Sporting federations in the country can rejoice as their cries have been heard in terms of the amount of their annual grants. For the first time since the Ingraham administration in the early nineties, federations are set to receive a major increase in their allocations from the Government of The Bahamas through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.
Sports minister Mario Bowleg announced during his contribution to the 2022-2023 Budget Debate in the House of Assembly on Monday that the yearly grants of eight sports federations will return to $80,000 – a significant improvement from the distributions over the past 20-30 years. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham initiated the $80,000 distributions to federations of core sports in the Free National Movement’s (FNM) first term in office in the early 1990s.
According on Bowleg’s announcement on Monday, those ‘glory days’ are returning. He said that Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis is a strong proponent of sports and the development of sports in the country, and that is evident with the contribution to sporting disciplines across the board in this current fiscal period.
“This is what you do for a country that is producing top world-class athletes and that is the envy of not only the Caribbean, but the world,” said Bowleg on Monday. “The Davis-led administration is making investments that can be felt by all. Federations and stakeholders will benefit from this. When you are playing sports, you always want your best players in the game and the best players to handle the ball right now is from the Davis-led administration. This is the way forward.”
Grants to sporting federations had dipped to as low as $20,000 per annum, and lower over the past 20 years. In addition to federations of core sports receiving that significant increase, other sporting federations will receive an increase of 10 percent in their annual grants.
Bowleg also said during his contribution that there will be upgrades and renovations to sporting facilities across the length and breadth of The Bahamas, increased funding of the elite athlete subvention program, and a rebirth of the ‘Sports in Paradise’ agenda in relation to high-quality sporting events being hosted in The Bahamas.
“We have to ensure that the Family Islands have the proper facilities to prepare for the upcoming Bahamas Games in 2023,” said the minister. “Also, we are revolutionizing The Bahamas’ ‘Sports in Paradise’ brand. Our very own ‘Buddy’ Hield is expected to be here playing in the second window of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Cup Americas Qualifiers. That’s going to be in early July right here in The Bahamas. DeAndre Ayton and Kai Jones are yet to confirm participation but there is optimism. That is one of the major events that will be highlighted in the ‘Sports in Paradise’ agenda. Also, there is Hoopfest in December where three of the top high school basketball teams in the US will be here playing against teams from New Providence and Grand Bahama. There is also the fourth edition of the NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association) Championships that will be hosted in Grand Bahama from August 19-21.
“This is going to be a busy sports period for The Bahamas. Come to The Bahamas and don’t forget to bring your sporting gear. The sports department is paving the way forward,” said the minister.
Bowleg said that the increase in the elite athlete subvention program will be used to assist athletes across all sports in training and development so they could shift their focus toward qualifying for major international competitions.
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