Sixth edition of Bahamas Games gets underway

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJuly 11, 2023 71 5 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After a 22-year break, the Bahamas Games are back and the events are in full force as action continues through the week and into the closing on Saturday.

A concise opening ceremony took place on Saturday past in which former National Director of Sports Martin Lundy was honored and Prime Minister Philip Davis declared the sixth Bahamas Games officially open. Lundy played an integral role in the staging of the first five editions of the Bahamas Games from 1989 to 2001.

Swimming was the first discipline of the games to wrap up, finishing Sunday at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex.

Team Grand Bahama emerged victorious, finishing with 1,697 points. New Providence was a distant second, ending the three-day meet with 1,484 points. Columbus Isles rounded out the top three teams, finishing with 906.50 points.

Dndn McKenzie was the most outstanding female swimmer of the meet, finishing with 67 points for New Providence. Marvin Johnson took home that time in the male gender, finishing with 73 points for Grand Bahama.

As far as medals are concerned, Grand Bahama reigned supreme with 131 total medals – 62 gold medals, 38 silver and 31 bronze medals. New Providence finished with 30 gold, 48 silver medals and 34 bronze medals for 112 total medals. Columbus Isles tallied 15 gold, nine silver and 26 bronze medals for 50 total medals.

Overall, 130 events were contested in six age groups in swimming at the sixth Bahamas Games. Swimmers competed in the 11-12 girls and boys divisions, the 13-14 girls and boys divisions, and the 15-and-over girls and boys divisions. In total, there were almost 300 swimmers representing 10 islands, or grouping of islands, in swimming, at the sixth edition of the Bahamas Games.

The baseball segment of the Bahamas Games, featuring some of the best talent 23 years and younger in the country, will conclude today.

The winner of last night’s featured game between New Providence and Eleuthera will suit up in the gold medal game today, but the result of that game was unavailable up to press time. New Providence survived a nail-biter with the Andros Chiccharnies to get to that point, winning 7-6 on Independence morning.

In that game, New Providence scored five runs in the top of the first inning, and was ahead 6-0 after two, but Andros came storing back. They scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning off just one hit and a slew of errors by the New Providence Buccaneers team to get back in the game.

Two innings later, after New Providence went ahead 7-5, Andros nearly pulled even off another error. With runners on first and second and two out in the bottom of the third, on a routine grounder back to the mound, the pitcher threw the ball away in attempting to record the out at first base. The runner from second base scored and another baserunner tried to score all the way from first base, but was tagged out sliding into home. That ended the game 7-6 in favor of New Providence and they were able to book their ticket into the game against Eleuthera last night.

“That’s the way it goes in baseball sometimes,” said New Providence Head Coach and Team Manager Clarence “CJ” McKenzie ahead of their game against Eleuthera last night. “Coming into the game, Andros hadn’t lost yet and we knew that they were going to be a strong opponent. We started off strong, but we couldn’t get much going after that and just committed too many errors. They (Andros) are a very resilient group. They played gutsy and really gave us a run for our money. Sometimes, baseball games go like that. We feel confident. We just have to regroup and come back stronger. We expect a dog fight the rest of the way, but we feel we have a gold medal-winning team, so we just have to come out here and execute.”

Grand Bahama will take on Columbus Isles this morning with the winner of that game going on to face the loser of last night’s game between New Providence and Eleuthera. Finally, the winner of that game will face the winner of tonight’s game between New Providence and Eleuthera in the gold medal game.

Also wrapping up on Independence Day were the sporting disciplines of sailing and cycling, but there were no results up to press time.

In volleyball, the semifinals will be contested today.

The Columbus Isles Arawaks (Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador) have been impressive in both the men’s and women’s categories and will advance to the semifinals in both. Going into last night’s games, their women had a 4-1 win/loss record and the men had a commanding 8-1 record. They led both divisions. In the women’s, New Providence followed at 3-1, the Eleuthera Adventurers were at 3-2 and the Grand Bahama Lucayans evened off at 2-2. The Abaco Survivors had a 2-3 record. Three of those four teams will advance to the semifinals along with Columbus Isles.

