The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN an effort to continue the Bahamas’ success at the international level and motivated by Team Bahamas’ performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Prime Minister Perry Christie said his government will undergo a massive recruitment effort to identify new talent.

As members tabled communications yesterday in the House of Assembly, Christie addressed the formation of the plan, which is now in its infancy stages.

“I’ve indicated that the government will be prepared to support a concentrated effort by all of the associations and federations to bring about efforts providing the best opportunities for our young people throughout the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” he said.

“We will meet this coming Monday where the document will be prepared where we will put together this major effort for a recruitment exercise for young people. We will go through schools from primary, to high school to the University of the Bahamas where scholarships will be available. In a nutshell, taking that level of commitment the government can give I have given our commitment to creating the best possible team to represent the Bahamas at future events.”

Appearing as a guest on the “Darold Miller Live” talk show this week, the Prime Minister also addressed the issue of recruitment and facilities.

“I met with a body of athletic federations because arising out of the Olympics I wanted to ensure that the government would be able to inform public policy and the associations that we need to take a good look at how we go about developing sports to give our athletes in an island nation like the Bahamas, the best opportunity to grow and do the best they could,” he said.

“Right now it is very difficult for kids in the islands who lack facilities or who have limited facilities. So, I had a meeting with those associations in the absence of the minister, I indicated that the intention was to put together a comprehensive programme, an integrated programme where we would be able to identify throughout our islands athletes with potential and to be able to give these athletes the opportunity to attend educational institutions whether high school or University of the Bahamas and to be able to give college scholarships so they can have the same benefit as others right here in the Bahamas. We will associate the university with centres of excellence where athletes are able to be associated with sports academies and be able to get the very best treatment advice and conditioning.”

In May 2013, Christie first announced that his administration “will begin the process to invest some $10 million in the construction” of multi-purpose sporting facilities in the family islands similar to those in New Providence and Grand Bahama, giving young athletes in those islands more opportunities to develop in competitive sports.

The improvement to sporting infrastructure is but one segment of an extensive plan for his administration’s budget, aimed at “structural reform.”

“All of this is necessary for us to give our athletes the best opportunity to perform at the highest level and excel at events like the recent Olympics,” he said. “Sports is a major pillar for the Bahamas. It is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. We are talking about being able to pursue best practices in sports development and being able to connect them with the best facilities.”