In an effort to further develop some of the niche sports in The Bahamas, the Ministry of Education will continue with its national championship initiative, as officials plan to host the second edition of the National High School Soccer Championships and debut the National Interschool Equestrian Championships before the school year comes to an end.
The Equestrian championships will be held first. The inaugural event is set for April 29 at the Camperdown Equestrian Centre.
Participating schools include Queen's College, St. Augustine's, St. Andrew's, Lyford Cay, Windsor Prep and Tambearly.
"The National Sports Secretariat, which is jointly headed by the ministers of education, science and technology, and youth, sports and culture, made a commitment to broaden our base and include more National Sports Championships this year for high school sports," said Evon Wisdom, the sports unit director in the Ministry of Education. "We stand by this commitment 100 percent. And thus, despite the funding challenges presented by the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, we will be funding these events."
The equestrian championship was supposed to make its debut last year, but due to unforseen circumstances, it was put off.
As for the soccer championships, the opening rounds will be played in New Providence and Grand Bahama on May 20. Those games will be followed by a preliminary final in New Providence on May 27. The official draw will be held two days later on May 29.
Despite having several dates already in place, Wisdom said that the logistics of the event are subject to change. He added that the fine details are still being worked out, but hopes that they can finalize some more details in the coming days.
"We are having some challenges as the soccer season has been displaced. We are attempting to see how best we can get through the regular seasons and the school bodies have been cooperating with us," he said. "We want them to have a self-sufficient season where they can play enough games and be ready for nationals. We want to fit into the plans that the Bahamas Football Association has for their series of events."
The tournament is expected to include schools from the BAISS, GSSSA, Grand Bahama and other Family Islands.
"This is a true national championship event because of the high volume of travel. We have attempted to broaden the scope of the championships," he said. "That is something that we are looking at very close. The play has been fairly strong in Abaco. There may be one or two other islands we are looking at, but we are proud of the fact that island schools will be invited based on their level of play and not a thing where you are automatically invited."
The Queen's College Comets won the senior boys title last year, while St. Augustine's College's Big Red Machine captured the senior girls title.

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