In the men’s category, Columbus Isles was followed by New Providence at 7-1, the MICAL Flamingoes (Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay) at 7-2 and the Abaco Survivors at 4-3. The Grand Bahama Lucayans (4-4) and the Exuma & Ragged Island Navigators and the Long Island Sheep Runners, both at 4-5, are close behind. The other team in the field is the Bimini and Berry Islands Marlins, winless at 0-7.

The tennis segment of the Bahamas Games concludes on Wednesday.

On Friday in tennis, Andros turned back Eleuthera, 4-2, New Providence shut out MICAL, 6-0, and Grand Bahama defeated Abaco, 5-1.

In the Andros and Eleuthera matchup, Kevin Major Jr., of Eleuthera, defeated Michael Major Jr., of Andros, 6-2 and 7-5, in men’s singles; 

Savano Hanna, representing Andros, knocked off Ayai Bethel, of Eleuthera, 3-6, 6-0 and 6-0, in boys singles; Sydney Clarke, of Andros, defeated Elana Mackey, of Eleuthera, in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4, in women’s singles; Sarai Clarke, of Andros, defeated Felicity McPhee, of Eleuthera, in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-2, in girls singles; Philip and Michael Major Jr., of Andros, outlasted Zander Cromwell and Kevin Major Jr., of Eleuthera, in men’s doubles, 7-5 and 6-2; Elana Mackey and Kaylee Kanuka, of Eleuthera, defeated Sydney and Sarai Clarke, of Andros, by walkover, in women’s doubles; and the mixed doubles match was not played.

In the New Providence and MICAL matchup, Justin Lunn, of New Providence, defeated Dentry Mortimer Jr., of MICAL, in straight sets in 6-4 and 6-4; Miguel Smith, of New Providence, outlasted Patrick Mackey Jr., of MICAL, in boys singles, men’s singles, 6-4, 3-6 and 12-10; Sierra Rodgers, of New Providence, won by walkover in women’s singles; Aryuana Davis, of New Providence, shut out Syrae Feaster, of MICAL, in girls singles, 6-0 and 6-0; Donte Armbrister and Marvin Rolle Jr., of New Providence, did the same to Avery Humes and Dentry Mortimer Jr., of MICAL, in men’s doubles, 6-0 and 6-0; Aryuana Davis & Sierra Rodgers, of New Providence, won by walkover in women’s doubles; and the mixed doubles match was not played.

In the Grand Bahama and Abaco matchup, Denali Nottage, of Grand Bahama, shut out Tito Russell, of Abaco, in men’s singles, 6-0 and 6-0; Aiden 

Ritchie, of Grand Bahama, outlasted Latajh Orlando, of Abaco, in boys singles, 4-6, 6-2 and 10-5; Cameel McDonald, of Abaco, won by walkover over Simone Pratt, of Grand Bahama, in women’s singles; Jalisa Clarke, of Grand Bahama, defeated Kelecia Parkes, of Abaco in girls singles, 6-0 and 6-1; Rasheed and Rodney Carey, of Grand Bahama, shut out Tito Russell and Clenardo Davis, of Abaco, in men’s doubles, 6-0 and 6-0; and Jalisa Clarke and Larikah Russell, of Grand Bahama, did the same to Cameel McDonald and Chavonne Reid, of Abaco, in women’s doubles, 6-0 and 6-0. The mixed doubles match was not played.

On Saturday in tennis, Eleuthera squeezed past New Providence, 4-3; Andros shut out MICAL, 6-0; and Long Island beat Abaco, 5-2. On Sunday in tennis, Grand Bahama defeated Long Island, 5-1; Eleuthera defeated MICAL, 5-1; and Andros blasted New Providence, 6-0.

Soccer and EduKarting also got underway and will wrap up on Wednesday. The sporting disciplines of softball, basketball and golf will start today, athletics and boxing will get underway on Thursday, and optimist sailing will be the final discipline to get started, set to commence on Friday.

