The Tribune

Brent Stubbs meets the man who will have responsbility for ensuring a smooth Olympic experience for Team Bahamas in Brazil this summer . . .

The success and failure of any international team representing The Bahamas at a major international competition rests on the shoulders of the ‘chef de mission’.

Roy Colebrooke, a vice president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC), will be responsible for that aspect for the second successive Olympic Games when the Bahamas team travels to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July.

“The role as chef for me carries a great responsibility and that responsibility got started from last year August,” Colebrooke told The Tribune. “That’s how serious it is when it comes to ensuring that Team Bahamas is dealt with in a manner that is second to none.

“So I believe that the chef de mission role is to ensure that everything is done to ensure that Team Bahamas’ experience from their arrival to their departure is of the uppermost and they have one of the greatest experiences ever when it comes to the Rio Games.”

In his role, Colebrooke said he has a responsibility to take care of all of the team leaders, managers, coaches, athletes and the medical staff who make up Team Bahamas from the time they arrive in Rio until they depart from the Games, scheduled for August 5 to 21.

“I have to create an atmosphere where the only thing the athletes have to do is continue their preparation to compete to the best of their abilities,” he pointed out. “I have to make sure that everything is taken care of, even when it comes to visitors. I have to monitor everything and that is exactly what I do.”

Since August, when he was a part of the chef de mission’s site inspection in Rio, Colebrooke said he has been in constant contact with their regional representative, who keeps him abreast of every aspect of the Games, including medical, water supply, security, food and accommodations.

“From the year we start to the end of the Games, we are informed on a daily basis of what is happening in Brazil and how, if it does, the effect it will have on the countries prior to their arrival,” he said.

As for Team Bahamas, Colebrooke said the BOC has had a long list deadline at the end of April by when they would have had to submit the names of the potential athletes who would eventually qualify for the Games.

“All of the long lists are in place and so we are just waiting on the deadline for the qualifiers,” he said. “Most of the countries have their final qualifications in June and so we still have about a month to go before the team is finalised.”

Already, The Bahamas has been given an additional qualifier in a non-traditional sport after Emily Morley was invited to compete in rowing. It marks the first time that The Bahamas will have a competitor in a water sport other than sailing.

Colebrooke said the BOC is keeping its fingers crossed that there will be qualifiers in boxing, tennis and judo to go along with the usual list of competitors from athletics (track and field) and swimming.

Even though BOC president Wellington Miller and Secretary General Rommel Knowles will be attending the Games, Colebrooke said they have a role to play that is entirely different from the team. But as the chef de mission, his role is to ensure that both the high-ranking officials are taken care of as well once they arrive at the Games.

“If a situation arises at the hotel with the president or the secretary general, the chef de mission is the man who has to get that resolved,” Colebrooke said. “So that goes to show you the magnitude of the responsibility of the chef de mission. Even when it comes to the external situations for Team Bahamas, the chef de mission is the lead man to represent the country at that time.”

Over the years, Colebrooke has travelled to a number of international competitions, serving as the Bahamas chef de mission, so he takes a wealth of experience into Rio. He draws on two notable experiences at the last Olympic Games in London, England, in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014.

“When the entire country saw Leevan Sands go down (in the pit in the final of the men’s triple jump) at the London Olympics, I was right there,” Colebrooke said. “Before he came out of the sand, my emergency plan was already in place. It went off without a hitch. So as the chef de mission, I have to have an eye on every aspect, whether its medical, security, food or accommodations. Everything has to be on point.”

In Scotland, Musgrove had to deal with the issue of the Bahamian cycling team of Chad Albury, Anthony “Biggie” Colebrooke, Jay Major and Deangelo Sturrup, who found themselves in a scary situation when they were escorted off a busy Scottish motorway by police in the rush hour traffic while out on a training ride.

“That was a scary moment, but it wasn’t a fault of our own,” Colebrooke remembered. “But it was a situation that I had to deal with, especially from the international press perspective. It goes with the territory.”

Colebrooke said he’s looking forward to a very successful trip to Rio. “Without any thought of whether it is injury, mayhem or anything else,” he said, “I’m looking forward to a very good showing by Team Bahamas and hopefully we will come out with some medals.”

Colebrooke’s duty in Rio is expected to begin sometime in July, at least a week or two before Team Bahamas start to arrive at the end of July. And he will remain there until every member of team departs in August.

The Tribune is following Team Bahamas in the build up to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and will be reporting from Brazil this summer. The ‘242 on the Road to Rio series’ will appear every Monday and Thursday. Comments and responses to bstubbs@tribunemedia.net