By BRENT STUBBS 

Chief Sports Editor 

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

PARIS, France — Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said he’s been pleased with what he has seen so far at the 2024 Olympic Games and, if there are any doubts or concerns, the Bahamas Olympic Committee said there should be no need to worry about Team Bahamas which is all ready to go.

The duo made their assessments yesterday after they viewed the women’s volleyball match between Japan and Poland at the South Paris Arena.

Bowleg, who is here along with Director of Sports Kelsie Johnson-Sills, told The Tribune that the experience here in France has been more than he expected.

“I’ve not been able to see the athletes yet because I haven’t gotten to the village yet, but I know our athletes are preparing themselves,” he said. “We know that swimming will start first and so we are looking forward to seeing our athletes perform there, and in track and field, which will be held during the last week of competition.”

While he waits to interact with Team Bahamas, Bowleg said he’s taking in some of the action and looking at the various facilities that Paris has to offer for the competition. Unlike the make-up of the Queen Elizabeth Sports Center where there are multiple venues erected, which makes the Bahamas a unique sporting mecca in the Caribbean, Bowleg said the venues here have been spread around the city and it takes some time to venture from one facility to the next.

But in viewing the South Paris Arena where volleyball is taking place, Bowleg said the complex that was built in 1923 to host the Paris Trade Fair (Foire de Paris), is now an exhibition and convention centre that is one of the most active in Europe and most visited in France.

“This is such an attractive venue that it can hold multiple events,” said Bowleg, who compared it to Atlantis and Baha Mar with their ballrooms, but much smaller. “When we look at what we have, we definitely can’t host an event of the magnitude of the Olympics, but we can continue to enhance all of our facilities so that we can remain the premier destinations to eventually host events much smaller in comparison to the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.

Bowleg said he’s confident that Team Bahamas will bring home at least 2-3 medals, especially with the contingent of athletes here to compete in track and field and led by flag bearers defending men’s 400 metre champion Steven Gardiner and women’s world indoor 60m hurdles record holder Devynne Charlton.

Gardiner and Charlton led the team through the rain-drenched historic opening ceremony on Friday. For the first time, the ceremony did not take place in a stadium, but was staged in the heart of the city along its main artery - the Seine River. Based on their size, some nations either were paraded in front of the thousands of spectators in their own boats or they shared with one or two other nations.

Following the ceremonies, the games officially began, but Team Bahamas will not be in competition until Tuesday when Lamar Taylor will break the ice when he makes his splash in the men’s 100m freestyle heats at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, which was first opened in 2017 and has the world’s largest interactive giant screen.

Donaldson, who is attending the games along with BOC president Rommell Knowles and several of their executives, said the good thing about Team Bahamas is the fact that all of the athletes are settled into the Games Village, well ahead of their competition.

“With track and field starting late, some of the athletes arrived late, but with swimming starting this week, the two swimmers were here well in advance of their competition,” Donaldson said. “So we’re happy that they are all here adjusting to the time difference so that they can be able to go out there and perform at their best.”

Considered to be a “Little Rock,” but a “powerful nation,” Donaldson told The Tribune that the BOC and the Bahamas at large are expecting the athletes to perform at their best.

“We usually come through with gold and so I expect nothing less,” Donaldson predicted. “We have alot of first timers here who are looking to prove themselves and to show the country what they are worth, so we are here to support them and we look forward to seeing some finalists and some medal winners.”

Donaldson said the BOC, led by chef de mission Cora Hepburn and team leader Roy Colebrooke, can account for all of the members of Team Bahamas in the games village, including reigning two-time Olympic women’s gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who sparked some concerns after persons indicated in the Bahamas that they didn’t see her on the parade of athletes during the opening ceremonies on Friday.

“Shaunae is here, but the public should know that athletes have different remedies and with the opening marred by the rain, as a mother, we have to take in consideration that she opted not to go,” Donaldson said. “At the last Olympics, some athletes opted not to go because they were still in training.

“It was raining here during the opening and some of the athletes from some of the other countries also didn’t go to the opening ceremonies. But Shaunae is here and Team Bahamas is ready to go.”