The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH the Bahamas Olympic Committee’s election of officers still pending, president Wellington Miller has added two extra positions to his portfolio at the Pan American Sports Organization’s Extraordinary General Assembly that was held over the weekend in Kingston, Jamaica.

Miller, who also serves as the president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas, was appointed to the Co-ordination Commission of the XVII Pan Am Games that will be held in Toronto, Canada, in 2015.

With a total of 41 nations participated in the meeting, Miller said he was surprised that he was appointed. He was the only one from the Caribbean to have earned the distinction.

Additionally, Miller was also appointed to the Sports and Environment Commission.

“I feel great about it because someone look at your record and how you participate in your duties and what you bring to the table and the years that you have been participating in sports and see what you have done,” said Miller about his role on the Pan Am committee.

“So I was extremely proud that they decided to appoint me as one of the persons on the Pan Am Games coordination committee. I’m proud of that because it’s a $700 million operation in Canada. “I don’t know whether I’m the first Bahamian. But if I am or if I’m not, I intend to make a great inroad in their organisation. I intend to try to provide some type of employment for Bahamians because you have young people who work in these areas and they go all around the world. As soon as one pop up, you see the same names that are organising another games.”

Having attended a number of Pan Am Games, the third largest event that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee (behind the Olympic and the Commonwealth Games), Miller said he intend to put his best foot forward when he attend the planning meetings.

“If it take me foot to foot behind them or foot to foot ahead of them, I am going to do that,” Miller said. “I now realise that this is not a 9-5 job. When we go to Canada to co-ordinate every thing, we will probably spend about two weeks up there.

“That’s about 15 hours a day, so I’m prepared for it mentally and physically because I know I am making some inroads for Bahamians and I’m making contrition to the promotion of the Bahamas. So I’m going to do my best.”

As a member of the committee, Miller said he will be helping to plan the activities from the arrival of the athletes and the delegates to their departure when the games take place.

“It’s going to be a great experience for me and I don’t intend to fail the person who nominated me on the committee and I don’t intend to fail the Bahamas and I don’t intend to fail myself,” he said.

The first official meeting for the committee is expected to take place in April.

Expected to continue in his role as president of the BOC, if re-elected whenever the elections are held, Miller said he feel his various capabilities will only help him in the long run.

“As the president of the BOC, I will be making connections when I go to Canada,” he said. “I believe if I work hard on this, there’s no telling what the outcome will be for the Bahamas and our athletes on the whole.

“While I’m there, I can negotiate for a lot of people. The spin off can be great for the Bahamas and the people of the Bahamas.”

With regards to his role on the environmental committee, Miller said it’s just as big an appointment because the world realise that “athletes can not perform if the environment is conducive.

“So in doing that too, I’m going to be deeply rooted because the committee have to make sure that the environment is right and everything is good for our athletes,” he said. “So I will be watching for a lot of things as we make sure our environment is great.”

Miller said he’s also looking at the possibility of getting some more international conferences and seminars to be held in the Bahamas as a result of his involvement on both committees.