GAMBLING houses sponsoring sporting events is not in our national interest. It does not send the right message to our youth, who need to be taught that developing the content of one’s character, hard work and discipline in life are ideals to strive for above pursuing getting something for nothing or by chance.

In the preamble of our constitution it explains clearly what we should be teaching and how we should be training our youth, which will preserve our freedoms and not enslave us to any vice like gambling.

We should be teaching a commitment to self-discipline, industry, loyalty, unity and an abiding respect for Christian values and the rule of law. In these values we see nothing about luck or chance.

If luck or chance is our standard, or the goal we want our youth to strive for, then we should tell our athletes to just show up to training when you feel like it and maybe you’ll get lucky and win your race.

Is that how we want to train our youth? We send conflicting messages to our sporting youth when we want them to be disciplined in their training and work at doing your best and then have a gambling house sponsor a sporting event.

Put the two messages together and you have an oxymoron. It is not right or good if we want to follow the teachings of our forefathers as spelled out in our constitution.

Are there no other corporate sponsors that would be more in tune with the ideals that sports encourage and better ways that government can include ways to fund these events in the budget.

Let’s send the right message to our youth and do not let gambling houses sponsor sporting events.

Sincerely,

Andy Knowles,

Bahamas Olympic swimmer

and coach