Grand Bahama is rapidly regaining its big reputation for the hosting of sports tourism events. Sports tourism, indeed, abounds in Grand Bahama. Whether of the purely domestic kind or heavy on the foreign element, Grand Bahama is becoming once again a strong rival of New Providence.
Just this week, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe and ministry officials met with the aviation tourism power organization FUN 'n' SUN. The session is expected to result in an increased amount of private aviation visitors to the island and the rest of The Bahamas.
While on the island, Minister Wilchcombe endorsed the first Mychal "Sweet Bells" Thompson/Fred Higgs Golf Classic, scheduled for Tuesday, July 22 at the Reef Golf Course. Ministry officials and Bahamas Golf Federation (BGF) Vice President Ambrose Gouthro, who has been the driving force behind the event, have high hopes of the event becoming one of the sports tourism highlights annually in Grand Bahama.
Down at Old Bahama Bay in West End, General Manager James Culmer and his associates cater to the prestigious Mike Schmidt fishing extravaganza each year.
In basketball, some of the best junior high school male players and female stars from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools converge on Grand Bahama in November.
The National Baseball Championships are staged in Grand Bahama each year. This year, the little league Caribbean qualifier and a special invitational tournament will be added to the nationals.
The BGF junior and senior nationals were held in Grand Bahama this year.
Today, the Bahamas Cycling Federation will get into the act. The BCF has sanctioned the Grand Bahama Road Cycling Championships. The event will have the elite riders covering a course of 73 miles. BCF President Roy Colebrooke, competitors and supporters will be in Grand Bahama. The visiting participants will try to claim the trophies from the various categories.
Most significantly, Spanish Wells native Chad Albury will be defending his title. Albury came back to the country of his birth, all the way from Australia, to try and repeat.
Albury and the other elite riders will no doubt captivate spectators but the other categories have added significantly to the domestic sports tourism aspect. Incoming riders will be competing against Grand Bahama-based cyclists in the novice category, the Weekend Warriors category and the advanced category.
The race will begin at 8 p.m. on the Grand Bahama Highway, the starting point just across from the airport.
Expectations are high for a very entertaining and competitive event. Albury is the hot favorite. He is considered the most skilled of all of the Bahamian riders today.

oTo respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at sturrup1504@gmail.com.

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