The 22nd Annual Blue Marlin Track and Field Classic will provide a final opportunity for athletes and relay teams in this region to qualift for the 2016 Summer Olympics, set for August 5-21, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo: File)
The deadline for qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in track and field is this coming Monday. The 2nd Annual Blue Marlin Track and Field Classic is set for this Sunday starting at 4 p.m. at the new Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
It's the last chance for Bahamian track and field athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games, and the last chance for relay teams to do so. Right now, The Bahamas is on the outside looking in, in three of the four relays -- the men's 4x400 meters (m) squad is the only team to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics thus far. The others will have one final chance to qualify this coming Sunday, hence the term "last chance meet". Meet promoter Demarius Cash is looking forward to some great performances from Bahamian athletes this Sunday, on The Bahamas' Independence Day.
"This is it -- last chance. This is in terms of athletes and teams trying to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics," said Cash.
"Relay teams from Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and other countries such as Puerto Rico are coming here to The Bahamas in an attempt to qualify for the Olympics, and in turn, it will give our teams a chance to qualify. There will be two sets of relays, so these teams will have the opportunity of putting down two fast times each. Also, there will be a number of individual events. Athletes will have an opportunity to qualify, and this is the last time for them to do so.
"I want to encourage Bahamians to come out and support Team Bahamas. Our teams could be pushed over the top in terms of qualification with tremendous support from the crowd. Let's make it happen."
The Olympic Games is less than a month away, August 5-21, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and as mentioned, the deadline for qualifying times to be submitted by national federations is this coming Monday.
The Bahamas men's 4x400m relay team finished second at last year's International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) World Relay Championships right here in The Bahamas, and as a result, automatically qualified for the Olympics. The top eight nations from those world relays automatically qualified. The Bahamas' other three relay teams missed a golden opportunity at those world relays, and would now have to be in the top eight remaining teams in the men and women's 4x100m and the women's 4x400m events in order to run in Rio de Janeiro.
The remaining spots will be decided based on the aggregate of the two fastest times achieved by national teams at IAAF sanctioned meets in the qualification period -- January 1, 2015 to July 11, 2016. Those teams will be selected based on the results posted on the IAAF World Ranking List as of July 11. Teams could run two fast relay times at the meet, and consequently qualify for the Olympics. Also, for the meet to be deemed an Olympic qualifier for relays, at least three international teams have to take part.
The Jamaican and Trinidadian men's 4x100m relay teams are coming. So too are Barbados and Bermuda, and Puerto Rico is expected to field a team as well. Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Bermuda are also expected to field women's 4x100m relay teams, and at least three nations are expected to contest the women's 4x400m relay.
"When you look at the races that will take place on the track, and the events that are planned, this is the place to be on Sunday evening," said Cash.
"We're partnership with the BAAA (Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations) in bringing these teams here and we expect them to put on a show. Also, there will be face painting and other activities for the kids to take part in so while the parents are watching the action on the track. It's going to be like a mini fair -- a family fun-filled event. With it being Independence, there will be a celebration as well. The night will end with a junkanoo rush-out by the Genesis group. It promises to be very exciting."
A number of entities have come on board as sponsors of the highly anticipated one-day meet. They are: Fun Foods, Polar Ice, Impac Waste Disposal Ltd., ZSR Sports Radio, Bahamas Bykers, Purity Bakery, The Sports Center, Sun Tee, ING Communications and Island FM.
The tickets are priced at $7 for adults and $3 for children, and can be obtained from the National Sports Authority's (NSA) office at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Sheldon Longley, Guardian Sports Editor
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