The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

With the sixth Bahamas Games just two months away, the Games Secretariat has a switch in leadership with Rev Harrison Thompson taking over from the retired chairman Martin Lundy.

Thompson, who served as the chairman of the 50th CARIFTA Games, replaces Lundy, who retired from the public service in April. Lundy served as chairman of the fifth games held in 2001. He was returned to that capacity in the lead-up to the return of the games this year, scheduled for July 6-14.

In accepting his new role, Thompson said he’s delighted to have the opportunity to once again serve the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in whatever capacity he is afforded.

“I’m working with the executive committee and we have a general government agency that we are working together with to make sure that the Bahamas Games is all inclusive for all Bahamians,” Thompson said. “We want to make this the best one ever.”

Although he served in the capacity of an advisor, Thompson attended the previous conclaves involving the council representatives from each of the 10 islands or grouping of islands as well as the 14 core sporting disciplines, and said the Games Secretariat is ensuring that the funding is adequately distributed before the end of the week.

“We also want to encourage the island councils to seek some additional funding to support their campaign to get their teams ready for the games,” he said. “The government has committed to providing the funding that has been allocated to the island councils.

“We hope that they can get that funding from the government this week so that they can jump start their drive to get their teams ready. We know that the Family Islands have already submitted their team listing, but we’re still waiting on New Providence and Grand Bahama.”

Thompson said he noted that they still have an issue with the New Providence Sports Council, headed by Roy Colebrooke, who is adamant that they still be a part of the Games Village at Breezes Resort Bahamas just like everybody else.

“We don’t have the rooms to accommodate New Providence with the Family Island teams because their team is the largest. We just don’t have the room space to accommodate their team and I think that is creating a problem with them submitting their team.”

At the end of the day, Thompson said they believe that “common sense” will prevail. He said while they won’t have the room capacity to accommodate New Providence, the Games Secretariat will provide them with all of the other amenities, including the meals each day.

For the island councils coming in, Thompson said they intend to make sure that they are properly compensated during their stay in New Providence for the games. “We will serve how best we will serve them because we don’t want them to be at a disadvantage,” said Thompson, a former Family Island administrator and a former permanent secretary.

“We will look at their needs and see how we can address them as a means of urgency. We will be working 24-7 to get everything in place because we only have about 70 days left before the games get started. We don’t have much time.”

To assist in the workload in the Games Secretariat, Thompon said they have recruited some of the persons who worked on the Local Organising Committee for the 50th CARIFTA Games over the Easter holiday weekend to help get the job done.

“We feel we have a great team in place that should help to push the games further,” Thompson said. “So we feel we will be ready for the start of the games in July.”

To the spectators who are expected to come out to watch the estimated 2,500 athletes and officials from teams Abaco, Andros, Bimini and the Berry Islands, Columbus Isles, Eleuthera, Exuma and Ragged Island, Grand Bahama, Long Island, MICA and New Providence, Thompson said they can look forward to a very competitive games.

“We will put on a show for the Bahamian public. We want the Bahamian public to buy into the vision of what we are trying to do to include all Bahamians,” Thompson said.

“We want to ensure that the Bahamian product is shown throughout the islands and to the world and that we have raw talent here in the Bahamas. The Bahamas Games will be a place where they can spot those raw talents.”

Competition, during the games, will be held in softball, basketball, track and field, lawn tennis, swimming, soccer, volleyball, bodybuilding and powerlifting, boxing, cycling, baseball, regatta sailing, rowing and golf in addition to beach soccer and beach volleyball.

The games, the brainchild of the late Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Peter Bethell, was first held in 1989. It continued in 1991 and was then scheduled for every three years, but the next one took place in 1995 and then 1998 before the last one was staged in 2001.