The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SIR Arlington Butler was remembered for the role he played, not only in the Bahamas Olympic Association as it was referred then, but also in the lives of those who followed in his footsteps as administrators and those who benefited as athletes.

On Thursday night, Sir Arlington passed away at the age of 79.

The former school teacher, who rose to the level of a Member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Assembly, served as a former president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations before he was elevated to the post of president of the BOA.

After he was voted out of office in 2008, the BOA agreed to amend its constitution and changed its name to the Bahamas Olympic Committee in accordance with the International Olympic Committee.

During his tenure in office, Sir Ali, as he was affectionately called, made some significant contributions that not only affected the Bahamas, but the Olympic movement in the region in general.

BOC's current president Wellington Miller, who will be seeking another four-year term in office when their elections are held on Thursday night at the Paul Farquharson Auditorium at the Royal Bahamas Police headquarters, said Sir Ali was a mentor that helped him during his time in office.

"When I heard about it, I was really sad because I went to see him a couple weeks ago and it bothered me then to see a man so big and strong, lying there and could hardly recognize me," Miller said.

"Today is a sad day for me because after I was first introduced to him in 1982 by Boston Blackie (cycling and boxing legend Leonard Miller), we became close friends. So I got to knew him really well."

One of the things Miller remembered about Sir Ali was in 1984 when they were going to the Olympic Games and while on board Eastern Airlines, the stewardess found out that this was the Olympic team. She asked them what sport they take part in and Sir Ali said gymnastics. Miller said the stewardess laughed all the way to Miami because she didn't believe Sir Ali was serious.

From the funny side to the more serious one, Miller said one of the greatest moments for Sir Ali came in 1974 when he made a motion to change the British Commonwealth Games to just the Commonwealth Games.

"Many of his former collegiate, who were there and are still around in the Olympic movement, continue to ask about Sir Ali whenever we travel, especially in the English speaking countries where he was one of the greatest speakers," Miller said.

"When Sir Ali spoke, it was an event for the people. He was good. The audience enjoyed listening to him during his presentations, so I know he will surely be missed. I will miss his advice because we talked a lot."

Having served as one of his vice presidents, Miller said he gained a lot of advice as he confided in him as he kept a close watch on his reign as president.

"I remember the elections in 2008. That very night, he congratulated me and offered his wisdom to assist me going forward," Miller said. "From that day, we communicated a lot of times on a lot of subjects that pertain to the Olympic movement."

The BOC will go to the polls to elect a new slate of officers on Thursday at 7 pm at the Paul Farqhuarson Auditorium at the Royal Bahamas Police Force headquarters and Miller said he intent to seek another term in office as he will be challenged by former Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations' president Mike Sands.

Secretary General Rommel 'Fish' Knowles said they will miss their former immediate president, but they will work on keeping his memory alive once the elections are over.

"Sir Ali served for about 40 years, leading the Bahamas Olympic Association at the time," he said. "When he traveled, he demanded the respect of his peers.

"He was instrumental in the formation of the Pan American Sports Organization and the Association of National Olympic Committees. He was also a founding member of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees."

Sir Ali was known as a revered sports administrator in the Caribbean and the BOC honored him a few years ago at Government House, Knowles said his collegiate from around the world came and paid tribute to him.

"They were very emotional in their touching testimonies to him, which speaks to the contribution that Sir Ali would have made in the Olympic movement, not only in sports, but in their personal lives," Knowles pointed out.

"And in his personal life, he was very successful, becoming a Member of Parliament for Salem under the Free National Movement, served as the Ministry of Transport and Works and then speaker of the House of Assembly."

Knowles said the national sporting icon and sporting legend will be sorely missed.

One of those sporting leaders who expressed his condolences to the man whom he regarded as a friend was Algernon Cargill, the president of the Bahamas Swimming Federation.

"Sir Ali was one of the main reasons why I got involved in the Olympic movement," said Cargill, who served previously as a vice president and will be seeking that position again on Thursday night.

"He had asked me to run and he and I were friends before, but we become closer as friends during the 2011 run-up to the elections," Cargill said.

"His legacy will never be replaced in sports and certainly his contribution to the Olympic movement is phenomenal by any stretch of imagination, so we will miss him and all that he has done for sports, swimming in particularly and of course the Olympic movement globally."

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, of which Sir Ali served as a past president, will be sorely missed according to Mike Sands, the immediate past president.

"Sir Arlington played as very pivotal role in my life as young boy growing up as an athlete," said Sands, one of the country's top elite quarter-milers.

"It's easy for me to say that Sir Arlington discovered me because as a junior in high school in New York was when I first met Sir Arlington when he went to my house to ask if I was their son because they heard that I was competing in the United States and he brought me home for the Commonwealth Games in 1970."

During that trip in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sands was the youngest member of Team Bahamas and at both the 1972 and 76 Olympic Games, Sands said as president of the BOA, Butler selected him to carry the flag during the march pass at the opening ceremonies.

"I always sort Sir Arlington's advice because of his vast experience throughout the world and so it will greatly missed by me on a personal note," Sands said.

"I'm sure that the sporting community locally and the sporting community worldwide join me in extending condolences to his family. I'm aware that he's been a pillar and significant fixture in the world of athletes, particularly in his capacity as the BOC president."

As the president of the BOA, Butler also enjoyed some sterling moments from our athletes, including Frank Rutherford when he won the first Olympic athletic medal with his bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and when the Golden Girls team of Savetheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis, Debbie Ferguson and Eldece Clarke captured the gold in the women's 4 x 100 metre relay at the 2000 Olympics in Sidney, Australia.

"May his soul rest in peace," Davis stated. "We seemed to be losing a lot of our heroes. Sir Ail was one of those. I was numbed when I learnt of his passing because he has done a lot of great things for our country."

Davis, now an International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Council Member, the first Bahamian woman to hold such a prestigious position, said she marveled as his contribution to sports.

"As an athlete, I started my Olympic career in 1984 under his presidency and I know he's done a lot of great things for our country and our sport," she said.

"So I just want to send my condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace."

Clarke joined in Davis' sentiments because she too remembered when he served as president when she competed.

"He will be sorely missed because of his contribution to the sport and to the country," she said. "I think he deserve to have a special celebrations because he's not only done a lot for the sport and his country, but the Olympic movement in general."