In continuance of a busy track and field season locally, the Speed Capital International Championships is set for this weekend at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The three-day meet will get underway on Friday at 6 p.m. and wrap up on Father's Day on Sunday.
Speed Capital Track Commission President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Luke Robinson said they expect the inaugural meet here in The Bahamas to be lively, featuring some of the best young talent from around the region. Overall, about 600 athletes from about seven countries from around in the region, including The Bahamas, the United States, Canada and Jamaica, are expected to compete. About half of those athletes will be visiting guests, including about 125 from the United States.
The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) have partnered with Speed Capital, a non-profit organization based out of South Florida committed to enhancing youth athletics from an event/performance perspective, educating practitioners on the importance of balancing academics and athletics.
"We are absolutely thrilled to be here and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for making this happen and being a participant, spectator, coach or club," said Robinson at the press conference to announce the event yesterday. "There is a Bahamian group of athletes who have been coming to our meets in Florida and we wanted to return the favor through an international meet, showing the same level of support that they showed us. We're starting small but essentially we have athletes from all over the region. We are going to continue to grow. One of the intentions is to give Caribbean athletes a second option of elite level competition."
The competition is expected to rival that of the most recent CARIFTA games that was held here at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in The Bahamas. All of the track and field disciplines, with the exception of the pole vault, in a number of youth and junior age divisions, will be contested. The entry fee is set at $20 per day, free for kids under five years of age. There are three-day passes for $45 each. The meet will get underway at 6 p.m. on Friday, 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
"My expectation is for us is to come and present an experience that is second to none," said Robinson. "We usually average about 1,000-2,000 athletes per meet, and we're looking to bring that kind of experience here. We will get bigger and better and we want to continue that experience here in The Bahamas. We're asking the public to come out and enjoy the show. It will be something that The Bahamas has not seen before."
Robinson said that they are 100 percent committed to continuing the Speed Capital International Championships, on an annual basis, here in The Bahamas.
Tito Moss, vice president of technical operations for the BAAA, said that is exactly what they envisioned when they welcomed Speed Capital to our shores.
"We are so happy that Speed Capital is here and partnering with the NSA and the BAAA in staging this meet," said Moss. "Any time that we could be a part of any group of persons who are growing the sport, we in the federation will always be willing and welcome that. We have seen the success that Speed Capital has had with the meets in Florida and we know that they will bring that same level of success here to The Bahamas. We hope that this meet continues to grow and we look for many more to come."
Derek Green, the director of operations for Speed Capital, said it's an absolute pleasure for them to be here.
"One of the things that we want to do is improve technology and the experience for the fans and families that will be in attendance," he said. "We're going to improve the checking-in process where it is done electronically. We can speed it up or slow it down based on whatever is required. We have the ability to scan 20 girls for a 400 meters event in 50 seconds. We believe that all of these things will lead to the overall experience of the meet being enhanced."
NSA General Manager Moses Johnson said it's a pleasure for them to have Speed Capital here for this grand event.
"Speaking with Luke (Robinson) over the past few months, his enthusiasm and infectious attitude toward what he does was a driving point for us to partner with him and Speed Capital," said Johnson. "We look for a multi-year partnership where we could bring these types of activities here to The Bahamas. I think that this will be a fantastic event and we hope that it continues to grow by leaps and bounds. This one will be great, but greater is coming. The NSA offers its full support."
Grand Bahama Heats Athletics, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture have also come on board in the staging of this meet here in The Bahamas.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