The Golden Jubilee Bahamas Games got underway last Friday and will wrap up this coming Saturday with action in athletics, basketball, boxing, optimist sailing and softball. Following the final event in athletics on Saturday, the open men’s 4×400 meters (m) relay, a brief closing ceremony will be held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

 Home|Sports|BAAA nationals underwaySports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 7, 2023 130 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) got its 2023 National Track and Field Championships underway with some competitive races and an appearance from Shaunae Miller-Uibo, at the original Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium on Wednesday.

Miller-Uibo, known for the 400 meters (m) and the 200m, was in action in the heptathlon, as she made her return after giving birth just over three months ago – a remarkable feat. The three-time Olympian was in the heptathlon against Shaunece Miller, her youngest sister. At the end of the first day, Miller-Uibo had the lead over her sister with a score of 3,116 points. Miller had 2,724 points.

They did the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and the 200m on the first day. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 400m had a personal best in the shot put event, with a throw of 11.83m (38’ 9-3/4”), while Miller posted 7.69m (25’ 2-3/4”). Yesterday the sisters competed in the remaining three events – the long jump, javelin and the 800m.

Also in action on the first day was Steven Gardiner, the national record holder in the 400m. He was in heat one of the 400m semi-final and easily advanced to the final by winning the heat in 45.95 seconds. Wendell Miller was second in that heat with a time of 47.69 seconds to advance to finals. In the second semi-final, Alonzo Russell won in a time of 46.34 seconds to qualify for the final. Kinard Rolle was second and also qualified for the final after posting 48.09 seconds.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) reigning indoor 60m champion Terrence Jones powered his way to a 10.15 seconds victory in the men’s 100m dash.

“I feel happy about the race,”Jones said. “It is always good to come home and win in front of the home crowd and home track. I wasn’t worrying much about competitors, but worried about me versus the whole race, because I can get myself in my head and mess up my race plan. It is a blessing to always come home and compete.”

Samson Colebrooke finished second when he crossed the finish line in a season’s best time of 10.24 seconds. Joel Johnson placed third in a season’s best time of 10.37 seconds.

Anthonique Strachan won the women’s 100m race, crossing the finish line in 11.13 seconds after pulling away in the final 20 meters of the race.

“I was never known to be the best starter, so when I get bad starts it does not shake me. I am trying to stay calm under any circumstances. My season has been good so far and I am excited with the direction that it is going in. It is always exciting to be home running,” Strachan said.

Camille Rutherford was second after clocking 11.40 seconds. Denisha Cartwright was third with a time of 11.54 seconds.

One of the hottest races of the first day came in the boys under-20 100m dash. The meet saw some big names in Adam Musgrove, Carlos Brown Jr., Jeremiah Adderley and Zion Campbell and saw four personal best times posted.

In the end, it was Musgrove who separated himself from the pack and clocked a new junior national record in that event, with a personal best time of 10.30 seconds. He broke Johnson’s five-year national junior record of 10.31 seconds.

“It has been a long season,” said an emotional Musgrove after the win. “I felt that this was my best race as it relates to reaching my full potential, so I am extremely happy with it. People doubted me and counted me out, saying this and that person supposed to beat me. Action speaks louder than words. I am happy with the win.”

Brown was second with a personal best 10.37 seconds. Zion Campbell was third after clocking 10.41 seconds.

The under-18 girls 100m was a hot race, as it featured three of the top junior sprinters in the country in Jamiah Nabbie, Shatalya Dorsett and Shayann Demeritte. It was Dorsett who won the wind-aided race when she stopped the clock at 10.63 seconds. She finished ahead of Nabbie, who ran a time of 11.63 seconds. Demeritte had to settle for second, with a time of 12.10 seconds.

“I did not get a good start throughout the heats and I had to get a good start in the finals. My coach told me to keep my composure throughout my race and just run my race,” Dorsett said.

