- Simba French
- 5 hrs ago
- 0
There is no doubt that the pool at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex needs repairs, particularly heading into a CARIFTA hosting year. Driving past the pool, workers can be seen doing work on the pool and some persons have doubts that the pool will be ready by the start of the 30th CARIFTA Swimming Championships, set for March 28 to April 7, 2024. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg quelled that thought by saying that he is confident that the pool will be ready in time for the championships.
He made the statement at a press conference that was held at his ministry’s headquarters on Wednesday as the championships was officially launched.
The minister said that he will have a press conference in January to provide an update on the progress of the pool.
Echoing the sentiments of the minister was the president of the host federation, the Bahamas Aquatics Federation, Algernon Cargill, who also serves as the vice chairman for the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the CARIFTA Swimming Championships.
“We are confident, as the minister said, that the facility will be ready in February, in time for the athletes to be able to qualify to represent The Bahamas. We have no doubt that the athletes will be ready. The athletes are currently training in 25-meter pools in New Providence and Grand Bahama. I do not want to undercut the need to train in a 50-meter pool. We know how to improvise in assuring that Team Bahamas is ready for 2024,” Cargill said.
Some athletes have been competing in meets outside the country to achieve the CARIFTA qualifying times so they can make the 36-member team that is going for a sixth consecutive CARIFTA swimming title and seventh title of the last eight championships. The water polo team will also be competing and has to improvise as they wait for the 50-meter pool to be completed.
Speaking about training in a 25-meter pool was Grand Bahama native and a staple on the CARIFTA team Marvin Johnson.
“… Not to undermine training in a 50-meter pool, but it is not what makes you a great swimmer. The thing that makes The Bahamas’ team and what Bahamians generally have is that we love to fight and race. No matter what length of the pool they put me in or which pool I train in, when it comes to race day, I am ready to represent The Bahamas to the best of my abilities. It has been working so far,” he said.
Johnson’s teammate on the CARIFTA team for the past two years Elle Theberge said that it has been an adjustment for her not being able to utilize the national swim complex for training.
“My coaches push us hard in the pool and make sure that we are ready. They also ensure that we are able to work on other things like our turns, but we have adjusted to using only the 25-meter pool,” Theberge said.
The LOC is looking to raise $1 million to put on the event. Cargill believes that corporate Bahamas will come to the aid of Team Bahamas and help them to host a first-class event.
“Coming to CARIFTA here in Nassau is extremely expensive,” Cargill said. “For example, the contribution coming in from the athletes is fixed so we have a responsibility to put all the athletes coming in into hotels. The average hotel room rate here is probably three times that of any other country. Because there is a fixed amount to contribute to the hotel cost, we have to fund the difference. When we decided to host CARIFTA, a lot of the inherent costs that do not come to the surface, that the public never sees, we have to deal with. We have asked for $1 million which is 50 percent of our budget in terms of organizing these CARIFTA championships.”
Individuals and companies interested in more information on partnership opportunities can contact LOC Sponsorship Chairman Zoe Gibson-Bowleg at e-mail address marketing@bahamasaquatics.com or at telephone number (242) 803-5762.
The meet features the 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17 age groups. This edition has a twist to it, featuring an 18-and-over category for the 50-, 100- and 200-meter races in all the strokes. Those who compete in that age bracket will be competing for medals and not points. It was introduced because the CARIFTA championships will be a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the World Aquatics Swimming Championships.
The swimming discipline of the meet gets underway on Saturday, March 30 and wraps up on Tuesday April 2. The open water swimming competition will be held on Wednesday April 3 at Goodman’s Bay. Water polo will close out the championships, from Thursday April 4 to Saturday, April 6. There are 24 countries that have been invited to participate.