The Tribune

CORRECTION: The Bahamas moved up one spot to second on the medal table, following the reinstatement of Jamaica as U20 boys 4x400m winners.

The Jamaicans protested their disqualification and won, relegating Trinidad and Tobago to silver in the event and the Bahamas back to bronze.

With their eight gold medals, 11 silver and 12 bronze, the Bahamas finished second. Jamaica (29 gold, 25 silver, 15 bronze) and T and T (eight gold medals, 2 silver, 10 bronze) were first and third, respectively.

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE debut of the Thomas A Robinson Stadium saw Bahamian athletes earn 31 medals - including eight golds - as the Bahamas hosted the 2013 Carifta Track and Field Championships.

While events on the field were a success, with the Bahamas finishing third overall, there were concerns raised over off-the-field organisation.

Team Bahamas’ final tally of 31 medals included eight gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze.

Perennial champions Jamaica claimed yet another championship with a total of 68 medals, including 28 gold, 25 silver and 15 bronze. Trinidad and Tobago were second with 20 medals: nine gold, one silver and ten bronze.

Barbados finished fourth with 20 medals: four gold, 14 silver and two bronze.

Guadeloupe rounded out the top five countries with five medals: three gold, one silver and one bronze.

The final placing on the medal table is determined by gold medals, rather than overall medals won by a country.

It was a slight decline from 2012 when the Bahamas finished with 40 medals which included 14 gold, 14 silver and 12 bronze.

“As Minister of Youth Sports and Culture I offer hearty congratulations to the LOC and their entire team for spear heading and co-ordinating such a spectacular event for our emergining athletes,” said Dr Daniel Johnson, “To all the disciplined athletes, you are encouraged to continue to train hard and remain focused going forward.”

Dignataries from throughout the global track and field community were represented at the games including Bob Hersh, the senior vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federation, who represented IAAF President Lamine Diack, who was unable to attend.

In a press release, Diack expressed his support for the CARIFTA Games.

“The Caribean nations have played a central role in the development of our sport, and their athletes’ success in the larger and wider World and Olympic sphere has been developed from and entrenched by the success of regional competitions such as the CARIFTA Games,” he said.

Alain Jean-Piere, President of the Central American and Caribbean Athletics Confederation was also in attendance for the duration of the three-day meet.

“The Carifta Gems has been one of the most significant events that has brought people from all over the Caribbean region together for the last four decades,” he said, “Many of the athletes participating in these games will be on the medal podium of the World Championships and Olympic Games in the future.”

The Bahamas won the bid to host the this year’s games at the 2012 edition in Hamilton, Bermuda last year.

They beat out Barbados, the Cayman Islands and Martinique, in the bidding process after Martinique withdrew its bid in favour of the Bahamas, and Barbados did not come forward with an official bid. The Bahamas was then selected to host for the seventh time, over the Cayman Islands, due in large part to the newly constructed Thomas Robinson Stadium, and the decade long gap since the last meet was held in the Bahamas.

The meet was founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) and was first held in 1972.

Over the past 42 years, 14 different venues have hosted the meet throughout the Caribbean.

• There was criticism from international media of some aspects of the event. An article on athletics website www.trackkalerts.com criticised the below par media area and the accreditation system operating for the event.

Journalist Anthony Foster wrote: “Well into the meet, journalists suffered and may still be suffering big time from the poor quality of internet service. We pleaded for internet service on Friday, but nothing, apart from late in the night, after the opening ceremony, we were told the net was up.

“However, on our arrival on Saturday there was no internet in the ‘so-called’ press tribune. And even though this was reported by almost everyone, the technical people showed little or no urgency.”

The article prompted a response from Carifta sponsor BTC, whose spokesman, Marlon Johnson, said: “For the record, we did not provide commercial internet services at the stadium. We were never asked to do so. We have provided free WiFi services for the first 1500 customers who access the service. We were not contracted to provide any commercial grade service at the games. What ought to have happened perhaps is for the planning committee to have sought out a commercial service for WiFi internet that is secure and password protected so as to enable the media to have dedicated access to internet.”

The Caribbean correspondent for The Miami Herald also criticised the organisation of the event on Twitter. Jacqueline Charles tweeted: “Very disappointing #Bahamas, @Carifta experience so far, despite Chinese built $100m new stadium that sits 15,000, according to PM Christie.

“Wonder if our treatment today @cariftabahamas will be better than yesterday when we were refused VIP seating despite badges. #Bahamas”

She added that the treasurer of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association had been removed from his VIP seating.

She tweeted: “After being removed from VIP seat for third time Sun, #NACAC executive Alain Jean-Pierre left stadium at #carifta2013.

“Organisation ongoing issue. NACAC executive Alain Jean-Pierre has had to take taxi to stadium, buy food for #Haiti team.”