The national senior and junior record holder in the men’s javelin throw, Keyshawn Strachan was in his third competition for the season after dealing with an elbow injury since mid-April. He was the only Bahamian in that event as he went up against Estonian Maicel Uibo. Strachan posted a distance of 68.74m (225’ 6-1/4”) on his first throw as he scratched the other five attempts. Uibo posted 47.10m (154’ 6-1/4”).

Raywind Winder put on a show in the under-18 boys 1500m race, running to a personal best 4:12.55 to win that race. Ross Martin was second in 4:21.51, while Emmanuel Adam was third in 4:44.32.

“It was a painful race, but I put my faith in God and trust my coaches and listened to them on the sideline. I was waiting for this time for so long, I had a couple of injuries and ran through some of them, and I was able to run this personal best,” Winder said.

Competition wraps up today with the long jump, 200m, 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles and the women’s javelin, before the 4x100m final and 4x400m final occurs.

 Home|Sports|Four disciplines in action at CAC GamesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 7, 2023 22 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games is winding down for The Bahamas in San Salvador, El Salvador. The Bahamas was in action in the triathlon, water polo, women’s triple jump and equestrian jumping.

In equestrian jumping, Anna Vlasov and partner Gulliver du Saint-Chene were able to advance to the final. In round A, they finished 19th with a time of 81.20 seconds. Vlasov got a did not start (DNS) tag in round B. She finished 20th overall and made history as the first Bahamian to compete in the games in equestrian jumping, and also being able to make the individual finals.

Tamara Myers was the lone competitor for The Bahamas in the track and field portion of the competition, when she competed in the triple jump. Myers finished sixth with 13.31m (43’ 8”) on her fourth attempt. Myers was close to her season’s best of 13.37m (43’ 10-1/2”), set back in May.

Winning that event was Venezuelan and world record holder Yulimar Rojas, who leapt to a games record of 15.16m (49’ 8-3/4”).

The men’s water polo team was in action in the pool against Puerto Rico in the quarter-finals. The Puerto Ricans were too much for Team Bahamas, as they won 23-7. Joshua Gibson led The Bahamas with five goals, while Te’Sean Henfield scored one goal.

It was a close game after the first period, with Puerto Rico leading 5-2. The second quarter was Team Bahamas’ Achilles heel, as the Puerto Rican team scored seven goals. At the end of the third period, the game was a foregone conclusion as Puerto Rico led 17-3. The Bahamas was able to score four goals in the final quarter.

Armando Moss was in action in the triathlon. He received a lap tag, which means that in the bike portion of the race he bowed out. Moss was 27th in the swimming portion of the race. He started the cycling portion of the race, but did not finish it.

The CAC Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes in the Caribbean and Central America. It will wrap up tomorrow.

 Home|Sports|Spartan offers free races to school kids in The BahamasSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 7, 2023 25 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Spartan, a world-renowned obstacle course event encouraging physical fitness and mental toughness, is proud to announce its latest initiative to give back to the community. In partnership with local organizations and schools, Spartan will offer free races to up to 500 schoolchildren in The Bahamas on Friday, August 24.

This initiative aims to promote health and wellness among the youth of The Bahamas, while also encouraging them to pursue their dreams and be the best they can be. The races will be open to primary and secondary school students, and will take place at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer these races to school children in The Bahamas,” said Joe De Sena, chief executive officer and founder of Spartan. “Our mission has always been to inspire people to push their limits and achieve their goals, and we believe this initiative aligns perfectly with that.”

The races will feature obstacles designed to challenge the physical and mental abilities of the participants, while providing them with a fun and engaging experience. The goal is to encourage children to become active and engage in physical activity, while developing essential life skills such as teamwork, determination, and perseverance.

“In today’s fast-paced world, it’s more important than ever to promote physical fitness and mental toughness among our youth,” a local school official said. “We are grateful to Spartan for providing this opportunity to our students, and we are confident that this initiative will positively impact their lives.”

Spartan also invites local businesses and organizations to participate in the initiative by sponsoring races and supporting the participants. This collaborative effort will help ensure the initiative’s success and provide a lasting impact on the community.

