BTC once again came on board as the official title sponsor of The Bahamas' Olympic team with a $125,000 donation this year. The Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) ratified a 28-member team yesterday. Shown from left are BTC Vice President of Operations Naaman Ellis; Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson; BOC President Wellington Miller; BTC Chief Executive Officer Leon Williams; and BTC Vice President of Marketing, Brand & Communications Eldri Ferguson-Mackey. (Photo: Farreno Ferguson)
The long wait is finally over!
The Bahamas is set to have its largest Olympic team ever, with the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) releasing the names of 28 athletes who have qualified to represent the country at the Games of the 31st Olympiad, set for August 5-21, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
BOC Secretary General Romell "Fish" Knowles revealed the huge BTC Team Bahamas yesterday - 24 in track and field (16 men and eight women), three swimmers (one man and two women) and one female rower.
Looking at the team members, there are a number of medal hopefuls, but undoubtedly the cream of the crop is the highly ranked Shaunae Miller who has qualified in three events - the 100, 200 and 400 meters (m) in athletics - and who could possibly go after the 200-400m double in Rio.
Without further ado, the team members are: Athletics - Adrian Griffith (100m), Jamial Rolle (100m), Shavez Hart (100/200m), Teray Smith (200m), Demetrius Pinder (200m/4x400m), Steven Gardiner (400m/4x400m), Chris Brown (400m/4x400m), Alonzo Russell (400m/4x400m), Michael Mathieu (4x400m), Stephen Newbold (4x400m), Jeffery Gibson (400m hurdles), Donald Thomas (high jump), Jamal Wilson (high jump), Trevor Barry (high jump), Latario Collie (triple jump), "Superman" Leevan Sands (triple jump), Shaunae Miller (100/200/400m), Tynia Gaither (100/200m), Anthonique Strachan (200m), Sheniqua Ferguson (200m), Pedrya Seymour (100m hurdles), Devynne Charlton (100m hurdles), Adanaca Brown (100m hurdles), Bianca Stuart (long jump), Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (50/100m free, 100m fly), Joanna Evans (200/400/800m free), Dustin Tynes (100m breast) and rower Emily Morley (women's single sculls).
The Bahamas will be represented in three sporting disciplines - athletics, swimming, and for the first time ever, rowing.
Prior to this year, the largest number of athletes to ever represent The Bahamas at a single Olympics was 26 at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
The list of the officials for Team Bahamas is almost just as large as the list of the athletes themselves.
BOC Vice President Roy Colebrook will serve as the chef de mission, and he will be assisted by fellow vice presidents Derron Donaldson and D'Arcy Rahming. The team attache is Cora Hepburn. The athletics team manager is Ralph McKinney, the head coach is George Cleare, and he will be assisted by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, Rudy Ferguson and James Rolle.
The swim team manager is Kathy Dillette, Bahamas Swimming Federation (BSF) President Algernon Cargill will travel as the team executive for swimming, and the swim coaches are Lionel Moreau and Andrew Loveitt. The rowing coaches are Beth Robinson and Becky Greene.
The head doctor is Dr. Rickey Davis, the chiropractor is Jenn Davis and Cottrice Robinson will travel as the physiotherapist.
The second wave of officials include Iram Lewis, Clarence Rolle, Rosie Carey, Tyrone Burrows, Shaun Miller and Robert Butler for athletics; and Drs. Dwight Marshall, Philip Claussen and Kareen Sherwood Wallace.
Once again, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) will serve as the title sponsor of the Olympic team. BTC officials presented a check of $125,000 to the BOC yesterday, to help defray the cost of the expenses of the team; and in turn, the BOC presented the BTC with a sports recognition award, said to be the highest honor given by the BOC through the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to a sponsor.
"Today is a special day for us. The Olympics is the biggest sports festival in the world, and we want to let The Bahamas know that we intend to take good care of our athletes from the moment they depart until the time they return," said BOC President Wellington Miller. "We thank BTC for coming on board with us once again, and we look forward to our athletes representing us to the best of their ability."
As a result of BTC's huge contribution, athletes will see their usual stipend increase from $250 to $1,000 each, said BOC Secretary General Knowles. Knowles also appealed for more assistance though, stating that airfare alone will run the BOC into $180,000.
Chef de Mission Colebrook, who has been in that position for about a year, said that he has studied just about all of the information that will be helpful to Team Bahamas leading up to the games, and he is ready to lead the contingent on a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"From the threat of the Zika virus to the conditions in the Brazil and all of the medical and technical information, I have studied everything and I could tell you that our athletes will be well taken care of and given everything that they need to be competitive in Brazil," said Colebrook.
