The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE ‘Golden Knights’ are expected to be given deeds to land today by Prime Minister Perry Christie after their gold medal victory at the London Olympic Games.

Mr Christie is expected to award deeds to Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller, the quartet that won the country’s sole medal, a gold, at the 30th Olympiad held in London between July 27 and August 12.


It was nearly a week ago that PM Christie announced that the athletes would get some land - saying: “The government of the Bahamas will honour them appropriately with a plot of land in the same area of West Bay Street where the ‘Golden Girls’ got their land. I had to check to make sure that there was sufficient land. There is.”


The government has already presented the quartet with more than $100,000 in cash.

They also got a framed photograph of themselves in action in London.


For their performance at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 which captured the country’s first gold medal in track and field, the five ‘Golden Girls’ each received $40,000, a 20,000 square foot plot of land valued at $400,000 and a commemorative gold coin.


Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic gold champion Keshorn Walcott was showered with gifts when he returned home, including $153,669 in cash and a new home - a Caribbean Airlines aircraft and historical lighthouse site were also named in his honour.

South African 800m runner Caster Semenya was given $23,520 for winning a silver medal.
The US Olympic Committee awards ‘honorariums’ to Olympic athletes who win medals. They are awarded $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.