By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IAAF President Lamine Diack branded the Bahamas a “true sporting paradise” and said the inaugural World Relays exceeded his expectations, according to Prime Minister Perry Christie.

While presenting the 2014/2015 Budget in the House of Assembly, Mr Christie told parliamentarians that not only was he impressed by the inaugural event but so were the vice president and the president of the IAAF.

He said: “According to Lord Sebastian Coe: ‘I thought it was fantastic – the noise, the atmosphere,’ Coe, an IAAF vice-president, said. “It reminded me of Mo hitting the front and David Weir winning in London. It was really very noisy because they get relays here. 

‘The IAAF’s faith in the innovative IAAF World Relays, a new event with a new presentation concept and The Bahamas’ ability to deliver a top global sports entertainment product have been richly rewarded this weekend’ said IAAF President Lamine Diack. ‘In the sun, sea and sand paradise that The Bahamas markets itself, we have experienced a true sporting paradise which has excelled beyond our expectations.’ The people have embraced the IAAF World Relays and the noise of their support will be left ringing in our memories for many years to come.”

Mr Christie also announced that the two-day event was sold out, earning a little over $420,000 for the country. He also said small and medium-sized businesses also profitted from the sporting event.

“The 2014 Inaugural World Relays was sold out over the two-day period with over 30,000 seats being sold for approximately $420,000 plus. Some 43 countries participated in the event and there were approximately 600 athletes in the meet. Prize money ranged from $50,000 for a first place finish in a race down to $4,000 for eighth place for a total of $1.4 million,” Mr Christie said.

“The event was streamed live around the world to over 120 countries via YouTube as well as by many other IAAF affiliated news media. Simply put, the event was seen live on every continent in the World. The meet saw three new world records being set; two by the Kenyan team in the 4 x 1500 (men and women) and one by the 1 Jamaican Men 4 x 200 metre squad. The Bahamian team also set two national records in the men’s and women’s 4 x 200. The men’s 4 x 400m team ran a blistering 2:57:59 for second place. This was also the second fastest time run in the world this year and the third fastest time ever by a Bahamian relay squad. Lastly Mr Speaker, the small and medium business opportunities created by my Government as a result of our commitment to hosting the relays were tremendous and heralded by many. Opportunities range from transportation, the creative industries, lodging, food and beverage, various paraphernalia, ICT and security. In short Mr Speaker, there was an economic uptick prior to the actual event and an economic explosion during the week we hosted several thousand people on our shores.”

Earlier this week, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson said the Bahamas will now look to position itself as a permanent fixture on the IAAF’s annual circuit.

Negotiations on the Bahamas hosting the second edition of the World Relays are scheduled to be completed by the end of June.

“This was the beginning and I felt we did well enough to prove we can bring more to the table. We know that there are other events. We know that our sports model says to us that we want to get on a tour,” Dr Johnson said. “With the new agreement, I am putting in another negotiation piece, to get on the IAAF tour. “When you think of the Grand Prix, you know that when these things stop in your town, it’s huge. So we want to get the international community to look at us in that light where it’s a regular event - you know the date, you know the time, you know the logistics of the place.”

The IAAF one-day meet circuit comprises the IAAF Diamond League and IAAF World Challenge events.

Another opportunity will be the discussions of the establishment of the IAAF Hall of Fame in the Bahamas.