The Tribune

IT has been a successful sporting weekend for The Bahamas, with the country’s CARIFTA team bringing home four gold medals in its 17-medal haul from the event in Jamaica.

The country has also brought home the entire event itself – as we will host the 2023 Games.

A bid was put forward to host the event in its 50th anniversary, coinciding with our own nation’s 50th anniversary of independence.

It is a fitting moment, certainly – but it does seem as if we are going into it somewhat under prepared.

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg said yesterday that his ministry is already planning to get in preparation mode for the event. That seems like it should have been done ahead of a bid, one would have thought.

Still, at least the cost of the bid must have been evaluated, yes? Alas, no, Mr Bowleg says that it is too early to tell what the costs might be.

He said: “We don’t know what the total cost will be for this event as yet because again, we want to make this a grand event and put an event around the event.”

He talked of a levy that each country pays per athlete that attends to help defray costs – but that is only about $200 per athlete to go towards accommodation costs, so that won’t go far.

The Games that have just been held, in Jamaica, reportedly cost between $690,000 and $960,000 to stage – but the lack of any kind of ballpark figure budgeted by The Bahamas is concerning.

Mr Bowleg says that repairs are to begin at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium soon – again, with no estimate publicly reported – and presumably that would also mean having to find a new home for the Road Traffic Department by then.

All in all, it is enticing to look forward to the nation hosting one of the region’s premier sporting events – but it all feels a bit off the cuff.

If the plans are better developed than they seem, we would hope that the government would publish the details of the bid they put forward, and the plans for revitalising the country’s sporting venues, including a swimming pool suitable for the event.

It would be wonderful indeed to put on a memorable show in our anniversary year – but let’s see the price tag, please.

Crypto conference

A former US President, a former British Prime Minister and a seven-time Super Bowl winner walk into a room.

It’s not a joke, we should hasten to say, it’s simply the impressive line-up for a cryptocurrency conference being held in The Bahamas.

Currency exchange FTX has increasingly been involved in the corporate community in the country, recently giving its support to the BAARK! Campaign to neuter stray animals, for example.

And now this conference, due to become an annual event, is expected to bring big names and big income to the country, with the conference due to be worth about $12m to the economy.

It’s a market that seems to be ripe for further exploration by The Bahamas – and we look forward to what comes next.