 Home|Sports|ZNS, Our TV to provide coverage for Bahamas GamesSports

The games get underway tomorrow morning

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 6, 2023 226 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After a 21-year hiatus, the Bahamas Games gets underway tomorrow and there is good news for those who are in the Family Islands, or those who cannot make it to the various venues, as the games will be covered live by ZNS and Our TV.

ZNS will broadcast the Games in three daily sessions while Rev Media/Our TV will focus their broadcast on basketball, volleyball, and swimming.

General Manager of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) Clint Watson promised an NBC at Olympics style coverage of the games.

“The BCB is extremely pleased to partner with the Bahamas Games to provide television coverage of the games from start to finish. You will be able to tune in and watch the various disciplines and the various meets, as you do every Olympics on NBC. We are the NBC of the Bahamas Games and we will make sure that you’re well covered,” Watson said.

Watson said starting from tomorrow, they will begin their coverage from 9 am until about 1 pm. They will come back on air at 5 pm and end their broadcast for that session at 7 pm for their nightly news. They will return to the Games coverage at 8 pm until midnight.

David Burrows, vice president, media at Rev, said that they are grateful to the minister of youth, sports and culture in ensuring diversity of media options.

“Cable Bahamas group of companies through our media arm, Rev Media and Our TV, are honored to be involved with the Bahamas Games on this 50th anniversary of our country,” Burrows said. “Swimming is our forte. We’ve been doing it for a number of years, and now we’re adding basketball and volleyball to the mix during the games.”

They will also carry the opening ceremony on 212 on July 8 at 6 pm. The games will be carried on channels 212, 242, 243 and 244.

Watson said that they will be out and about getting other events that are taking place and viewers will be able to see the highlights of those events. They also plan to have a morning show that will have recap and coverage will spill over to the Parliamentary Channel and the Learning Channel.

The games kick off tomorrow with volleyball, baseball, tennis and soccer at 9 am. They will continue throughout the day. Swimming is the only other sport that will be played tomorrow and that begins at 6 pm.

Other than those five sports mentioned, teams will be competing in sailing, cycling, softball, basketball, golf, boxing, sailing and track and field. Edukarting will be done as exhibition. The full schedule can be found at www.thebahamasgames.org/schedule.

The teams that will be competing are the Abaco Survivors, Andros Chiccharnies, Bimini and the Berry Islands Marlins, Long Island Sheep Runners, Cat Island, San Salvador and Rum Cay (Columbus Isles) Arawaks; Eleuthera Adventurers, Exuma and Ragged Islands Navigators, Grand Bahama Lucayans, New Providence Buccaneers and the Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay (MICAL) Flamingos.

Tickets can be purchased at www.thebahamasgames.org/ticketspurchase or at the box office at Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

 Home|Sports|Silver for MullingsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 6, 2023 72 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian decathlon athlete Ken Mullings won the silver medal in that event late Tuesday evening at the 24th edition of the Central America and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador.

He finished the meet with 8,060 points as he and the winner, Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens, were the only two competitors who scored over 8,000 points. Owens finished with a new games record 8,281 points. 

Mullings’ silver medal was the second medal for track and field. Shaun Miller Jr. won it the previous night in the high jump event. Mullings’ silver medal also gives The Bahamas four total medals at this edition of the games. The country has one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

Kendrick Thompson was also competing in the decathlon, but he bowed out of competition after getting the did not start designation in the 110m (meters) hurdles. He was disqualified on Monday night in the 400m.

Mullings opened the final session with a third-place tie with Owens in the pole vault, with a height of 4.60m (15’ 1”). The javelin throw was the ninth event in the decathlon and Mullings finished second with a throw of 55.92m (183’ 5-1/2”).

The 1500m was the final event in the decathlon. The Bahamian pushed and finished with a time of 4:59.92 to place fifth.

