BOS Secretary General Derron Donaldson and president Romell Knowles at the Pan Am General Assembly in Lima, Peru last year.
By BRENT STUBBS
Chief Sports Editor
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
WHILE past president Arlington Butler and Wellington Miller have served on international boards before, the Bahamas Olympic Committee now has two members joining separate boards of the Panam Sports for the first time.
BOC president Romell Knowles will serve on the board for the Pan American Solidarity Commission and secretary general Derron Donaldson will take up the post as a member of the Education and Olympic Academic Committee.
Both appointments, which were made by Neven Ilic, the Panam Sports president and IOC member in their letters on January 9, will take effect from 2025 to 2028.
Knowles, who served previously as president of the Bahamas Softball Federation and the Bahamas Volleyball Federation, said it’s a pleasure for both of them to be handpicked by the president of Panam Sports to serve on his commissions in the Americas.
“It’s a self-accomplishment but, more importantly, it’s an accomplishment for the Bahamas,” Knowles said.
“We’re proud for ourselves, we’re more proud of ourselves as we continue to build on the legacy of our forefathers like Sir Arlington Bulter and Wellington Miller, who would have made significant contributions to sports in the region and around the world.”
During their tenure in office, Knowles said they will be sitting round the table, setting guidelines and policies for the 41 national Olympic committees in the Americas.
Knowles will serve on the committee headed by Camilo Perez from Paraguay as president along with members Sarah Hirshland from the JUSA, Veda Bruno-Victor from Grenada, Dennis Knight from St Kitts and Nevis, Bernard Rajzman from Brazil and Carlos Santiago, the athletes’ representative from Puerto Rico.
Donaldson will serve under the presidency of Sara Rosario from Puerto Rico, along with members Allan Sharp from Belize, Mario Garcia from Mexico, Jaime Agliati from Chile, Carlos Villegas from Colombia, Maria Soto from Venezuela and Alejandr Orozco from Mexico.
It’s the first appointment to an international board for Donaldson, who indicated that he is thrilled to be able to serve.
“As usual, I’m always humbled because it is a great pleasure to be able to serve,” said Donaldson, a former president of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association.
“I’ve been a part of the Olympic movement for a while, so it’s good to earn your keep to be recognised and to be asked to serve. It’s another milestone for me to see where it will take me.”
Although their predecessors have served in other capacities, Donaldson said it would be good one day to see a Bahamian excel to serve on the board of the IOC.
“It’s a long-term vision, but this definitely sets the pathway,” he pointed out.
Their first official meeting has not taken place yet, but Donaldson said he’s already received the bylaws and the vision of the role of the board in the education of both coaches and athletes and what each country needs to focus on.
“The end goal is how do you bring more of this to the table in terms of how you educate your coaches and athletes in your country,” Donaldson charged.
The Panam Sports is affiliated with the IOC and its affiliated bodies, including ANOC, the Association of National Olympic Committees, and serves as the continental association of the American continent.
The organisation’s flagship event is the quadrennial Pan American Games, held since 1951. The Panam American Games were inaugurated in 1999 for disabled athletes and are held alongside the able-bodied Pan American Games.
The Pan American Winter Games, for winter sports, were held only once in 1990. The Pan American Sports Festival was inaugurated in 2014 as a developmental event for the region’s athletes.
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