The Tribune

THE Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association (GBSSAA) and the Grand Bahama Primary Schools Sports Athletic Association (GBPSSAA) are calling on the relevant government ministries to allow the resumption of sporting activities in the schools in Grand Bahama.

In a joint statement released by Oswald ‘the Insider’ Simmons, the scheduling commissioner for the GBSSAA and the president of the GBPSSAA, there is no reason why sports should not be allowed to commence when the schools in Grand Bahama go face-to-face with their classes.

On a small scale with all of the health and safety protocols in place, Simmons said the core sports like basketball, track and field, soccer, volleyball and softball could be played.

“They are playing sports all over the world at the school level. Why not the Bahamas?” he asked. “The students are eager to play after two to three years of not playing at home.

“God bless some of the coaches in track and field, basketball and the baseball camps for taking their athletes to the United States of America to play in various tournaments and events.”

From where they stand, Simmons said there are too many people who want to tell the associations what to do and what they can’t do.

“They need to let the associations do the work,” he stated. “The students, the coaches and executives of these associations are ready after two years of inactivity. Let’s get it together and let the children play the core sports again.”

Without having the full blown leagues, Simmons said the association should be given permission to stage tournaments or jamboree-style competition for the team sports. Individual sports like track and field should be easier to conduct because there’s very little physical contact with one another, Simmons pointed out.

“The students need to be active so they can be able to secure athletic scholarships for their future,” he summed up. “It will also keep a lot of the children out of trouble.”

During the first day of competition for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture in March, 2020, the Ministry of Health and the Bahamas Government shut down all sporting activities that drew large crowds as a result of the spread of COVID-19.

The ban is still in existence with no activities returned to schools because they have been limited to virtual classes over the past two years. While some schools have staged face-to-face classes, they have not been granted permission to resume their sporting activities.

There’s no indication from the Ministry of Health as to when the schools will be given the green light to resume any type of sporting activities.