Rhema Otabor had to settle for fourth place in the women’s javelin with a throw of 56.34m (184′ 10″). Colombia’s Flor Ruiz won the competition with a throw of 60.52m (198′ 6-3/4″)

Tamara Myers was in action in the women’s long jump last night. No results were available at press time.

It was a spirited effort by Team Bahamas on the sand, but the host national won 7-4 over in the beach soccer. Wood Julmis scored his fourth and fifth goal of the games to lead The Bahamas in scoring.

The game was a competitive one from the start, as The Bahamas stormed back with two quick goals from Julmis after the hosts went up 1-0. The first period ended 2-2 as the host found the back of the net in the final minute of the period.

The hosts scored an own goal in the second third as the game tied at three goals each. Like the first third, El Salvador found the back of the net in the final minute of the period, as they took a 4-3 lead heading into the final third.

Three unanswered goals in the third period by El Salvador was enough to put the game away, as they went up 7-3. Julmis’ brother, Evens scored for The Bahamas in the final minute of the game to give them their fourth goal but it was not enough.

The loss eliminated them from advancing deeper into the tournament. They ended the tournament with a 1-2 win/loss record with their only win coming against Trinidad and Tobago with a 6-2 scoreline.

The Bahamas senior men’s water polo team had the day off on Tuesday and returned to the pool last night in a quarterfinal matchup against Puerto Rico. No scores were available at press time.

 Home|Sports|Deltec sponsors the next generation of sailing talentSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 6, 2023 99 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Deltec Bank and Trust Limited (Deltec Bank) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Bahamas National Sailing School, to mark the country’s 50th anniversary of independence. The sponsorship program will cover the costs associated with professional sailing lessons for 10 students and the purchase of new sailing boats for the school. Deltec Bank will also host the Spring Championship in 2024, which represents an exciting third and final qualifier for the international race teams.

As a maritime nation, The Bahamas has a rich history of sailing, as a means of inter-island transportation of goods, primarily in the fishing industry, and as a leisure sport. This past April, the House of Assembly named sailing the national sport of The Bahamas, underpinning the Bahamian spirit and evolution of the sport in the country. A pillar of The Bahamas’ community, providing greater access to sailing was a natural step for Deltec Bank and its ongoing local stewardship.

“Sailing has long been a part of the fabric of The Bahamas, and despite our global reach, Deltec Bank has always been proud to call The Bahamas home,” said Odetta Morton, chief executive officer of Deltec Bank and Trust. “We strongly believe in the power of sport and education to open doors to opportunity and are proud to contribute to The Bahamas’ rich maritime culture, by investing in the next generation of sailing talent.”

Since the announcement of sailing as the country’s new national sport, the Bahamas National Sailing School has received a surge of interest from youth keen to learn the ropes this summer. Program alumni have gone on to sail at the collegiate level, acquired college scholarships based on their sailing merit, and even entered careers in the industry. Although the school endeavors to make the sport available to Bahamian youth from all walks of life, as a non-profit organization, it relies on funding from the government and private sector to continue its operations and associated events, including its annual Optimist National Championship, a sailing race that takes place at the Nassau Yacht Club in October.

After the Deltec Bank Spring Championship, the final qualifier, top sailors will be selected to attend the Worlds, North American and European Championships to represent The Bahamas.

“We are incredibly grateful and excited to partner with Deltec Bank to advance our sailing programs this summer. Our motto has always been rooted in making a difference to the lives of youth through sailing and teaching our students to stay focused on making their dreams come true,” said Emma Tinkler, from the Bahamas National Sailing School. “Deltec Bank’s support not only helps us fulfill our mission of providing accessible sailing education, but it also directly supports our students in achieving their ambitions.”

The official check presentation with the Deltec-sponsored students will be held on Tuesday, July 11, and the new sailing boats to be operational by early next year.

 Home|Sports|Bahamas Games gets underway on FridaySports

Family Islanders begin coming in today

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2023 225 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After months of preparation, the sixth edition of the Bahamas Games is set and ready to get underway on Friday, with four disciplines – volleyball, baseball, soccer and tennis – starting at 9 am at different venues.

