Understandably, Bahamian sporting icon Pauline Davis-Thompson is sending out a desperate plea to have her precious medals returned. An entire nation is hopeful. But, the unfortunate incident last Friday also raises the question: What can be done, in terms of replacement medals if those national treasures are never returned?
According to Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations' President Mike Sands, it is a situation in which they are not prepared to stand idly by.
"I can certainly understand the sentimental attachment, so my sympathy goes out to her, and I just want her to know that the BAAA will support her in any way that we can," said Sands yesterday. "At this time, I don't know if there is any recourse for replacement but certainly, giving a reasonable amount of time to see if they would be returned, we would make a request to the IAAF to see if the medals could be replaced. They are not some things that you can go in the store and buy.
"I know that in games and events of that magnitude, when the medals are made, extras are always made for obvious reasons so I could only assume that there will be a possibility that the respective international bodies will look at it favorably. I'm not sure how they would review the request but I am hoping that it would be favorable, if it comes to that, given the manner in which the medals were taken."
Last Friday, Davis-Thompson's home, on the western part of New Providence, was ransacked. Burglars took her 1996 Olympic relay silver medal from the Atlanta Games, her relay gold from the 1999 Seville World Championships, her Order of Merit award from the Bahamian Government, her Officer of British Empire (OBE) award, her medal for acceptance into the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Hall of Fame, along with a number of electronic devices including flat screen TVs.
The relay gold from Seville isn't 100 percent pure gold and carries little, if any, monetary value. All Olympic medals are at least 60 millimeters (mm) in diameter and three mm thick, but they too carry little monetary value. Olympic gold medals, in particular, are required to be made from at least 92.5 percent silver, and must be plated with a minimum of six grams of gold. The last series of Olympic medals to be made of solid gold were awarded at the 1912 Olympic Games in Sweden.
"My heart goes out to Pauline on the loss of her medals because those are some things that carry value only to Pauline. I'm hoping that what I'm hearing from this 'Cash for Gold' business is not a stimulus to cause that to happen, but if for some reason, the perpetrators take the medals to the 'Cash for Gold' people, we would hope and expect that those persons would be running legitimate businesses, and have the fortitude to reject them and even go as far as to call the police," said Sands.
An emotional Davis-Thompson said that she, herself, will see what she can do to get the medals replaced, and to see if there are any costs attached in doing so. Davis-Thompson was re-elected to the International Association of Athletic Federations' (IAAF) Council last month, the governing body of the track and field world championships. That body along with the host city is responsible for the make-up and issuance of the respective World Championships medals.
"I think that, given her position, Pauline is able to sit at the table with her colleagues and express her own personal feelings on how the medals were taken, and I'm sure that would carry some weight, but as a member federation, we in the BAAA certainly expect to take the lead and put in an official request," said Sands.
As far as the Olympic silver medal is concerned, Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) Secretary General Romell 'Fish' Knowles said that he expects it to be a difficult process, given the 15-year window since the passing of the Atlanta Olympics, but they too would appeal to the respective international governing body for a replacement.
"First of all, it was most unfortunate. When you have an athlete who have dedicated so much time toward training and then to go on and win a medal, that medal is certainly a reward for all the hard work that is put in. When it's just taken from you, there has to be a certain degree of disappointment. It's sad that someone would just take a medal that someone else spent a lifetime trying to earn. Obviously, it's no value to them so we just hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and some way, somehow, those medals are returned," said Knowles.
"We will definitely appeal to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) on Pauline's behalf of making another medal, if possible. We will have to petition to the Atlanta organizing committee from those games as well. Hopefully the medals would be returned by then, but if it comes down to that, we will definitely do what we can to have a replacement medal issued. It certainly would be a challenge, because we are talking about '96, but it wouldn't be impossible given the popularity that Pauline has and the level of success that she attained as a five-time Olympian. I'm sure that Atlanta will do all that it can to assist us."
According to reports, the police have no leads in the matter at this particular time. Davis-Thompson said yesterday: "It hurts. It really hurts. I think that the entire Bahamas knows that I have worked very hard, and they feel my pain. I just want to thank the Bahamian people because they are reaching out to me, and for the most part, they know what it is to work hard for something and have it taken away. They themselves are hurting, and I'm just grateful for the support."
Bahamian veteran quarter-miler Chris 'The Fireman' Brown said he would be devastated if he had suffered the same fate. He won Olympic relay silver at the 2008 Beijing Games, and is still awaiting a relay bronze from Sydney in 2000 due to doping by others. At the World Championships level, he is the current World Indoor Champion in the men's 400 meters (m) and has won quite a few individual and relay medals, indoors and outdoors.
"In a situation like this, we just need to pray that the persons who stole her medals bring them back and she can be at peace. Those things cannot be bought in the store - there's a lot of hard work and dedication put into it," said Brown. "I don't know if the person or persons who took the medals are looking for some type of reward but it's very disturbing. You know, as athletes we want to always showcase our medals when we have visitors and guests, but now something like this would probably cause all of us to be a bit more cautious. Nowhere is safe anymore. We as athletes might have to find a different approach and probably secure them in safety boxes or in a safe.
"My heart goes out to Pauline. When I received the information, I was devastated because if it had happened to me I wouldn't know where to turn or where to look. Something like this shows us as athletes that it can happen to any of us. You know, it's mind boggling to know that someone would have no heart and stoop to this level. Pauline is an icon in this country and well loved by everyone."
Davis-Thompson's individual gold medal in the women's 200m from the Sydney Olympics was presented to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham in the House of Assembly last year, to put on display for the Bahamian people. She originally finished second behind disgraced American Marion Jones, but Jones was stripped of her five Olympic medals from those Sydney Games for taking performance-enhancing drugs and her role in the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) steroid scandal. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard said that Davis-Thompson's Olympic gold medal in the 200m will be showcased in the new Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, as the former 'Golden Girl' wishes.

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