By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE 2024 BTC World Athletics Relays closed out with a bang as fireworks were launched above the newly renovated Thomas A Robinson National Stadium to signal the end of what many deemed a successful fourth hosting of the global event in The Bahamas.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) spent the last few months making the necessary preparations for the Olympic-qualifying event since receiving the bid to host the prestigious meet in November of 2022.

Drumeco Archer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the LOC, was happy to see the preparations pay off in a big way over the weekend.

“I think that The Bahamas did more than the world thought that we could have done and I think that is a satisfying moment for us. We not only executed well on the track from a federation standpoint, but I believe that we delivered a first-class experience to our fans and our viewers from around the world in our event presentation,” Archer said.

The Bahamas was the initial home of the World Relays, formerly known as the IAAF Relays, hosting the first three editions in 2014, 2015 and 2017 before it was moved to Yokohama, Japan in 2019 due to financial complications.

According to Archer, the 2024 hosting felt a bit more surreal. “When we hosted in the first instance, that was revolutionary in the way we presented our athletes. This time around it felt as though I was at a Super Bowl halftime show. I just cannot explain how happy and satisfied I am with my team, the executive management team as well as our board who worked tirelessly on making this an epic event for the country and for the world,” the LOC CEO said.

The efforts of the LOC and supporting parties involved did not go unnoticed as the World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe told reporters on the final day of competition, they are hoping to adopt The Bahamas as the home of the global extravaganza.

Although that decision will be up for further deliberation, the LOC CEO expressed that he believes that The Bahamas is an ideal destination for the World Relays.

“I think that for many reasons The Bahamas is ideal. We not only provide the best climate and atmosphere for the fans but I also think that there is a sense of surety that we will deliver because we have worked tirelessly on developing a skill set that very few people have developed in the hosting of this event.

“Our management team has a good understanding of what the expectations are and what global standards mean in track and field.

“I think that is a benefit to the country that we have been able to develop people who know exactly what they are doing and can stand up against the world and say this is how we do it and we believe this is probably the better approach,” he said.

Lord Coe was not only impressed with the level of competition on the brand new track but also the atmosphere which included a stadium filled with fans of the sport.

Archer attributed this aspect of the World Relays to The Bahamas’ love of athletics. “I think that the Bahamian people simply love track and field. It did not matter whether The Bahamas was winning or losing, they cheered for everyone. That is a testament of our passion that we have for the sport. We have gotten tremendous reviews from athletes who talked about this being the best place to host the World Relays,” the LOC CEO said.

A total of 70 countries, including The Bahamas in the mixed 4x400m relay event, will take their athletic prowess from “Paradise to Paris” for the Paris Olympic Games scheduled for July 26 to August 11.