The announcement came during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

“There has been a lot of work, a lot of trials, a lot of tribulations, but the games is a few hours away and I know all Bahamians should be excited,” said Bahamas Games Chairman Harrison Thompson during the press conference. “We are bringing the whole Bahamas together. No matter where you live in The Bahamas, you will be impacted by these games,” Thompson said.

The teams that will be competing are the Abaco Survivors, Andros Chiccharnies, Bimini and the Berry Islands Marlins, Cat Island, San Salvador and Rum Cay (Columbus Isles) Arawaks; Eleuthera Adventurers, Exuma and Ragged Islands Navigators, Grand Bahama Lucayans, New Providence Buccaneers and the Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay (MICAL) Flamingos.

The Family Islands athletes, along with some of the New Providence athletes, will be housed in the athletes’ Games Village at SuperClubs Breezes Resort and Courtyard Marriott. Some of the Family Islanders will begin to make their way to New Providence today, as they get ready to compete.

“This is huge for this administration, to ensure that they bring people together,” said Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg. “Some of those persons who never experienced the independence celebration will be here now in New Providence. They’ve never been here because some of those persons are normally home. So it would be good to see them experience the celebration of our 50th independence.”

Softball gets underway on 

Tuesday, July 11. Bowleg assured that Bankers Softball Field will be ready.

Bowleg said although the games is under his ministry, other ministries and agencies have and will be playing a role.

“The Ministry of Health has helped us to ensure that we have doctors, nurses, and ambulances available at all the facilities, to ensure the safety of the athletes. We also have insured these athletes and coaches during their time of play. The Ministry of Works has partnered with us, along with Ministry of Education, to allow us to use their facilities, which are the Donald Davis and Anatol Rodgers gyms. There were some minor and major repairs that needed to be done. The Ministry of Works stepped in and got those things done,” Bowleg said.

He added: “We ensured that the cyclists and edukart drivers are safe, so there’s a little bit of paving done here and there. The National Sporting Authority, the mothership of all of the sporting facilities, stepped up and ensured that their facilities are up and running. We must also thank Bahamas Power and Light, who will ensure that the lighting is good.”

Bowleg encouraged Bahamians to come out and support the event.

“Let’s come together. It’s our games, it’s our nation, it’s our sports, let’s come together and unite this nation,” Bowleg said.

Tickets can be purchased at www.thebahamasgames.org/ticketspurchase or at the box office at Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

The opening ceremony is set for Saturday, July 8 at 6 pm.

 Home|Sports|Miller wins bronze medal at CAC GamesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2023 89 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas secured its third medal of the 24th edition of the Central America and Caribbean Games (CAC), when high jumper Shaun Miller Jr. won the bronze medal at the Estadio Nacional Jorge El Mágico González on Monday night.

Miller bowed out at 2.22 meters (m) (7’ 3-1/2”), which was a season’s best leap for him. His previous season’s best was done back in April. The Bahamas now has one gold and two bronze medals so far.

Also competing in the high jump event for The Bahamas was Kyle Alcine, who finished with a season’s best of 2.12m (6’ 11-1/2”).

Winning that event was Puerto Rico’s Luis Castro, who posted 2.25m (7’ 4-1/2”). Luis Zayas picked up the silver medal after clearing 2.25m (7’ 4-1/2”).

Ken Mullings returned to action yesterday in the men’s decathlon. He was in the 110m hurdles and finished second with a time of 14.06 seconds. Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens won that event in a time of 13.85 seconds. Venezuelan Gerson Izaguirre was third  in 14.10 seconds.

Mullings won the discus event with with a throw of 44.63m. Owens was second with a throw of 43.40.

After the morning session, Mullings sits in second place with 6,033 points after eight of 10 events. Leading the way was Owens with 6,164 points. Cuba’s Yancarlos Hernandez was in third with 5,724 points.

Anthaya Charlton was in action in the women’s 100m on Monday night. She got off to a bad start, but managed to recover and cross the finish line in 11.68 seconds to finish fourth. She did not qualify for the final.

