By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

WITH The Bahamas set to host the 2023 CARIFTA Games, Youths, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg says he is hoping the event will bring needed exposure to Bahamian athletes and a further boost to the local economy.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Bowleg said his ministry is already planning to get in preparation mode ahead of next year’s event, with repairs to the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium set to begin soon.

He spoke a day after officials announced that The Bahamas had won its bid to host the 50th CARIFTA Games.

The games have been held in The Bahamas several times over the years, most recently in 2018.

Next year’s hosting of the games in The Bahamas will come as the event celebrates its 50th anniversary, which also coincides with the country’s 50th independence.

“This is a part of the sports tourism initiative that we wanted to bring forth as a new administration and knowing that next year would’ve been the 50th anniversary for CARIFTA and also our 50th anniversary of our independence, we thought it would be fitting to try and host it,” Mr Bowleg said.

 “But what’s most important is that it gives our athletes an opportunity to showcase their talent at home. You know home court advantage is something that – the last one was (2018) before the COVID. But what it helps to do is boost the economy by having the various countries to be able to use Bahamasair as a charter which is revenue for the country.”

 He also said: “To be able to get more than 400 athletes on the island occupying the hotels and, of course, you get transportation and then it again, it gives our athletes an opportunity to be exposed because with this CARIFTA, we have our collegian coaches here looking for talent and so we want to be able to make sure that we give our athletes the opportunity to gain that exposure to be able to go and obtain scholarships at higher learning. But this is just one of many things, that our sporting events, that are going to be coming to our shores.”

 As for the estimated costs to host the games, Mr Bowleg said it was still too early to tell.

 “There is a levy that each country pays per athlete that comes to the event to help defray the costs. Also, the hope is for us to use Bahamasair, as has been done in the past, to use as a charter to assist these countries to get to The Bahamas,” he said.

 “That is money the government does not have to pay but the only cost that would be awarded to the government will be the transportation, portion of accommodations but again each country pays about $200 per athlete so that would help defray the cost as it relates to the accommodation.”

 He added: “…We don’t know what the total cost will be for this event as yet because again, we want to make this a grand event and put an event around the event and let me make this clear, The Bahamas and the BAAA (the Bahamas Association of Athletics Associations) will be hosting the event, but the event is still the property of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) who will make all the further decisions and collaborate on anything that we as a country would like to do.”

 This comes after Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis attended this year’s CARIFTA Games in Kingston, Jamaica, on the weekend.