"My job is to create an atmosphere where our athletes' only concern would be to compete to the best of their ability for The Bahamas. I can assure you, that because of everything that is in place, at the end of the day, Team Bahamas will stand tall."
Hepburn will be enjoying her first Olympic journey as an official for Team Bahamas, but she has experience having served as an official at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and again at the Pan Am Games. She said that she is ready for the task at hand.
"It's a humbling experience for me, and I really look forward to it," she said. "Looking at the list of qualifiers, The Bahamas has a great chance of bringing back medals and having outstanding performances. My job as team attache is to tend to all of the needs of the athletes, and make sure that they are as comfortable as they need to be to perform at their best."
Not only is BTC the official title sponsor of the team, but they also have the broadcast rights through their Flow TV outlet. BTC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Leon Williams aid that BTC will be providing live coverage of the games from its inception to the closing ceremony. Currently, BTC Flow TV is active in Bimini and Inagua, and there is Beta testing in Rum Cay, Mayaguana and San Salvador. Others can experience live coverage online through the website www.btcbahamas.com.
"We want all Bahamians to be able to watch Bahamian athletes run, swim and now row," said Williams. "BTC has always been the title sponsor of Team Bahamas and we are happy to be back on board once again. We are looking forward to great representation from all of the athletes in Brazil. We are looking forward to you doing your best as you represent The Bahamas on the global stage. We expect to win some medals, preferably gold. May God bless the Olympics, may God bless Team Bahamas and may God bless the Commonwealth of the Bahamas."
Depending on the ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the eligibility of 68 Russian athletes at the Olympics that is expected today, the number of Team Bahamas could increase. If all Russian athletes are banned from the Olympics, The Bahamas women's 4x400m relay team will sneak into the 16th and final qualifying spot. If not, The Bahamas will remain 17th, and would therefore not qualify for the Olympics.
Team Bahamas (28)
Athletics (24)
Women (8)
Tynia Gaither (100/200m)
Shaunae Miller (100/200/400m)
Anthonique Strachan (200m)
Sheniqua Ferguson (200m)
Pedrya Seymour (100m hurdles)
Devynne Charlton (100m hurdles)
Adanaca Brown (100m hurdles)
Bianca Stuart (long jump)
Men (16)
Adrian Griffith (100m)
Jamial Rolle (100m)
Shavez Hart (100/200m)
Teray Smith (200m)
Demetrius Pinder (200m)
Steven Gardiner (400/4x400m)
Chris Brown (400/4x400m)
Alonzo Russell (400/4x400m)
Michael Mathieu (4x400m)
Stephen Newbold (4x400m)
Jeffery Gibson (400m hurdles)
Donald Thomas (high jump)
Jamal Wilson (high jump)
Trevor Barry (high jump)
Latario Collie (triple jump)
"Superman" Leevan Sands (triple jump)
Swimming (3)
Women (2)
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (50/100m free, 100m fly)
Joanna Evans (200/400/800m free)
Man (1)
Dustin Tynes (100m breast)
Rowing (1)
Emily Morley (women's single sculls)
Team officials
Roy Colebrook - Chef de Mission
Derron Donaldson - Asst. Chef de Mission
D'Arcy Rahming - Asst. Chef de Mission
Cora Hepburn - Team Attache
Ralph McKinney - Athletics Team Manager
George Cleare - Head Coach
Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie - Asst. Coach
Rudy Ferguson - Asst. Coach
James Rolle - Asst. Coach
Algernon Cargill - Swim Team Executive
Kathy Dillette - Swim Team Manager
Lionel Moreau - Swimming Coach
Andrew Loveitt - Swimming Coach
Beth Robinson - Rowing Coach
Becky Greene - Rowing Coach
Dr. Rickey Davis - Head Doctor
Jenn Davis - Chiropractor
Cottrice Robinson - Physiotherapist
Second wave of officials
Iram Lewis - Athletics
Clarence Rolle - Athletics
Rosemunde Carey - Athletics
Tyrone Burrows - Athletics
Shaun Miller - Athletics
Robert Butler - Athletics
Dr. Dwight Marshall - Medical
Dr. Philip Claussen - Medical
Dr. Kareen Sherwood Wallace - Medical
Sheldon Longley, Guardian Sports Editor
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