throughout the Family Islands, common sense dictates that the government and corporate Bahamas should invest in re-launching these games, which allowed each island to showcase its best home-grown talent and allowed local and international scouts to see the best of our archipelago performing in order to select them for future national teams and potential scholarships to various colleges. Indeed, these Games as well as a national sports academy would allow the Bahamas to select better, more diverse national teams going forward.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture remains in an infantilised state. The minister has brought little to the drawing board. Why isn’t more focus being placed on the various sporting disciplines, such as baseball, cricket, rugby, athletics, etc?

As a sports enthusiast, I must express my disappointment about the apparent lack of a forward looking approach by the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) in preparation for this year’s games.

Instead of following Jamaica’s example and seeking young athletes to develop for future Games, it appears that the BOC, the Ministry of Sports and other local sporting organisations are failing to develop a scouting and training programme, where sports scouts travel to the islands in search of the abundance of talent that lies dormant, just waiting to be discovered. Over the years, I’ve known and been told of first-rate athletes who, upon finishing high school, settle into jobs or family life as probably there were no opportunities to attend college or hone their athletic abilities and/or, they became discouraged due to a lack of support.

Although many of our older athletes have made the country proud, our performance when compared to other countries (eg, Jamaicans, Americans) shows that rather than constantly “recycle” athletes who can no longer compete against younger, better trained participants from other countries, we must focus on grooming younger competitors.

Because of their developmental programmes, Jamaica can boast of having the fastest man and the fastest woman in the world.

At this Olympics, the Bahamas sent a team that included sprinters/field competitors, swimmers and, for the first time, a rower. But, whatever happened to our boxers, tennis players, sailors?

Why can’t we develop - with government and private sector sponsorship - our sports programmes and field a team that also competes in archery, softball or baseball (which we once dominated), canoe/kayak events, cycling, diving, equestrian events, rugby, fencing, judo, sailing (with our many regattas and experienced skippers this should be automatic), shooting, synchronised diving, wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball (indoors or beach), taekwondo, table tennis, handball, trampoline, gymnastics and even basketball? With all the beaches we have in the Bahamas, we cannot field a qualifying beach volleyball team?

There are numerous events that make up the Olympic schedule and I know of quite a number of talented, athletic Bahamians who already compete in these and can qualify if the proper developmental programmes are in place - and if the Bahamas’ sports ministry and the BOC weren’t so short-sighted.

We can become a sporting power but we must begin to pay our athletes a decent salary and engage private endorsements for the best among them. Is it too much to expect an athlete to work a 9 to 5 job, train here and there and then travel to international competitions to medal?

In 2000, I was one of two Bahamians selected by the then Bahamas Olympic Association to represent the Bahamas at the Olympic Youth Camp in Sydney, Australia. It was the experience of a lifetime and many of those persons I met are my friends today. In fact, I watched and cheered as one of them competed in the current Olympics. I remember being in Australia when the Golden Girls won and the pride I felt. I recall being in the stadium when Australian Cathy Freeman ran her heart out to win the gold medal in front of her home town crowd. I witnessed their admiration of her.

In 2012, Kirani James won Grenada’s first Olympic medal, a gold in the 400 metres. On his return home, he was given more than EC$730,000 in cash, real estate, EC$500,000 in treasury bonds and jewellery. What’s more, James received another $100,000 from the Republic Bank (Grenada) Limited and a jewellery suite - watch, bracelet and chain - valued at US$5,000 from Colombian Emeralds International. The country had an island-wide parade, flocking to the stadium and celebrating with songs, dancing, poetry, speeches, firework and a motorcade. Even James’ mother and father received special gift baskets - valued at US$250 - from Duty Free Caribbean, a local business.

Today, Grenada now intends to name its national stadium after James.

So, what will the Bahamas’ government do for Shaunae?

Well, we have already established the precedent of naming roads after winning athletes so here is what I think she should get:

1. A road named after her

2. A cash prize in the amount of $250,000

3. Prime real estate

4. An island-wide motorcade and celebratory welcome at the national stadium

5. Raise her monthly subvention

Miller’s victory on Monday will be etched in the minds of Bahamians for years to come. She represents the Bahamian spirit.

I am interested in an accounting of the funds spent to take this Olympic team to Rio. What’s more, how many unnecessary persons travelled on our dime? Can we have the names of all persons who travelled to Rio on taxpayers’ money?

Congratulations to Shaunae and to all those who have represented us with dignity and left their best on the track/in the swimming pool.

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