By TENAJH SWEETING

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

WITH the 50th CARIFTA Games only 15 days away, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg is urging Bahamians not to wait until the last minute to purchase their tickets for the event.

The CARIFTA Games are expected to be held on Easter weekend April 7-10. With the games almost two weeks away, Bowleg said 6,000 to 7,000 of the CARIFTA tickets have already been sold with more than 20% of ticket sales coming from Jamaicans.

Bowleg had this message for Bahamians ahead of the country’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

“If we Bahamians don’t get to the ticket booth and start purchasing then we gone see more green, yellow and black in the stands than the aquamarine, gold and black so we want the Bahamians to understand that they must come out and that the young people need their support in order to have that extra push,” Bowleg said.

Before the Easter weekend CARIFTA Games, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), in conjunction with the MOYSC, is set to host the CARIFTA Trials and High School National Track and Field Championships as a mock version of April’s games. The event will take place March 25-27.

Bowleg said 500 athletes will be competing in this weekend’s trials and everything that is set to happen at the CARIFTA Games will be done at this weekend’s event.

“We are encouraging all parents, fans, and families to come out and support your kids because at the end of the day we are gonna have athletes from all over the Family Islands, including New Providence and Grand Bahama that are gonna be vying for their spot in the CARIFTA Games,” he said.

Minister Bowleg added that the competition will be keen and the public does not want to miss the preview of some of the CARIFTA athletes.

Although repairs to the Thomas A. Robinson stadium were underway ahead of the 50th CARIFTA Games, they are expected to be done in time for April’s track and field event.

Persons that are interested can purchase tickets for the 50th CARIFTA Games online at https:// www.carifta50.com/ticketspurchase or can purchase via the box office located at the Eastern Grand entrance of the TAR stadium.