In some circles, there has been speculation over the way national facilities are being used, the conditions in which they are kept, and the money being spent on hosting international sporting events, particularly the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson tried to clear up some of the speculation yesterday, and along with General Manager of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Jeffrey Beckles, assured that the stadium is being well-maintained and that the money being made from the events is enough to power the facility.
The next event at the national stadium, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, featuring the Central Michigan University (CMU) Chippewas and the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Hilltoppers, is set for Christmas Eve, Wednesday December 24, starting at 12 noon. The game is being carried live on the ESPN Network and ESPN Radio.
"As to whether the stadium is being used adequately and what we are making and losing on it, I want to first remind the people that the stadium was a gift from The People's Republic of China," said Johnson. "It is difficult for me to explain how disheartening it is for me to find out that there are people out there that complain about things that were gifted to us. How can they talk money, if we didn't pay for things in the first place?
"The second part is that it its purpose was creating a social space where we experience national unity and social cohesion. The third thing is the mandate of the government that it begins to pay for its own operations. I want to let people know, the Bahamian people, that every time we turn the stadium on it costs us between $30,000 to $40,000 to turn the whole operation on."
Johnson also noted that they have collected double what it costs to power the stadium in advance from officials of the inaugural Popeyes Bowl Game on Christmas Eve at the national stadium.
"We have already collected our part," he said. "The next part is that the Ministry of Tourism, on behalf of the government of The Bahamas, does a great job in terms of promoting The Bahamas. Everyone else's tourism
numbers are going down, but ours are going up. Once tourism sells that product, the Minister of Tourism calls me and says we have this for this date, I then call my team at the NSA and find out what it's going to cost and begin to get it together.
"You saw it with the world relays. We had a rundown product, so we had to put up five million dollars to get the product up to world class standard and then another five million dollars to host it, but every hotel was full. We spent $10 million and the economic impact was almost $23 million that week, and that's why we are in this business."
The minister said that he did not have an exact figure on how much it will cost to prepare the stadium for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, but noted that several things needed to be adjusted including the pitch of the field, the size of the locker rooms, upgraded practice facilities and a certified National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) entrance, which separates the players from fans and media.
Johnson called the sports tourism plan a five-year plan, and guaranteed that if there are no significant economic benefits of it, they will put a stop to sports tourism. He added that 2014 was one of the more successful years for sports in The Bahamas, and that he expects an even more productive 2015.
"I want to congratulate all of our partners for all the great work that they have done," he said. "We had a fantastic year as the hallmark year when we launched ourselves into the sports tourism business. In 2012, we first came up with the idea of going into the business of sports and now we are here."
The Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football bowl game to be played in The Bahamas, and the first outside of the United States and Canada since 1937, is being staged by Conference USA in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism. The Chippewas play out of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the NCAA, and the Hilltoppers play out of Conference USA.

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