Leron Rolle was in action in round 32 of the men’s compound individual competition at the Polígono de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot. He went up against Dominican Republic’s Bryan Thompson. The two were tied at 113 points at the end of the fourth game. In the final game, Thompson edged out the Bahamian to score 29 points, to finish with 142 points, while Rolle finished with 28 points and a total of 141 points and was eliminated from the tournament. The Bahamian finished 17th overall.

The Bahamas national beach soccer team suffered its first loss of the games, when they fell 7-3 to Venezuela. They have a 1-1 win/loss record in the games, having won their opening match against Trinidad and Tobago. Scoring for The Bahamas was Wood Julmis, who had the double, and Lesly St. Fleur, who scored one goal.

The Bahamas was unable to find the back of the net in the first period, when they dug themselves in a hole as Venezuela took a 3-0 lead. That lead got extended to 5-1 at the end of the second period. The Bahamas scored two goals in the final period but it was not enough, as Venezuela also scored two goals.

They wrapped up group play last night against the host country.

The Bahamas senior men’s water polo team played against a familiar foe, Trinidad and Tobago, at the Complejo Acuático Merliot. They fell 11-7 and has a 1-2 record at the games.

Five Bahamians scored and Joshua Gibson and Nicholas Whitfield-Wallace scored two goals each. Matthew Thompson, Khari Marshall and Aidan Johnson scored one goal each.

They advanced to the quarterfinals and will play against Puerto Rico tonight at 9.30 pm.

Anna Vlasov and her teammate Gulliver du Saint-Chene were in action in the second and third equestrian jumping individual qualifiers. They finished 15th in the second qualifier with a time of 72.96 seconds. They had a tougher time in the third qualifier. They finished 24th and posted a time of 94.32 seconds.

The CAC Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes in the Caribbean and Central America. It will wrap up on July 8.

There are 51 athletes representing The Bahamas in 11 sporting disciplines – athletics, swimming, water polo, men’s basketball, women’s softball, boxing, equestrian, archery, beach soccer, judo and triathlon.

News|‘Jazz’ placed on injured list againSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2023 109 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional baseball player Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm was placed on the Miami Marlins’ 10-day injury list (IL) yet again, as he suffered a left oblique injury. He was scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

The Marlins placed the outfielder on the IL on Monday, before they played the St. Louis Cardinals at the LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. They won that game 5-4.

Chisholm was removed from the game at the top of the eighth inning in a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. He finished that game 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. The injury came after he swung at the ball at the top of the sixth inning.

“It was like at the end of the swing,” Chisholm said. “Like after I swung and missed on the back end of it, I felt it, and it just felt like a super cramp. Like that’s all it felt like, like just a cramp in there.

“I’ve actually never had an oblique injury, so to me, I didn’t know what it is or how it feels… I’ve talked to a lot of guys that have rehabbed the oblique and had oblique injuries, and it doesn’t seem like it’s the exact same injury.”

It was just about a week since the Bahamian returned to action after returning from a month-long stop on the IL for turf toe. He initially returned on June 26. Since returning to action on June 27, the lefty batter has recorded at least a hit in six games. He was able to hit two home runs in that span.

Marlins manager, Skip Schumaker said that it has been tough for Chisholm to see what the team is doing and not be able to be a part of it fully.

“When he got to be part of it in Boston, you know what he did to our team and our lineup and you saw what happened. He’s a special player, so it does suck that he is not here right now to finish out the first half. I hate to use that word, but it’s just a reality. It’s just not fun to see any player grab their side,” Schumaker said.

Chisholm sports a .246 batting average on the season. He hit nine home runs on the seasons and has 21 runs batted in (RBIs). The 25-year-old also has 14 stolen bases.

The Marlins has a 49-37 win/loss record on the season to sit in second place in the National League East standings. The Braves lead that division with a 57-27 record. The Marlins hope to have the Bahamian back in their fold to end the second half of the season strong and make the playoffs.