Unified! Together as one! All for one, and one for all!
All three terms were used to describe the new relationship of the BAAA executives yesterday, as they move toward the development of athletes and of the sport of track and field here in The Bahamas, in solidarity.
The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) was mired in a 13-month dispute, since its elections of last November, which threatened to cripple the functioning of one of the most prestigious sporting bodies in the country. Initially, there were votes of no confidence cast in three executives - First Vice President Iram Lewis, Secretary General Carl Oliver and Harrison Petty, a sitting member of the executive body by means of his presidency over the Bahamas Parents Association of Track and Field Athletes.
A court injunction ensued, votes of no confidence were cast in the entire executive body, the president was suspended, and further court action was threatened.
Now, it appears that all of the infighting has ceased. Sparked by a charge from Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson, BAAA President Mike Sands said yesterday that the embattled executives decided to come together in the best interest of the sport, and continue their mandate which was entrusted in them at last November's elections.
"In every family, there is going to be some level of dispute, and how you choose to resolve that dispute is very important," said Sands yesterday. "Since the BAAA elections of 2012, unfortunately there has been some level of dispute in the BAAA family. However, there is no need to rehash as to how we got to that situation as compared to where we are today and where we are going.
"Based on the dispute, there was a meeting with the minister a few weeks ago, and at that meeting, there were frank and open discussions, with no prejudice. At the conclusion of that meeting, there was a decision that we would work together in the best interest of the sport and indeed the athletes who we are elected to serve. Subsequent to that, the executives also had a special call meeting to discuss the way forward, and I will dare say that was the turning point. You see, while we came to a resolve to work together, we have to be reminded that the motion on the floor was a motion by the membership, and therefore it could not be totally ignored. We advised the minister that we would have to take it back to the membership for further discussion."
The motion that Sands is referring to is the votes of no confidence that were cast in the entire executive body, inclusive of himself. According to him, that motion was dropped, and the body which came to office last November, remains intact.
"The membership made the determination to drop the motion," said Sands. "A resolution was amended to work with this executive body provided that the constitution be re-visited, which is highly recommended by the IAAF. There are a number of discrepancies. We have to show the membership that we are serious about working together because they will be observing us very carefully, even watching us month by month. We have to show them better than we could tell them. At the end of the day, the BAAA must maintain its status as the most preeminent organization in The Bahamas, and arguably in the region. We just hope that our stakeholders could restore faith in the organization, and support us, financially and otherwise."
Lewis and Oliver sat with Sands yesterday as he announced the truce, but they opted against commenting, only stating that a decision was made to have just one voice at the press conference in a show of solidarity. Noticeably absent from the press conference was Petty, but Sands said that he supports the move and remains an executive member of the body. He said that they could never correct all of the wrongs and heal all of the wounds that were incurred in the past 13 months, but they could move forward on one accord and get the organization moving in a progressive manner.
"Through it all, we are here to announce to the public and indeed our stakeholders that we are recognizing that there has been some damage done to our sport here in The Bahamas, but we have resolved to work together as an executive body and we will do everything in our power to move the organization forward. We have put aside our differences and will work together," he reiterated. "Included in the spirit of cooperation is the agreement that all sides will drop all court actions. The call meeting that was held afterwards was the most open, honest and fair meeting (that we had), where persons spoke their minds. Members gave forgiveness for any wrongs that were done to others; there were e-mails, and for the first time in a long time they were all positive, and apologies were offered. What we discovered is that we were discussing everything except track and field. A lot of us did deep soul-searching. We are still not perfect, but through the spirit of cooperation, we will make things happen."
At the general assembly meeting which followed the meeting with the minister, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) representative Jee Isran, who manages the services of all 212 member federations of the IAAF, offered his thoughts and left feeling optimistic that the two sides would come together and work toward a common goal.
"He admonished us to do what we can in the best interest of the sport," said Sands. "At the general assembly meeting, every member voiced their concerns about what they felt was wrong with the executive body, and whether or not they thought we were serious about working with each other. At the end of the day, we have to re-group and identify specific roles that members can play. There is a lot of work to be done. The difficult part is always going to be finances, but we have to work on a finance committee to go out there and find the dollars because every dollar counts. We just have to sit down and look at where we are headed."
Isran, who is also in charge of protocol for the IAAF, was in town to view and examine some of the services that will be provided to IAAF delegates for next year's World Relay Championships at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. Sands said that he left feeling very satisfied. Up next on the BAAA's calendar is the end-of-year awards luncheon, which is set for December 29, and that will be followed by the National Cross Country Championships set for January of 2014.
"Work was slowed because of the dispute, but it was never at a standstill," said Sands. "National teams traveled, and there were performances at the highest level. What is happening with the local organizing committee for the World Relays is separate and apart from the BAAA. It was mandated that way from the IAAF. The Government of The Bahamas is a stakeholder in the event as well, so there are representatives from the government on the board. The IAAF saw the wisdom in setting it up like that, so that is why it is mandated that way. They provided a template of what the structure should be. All hands will be needed on deck for this one," added Sands.
The inaugural World Relay Championships, the primary item on the BAAA's agenda for 2014, is set for May 24-25, at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium here in The Bahamas.

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