The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FIRE on Sunday gutted the announcer's booth - the oldest structure in the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, but it's not expected to adversely affect the operations of the various high schools and Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations' activities.

"The Fire Department's investigative team is out there doing their investigation," said Jeff Beckles, manager of the National Sports Authority, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture's entity responsible for the daily operation of the facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.

"Obviously, we need to give them time to do their assessment. We just wait for a preliminary report that is expected in a day or so. It's a little too early to say what may have caused it. There wasn't anything going on at the time at the stadium. Right now, we are just waiting on them to assess it."

The fire occurred one day after the Roadrunners Track Club, headed by Dexter Bodie, staged the second meet on the BAAAs calendar for 2018 as the road to the hosting of the CARIFTA Games for the eighth time over the Easter holiday weekend continues.

Beckles said the facility has suffered extensive damage and will have to be demolished once they get the green light from the Fire Department of the Royal Bahamas Police Force because it could be considered a lost cause.

"What has happened there won't affect the daily operation at the TAR," he said. "We had stuff stored in there, but it won't affect our ability to continue to operate the local meets there. There was no harm to anyone. Once we can get in there and assess the damage, we will continue to function."

When contacted, BAAAs president Rosamunde Carey said after learning of the fire, her main concern was how it would affect their operation heading into CARIFTA. "We have meets going on every weekend," she pointed out. "We have CARIFTA trials and then CARIFTA, but I was able to speak to the NSA's general manager Mr Beckles, who assured me that they can't pinpoint exactly what went wrong until the investigators have completed their assessment.

"The fire was just contained in the announcer's booth so there was some damage to the timing system, but that will not impact the meets that are going on. It may have some impact on the meets that are on for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but they just have to block that section off."

With the original TAR Stadium a bee hive of activities throughout the day with the high school meets and athletes training for the series of meets that are scheduled for every weekend leading into CARIFTA, Carey said they are just getting into their season and they saw a couple of qualifiers at the Roadrunners meet on Saturday.

"We were assured by Mr Beckles that the fire will not hinder the track and field season," Carey said. "I've not been out there because it's not safe, but I have been appraised and he and I will go through a walk through tomorrow (today) and we will survey the damage."

Carey expressed her gratitude to the NSA in their commitment to do all that they can to ensure that the BAAA will not be adversely affected in the build up to the hosting of the CARIFTA Games.

The announcer's booth is situated on the southern end of the old TAR stadium. It also occupies the statistician section where the results are compiled. There was also the office and storage rooms used by the NSA staff in addition to the unused sports reporter's room. There was also a male and female bathroom.

Just on the outside, blue bucket seats were recently placed on the concrete bleachers for the athletes and coaches to sit as they enjoyed the meet. Underneath the stadium was a male bathroom.