The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Amateur Boxing Federation has confirmed that they have to go back to the election polls next Friday to elect a new executive team for the next three years.

Apparently, the elections held on Saturday, April 21 are null and void, which means that Vincent Strachan, who won the presidency 7-3 over Ikenna Johnson, will have to do it all over again.

And while both of them have thrown their names into the hat, Ronn Rodgers has also joined the mix, making it a three-way race as the nominations have been closed and will not be accepted from the floor.

The elections are set to start at 5pm on Friday, August 31 and will be held in the conference room at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

One of the stipulations for the elections being recalled is because the International Boxing Association (IABA) was not present.

They had indicated to outgoing president Wellington Miller that they needed to monitor what was going on.

It’s amazing that an international body would take such a stance considering that normally the elections are held and the list of officers are submitted to them. For the most part, they accept what is presented to them.

Miller, however, has pointed out that it’s a new mandate of IABA in that they must first vet the names of those persons who are vying for office before their nominations are accepted.

I believe that they can scrutinise the list of candidates, but to indicate that they have to have a representative present is taking it a step too far.

Let’s hope this won’t be a policy that will be adopted by all of the other international bodies because it could become an issue for other local sporting bodies.

With so much demand from IABA to oversee the electoral process, I trust that whoever is elected as the new president will lobby for some assistance in equipment and financial support to push the BABF further ahead.

Judo on the Move

The Bahamas Judo Federation, headed by D’Arcy Rahming Sr, should be commended for the progress they are making in bringing another major international event to the country.

Come October 17-21, the federation will stage the World Junior Judo Championships in the Imperial Ballroom at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island with at least 26 countries, including Russia and Japan, making the long trek here.

The Bahamas is fast becoming a destination of choice for a number of international bodies and it only bodes well for us when we can push more international competitions to our shores.

The federation should also be commended because they have made tremendous strides in creating a national training academy, headed by Rahming Jr, which allows their professional and amateur competitors to train here at home.

The public will soon see the benefits of their labour as the championships will serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games. It would be another feather in their cap to secure their berth into the biggest competition on the planet.

New Basketball Tip Off

The Bahamas Basketball Federation has announced plans for the introduction of a new tournament that will be coming to the Bahamas. And the focus this time will be on high school boys teams.

The Caribbean Tip Off Classic is scheduled for November 2-4 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium and will attract top tier teams from the United States, Canada and even Europe.

This will provide an opportunity for the Bahamas to find the next diamonds in the rough as the federation looks to showcase players who have the potential to follow in the footsteps of Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton.

Obviously, this is huge for the country and is expected to be an annual event that could eventually rival the Battle 4 Atlantis – in which eight of the top collegiate teams have competed in every November since 2011.

The difference is that the Caribbean Tip Off is being created from within the country, which means that the majority of the benefits accrued will be more beneficial to the Bahamas.

An excellent idea and kudos to the federation’s first vice president Mario Bowleg, coordinator Steve Barnes and international representative David Maron for coming up with such a tremendous initiative.