The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE countdown is officially on and now less than 100 days remain until the Bahamas will host what many consider one of the biggest sporting events in the country’s history - the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.

The Local Organising Committee continued their effort to galvanise the public Sunday when they revealed a new billboard promoting the event at the entrance to Arawak Cay.

The big event, to be hosted July 17-23 in New Providence, will feature 70 participating countries and thousands of participating athletes.

The CYG facilitates boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18 and this year’s event will mark the first time in 50 years that the Caribbean will host a Commonwealth Games event, coming off the Empire Games that was staged in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1966.

Several members of Team Bahamas’ contingent represented their respective sporting disciplines at the billboard unveiling on Sunday, including tennis, rugby, swimming, cycling and athletics.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson said the games come when the Bahamas will welcome the world to the greatest sporting year ever held in the Bahamas with the games being just one of the many major international events that will take place.

“We are coming off a weekend where we won gold in CARIFTA judo, gold in CARIFTA water polo, we will see that continue in a week’s time in track and field and in 100 days time, that will continue when the world comes to the Bahamas for the Commonwealth Youth Games,” he said.

“The purpose of these games is for us to demonstrate that although we are a small group of islands, that we can be the number one sporting tourist destination on the planet,” Johnson said. This is to demonstrate to our young people all around the Commonwealth that there is a better way and this is that better way. We look forward to athletes from over 70 countries to come here and to give their best.”

It was just about a year and-a-half ago when St Lucia pulled out of hosting the games and the Bahamas put in a bid with Glasgow and Sri Lanka.

In 2000, the Commonwealth Games Federation, headed by president Louise Martin of Scortland, hosted the first Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh. The second games was in 2004 in Bendigo, Australia. It went to Pune, India for the third edition in 2008 and The Isle of Man hosted the 2011 with the 5th edition in Samoa in 2015.

Seven sports were contested at the 2015 Games in Samoa. However, the Bahamas did not participate due to being sidetracked by fear of a dengue and chikungunya outbreak.

The first Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Scotland in August 2000 where 733 athletes from 14 countries competed in eight sports over three days.

The second edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games took place in Australia in December 2004 and saw over 1,000 athletes and officials from 22 countries in a 10-sport programme.

The third Youth Games were held in the Indian city of Pune October 12-18, 2008 where 71 nations and territories participated in nine sports.

A decision was taken by the Commonwealth Games Federation at their general assembly in 2005 to move the Youth Games outside of the Olympic Games year and in doing so awarded the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games to the Isle of Man.

At the Isle of Man Games, The Bahamas competed in two of eight disciplines - athletics (track and field) and cycling. The other sports were badminton, boxing, gymnastics for men and women, rugby 7s and swimming.