By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN bodybuilders picked up a number of trophies at the NPC Worldwide Caribbean Grand Prix last weekend at the Atlantis resort but will now face a possible three-month suspension because of it.

Wellington “Cat” Sears, president of the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Wellness Federation (BBWFF), confirmed with Tribune Sports earlier this week that bodybuilders that competed at the event will face consequences due to the event not being endorsed/sanctioned by the federation.

Prior to last weekend’s event, a memo was sent to coaches, athletes and executives back in August warning BBWFF athletes not to compete at the meet or risk disciplinary action, not having their performance recognised and risk not being compensated.

The memo, which references a meeting held with the federation’s executives and officials of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, outlined the concerns expressed by the BBWFF president.

During this meeting, BBWFF President, Mr Wellington Sears and other federation executives have expressed concern about this event. It was further stated that the captioned has not been endorsed/sanctioned by the federation. Therefore, the BBWFF athletes, who chose to participate in this occasion, will not be compensated nor recognised for their performance by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture or the federation.

“Further, athletes should be aware that the Federation will not be held liable for any expenses/injuries incurred as a result of their participation,” the memo stated.

The memo also outlines Article 17(h) of the Federation’s Constitution which states: any athlete or official who participates in any event not approved or sanctioned by the BBWFF, CAC or IFBB may be fined, suspended or expelled.

Over the weekend, eighteen Bahamian bodybuilders took the stage at the 2024 NPC WorldWide Grand Prix, prompting another written correspondence from the BBWFF president to the athletes expressing his disappointment.

“As your president, the last thing that I want to do is stop any athlete from spreading their wings through competitons and garnering more competitive experience under their belt. However, please understand that this unsanctioned competition is a ‘slap in our faces’ as a federation and a country and under the IFBB Elite rules, I cannot subject myself to dishonesty and breaking of the rules.

“Once again, please note that I Wellington “Cat” Sears cannot stop you from competing as you are our Bahamian brothers and sisters, But, as I would have mentioned before, competing in a competition as such carries certain ramifications that will leave me no choice but to implement and follow through,” the letter stated.

Prominent bodybuilder Paul “Mighty” Mouse won the open lightweight men’s bodybuilding category over the weekend. Wilson expressed his concerns about the impending suspension.

“In the past, we the members/athletes of the federation had the privilege of competing in various competitions in different organisations without fear of any consequences such as suspension, expulsion or the like because the executives and presidents of the past understood the benefits of having our athletes and some judges exposed to higher levels of competition/judging to sharpen our skills, talents and gifts. 

“Presently, that is not the case even within our own organization athletes were either reprimanded or disrespected for competing in a show without informing the current president…Personally, as a competitor I saw no reason as to restrict athletes from competing anywhere which can help them grow competitively,” he said.

Veteran bodybuilder Stephen Robinson, former secretary of the BBWFF, expressed similar concerns on the matter.

“The president has been threatening many of the athletes ever since coming into power hence why there was nobody for the nationals and then again nobody was interested in participating in the CAC Championships. In the past, we were always allowed to be participants in the NPC shows here in Nassau or whether we travelled to the United States to participate in shows there. 

“I was a part of the former administration for about 8-10 years and we had no issue then granting our athletes permission to participate. He can threaten whoever he wants to threaten with being suspended but at the end of the day he cannot stop anybody from participating in the NPC shows. Right now, no one it seems is interested in remaining under the BBWFF to go on to participate in nationals next year and the CAC Championships. It shouldn’t be that way and it shouldn’t be the angst or an axe to grind as the president,” he said.

Robinson suggested the president meet with bodybuilders and support the athletes in their efforts. 

“You have athletes who train year round to participate in more than one show. With the nationals being the only show that they can possibly pull off, the athletes always sought other shows to participate in, being NPC shows. The threats are bottomless because no athlete is indebted to the BBWFF. We do not get any subvention or support from the Ministry as amateur athletes. We pay membership dues to the BBWFF only in order to participate at the nationals and other than that we have the right to participate in any show that we chose to pay membership for, travel to and participate in,” he said.

Sears returned as BBWFF president back in January following a 20-year hiatus. He previously served as president from 1999 to 2001 before taking over from the former president and bodybuilder Joel Stubbs.

The BBWFF National Championships were canceled earlier this year, but Team Bahamas had four members return home with four medals from the 51st Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships last month.