The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH the formation of a medical advisory committee, the Bahamas Olympic Committee feels that they will be in a better position to ensure that the Bahamas is properly represented by Bahamian athletes on the national teams for the various international events that come under their jurisdiction.

On Monday at their office, BOC president Wellington Miller introduced the newly formed committee that is headed by Dr Rickey Davis.

“This gives us an edge in getting many things done with the IOC,” said Miller, who noted that the committee was mandated by the International Olympic Committee, their parent body. “We hope now that with this commission formed, we can have a medical conference held here.

“We also hope that the formation of this commission will help our athletes with latest medical news and advise the Bahamas Olympic Committee on the various medical aspects that take place.”

The formation of the committee comes just before the BOC takes part in three major international events this year - the Commonwealth Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Youth Olympic Games. So far, the BOC has appointed three of their six vice presidents as chef de missions.

Roy Colebrooke will head the team to the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for July 23 to August 3 in Glasgow, while Iram Lewis will be in charge of the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, August 16-28. And Cora Hepburn has been designated to lead the team going to the CAC Games in Veracruz, Mexico, November 15-30.

Miller welcomed Davis and his committee, indicating that they can now rest assured that the athletes will continue to be in good hands with the new board that will work hand in hand with the Bahamas Anti-Doping Association headed by Dr Jerome Lightbourne.

Introducing the members, the majority of whom were present, Davis said they all bring something unique to the table.

The members are:

• Dr Eugene Smith, 1st assistant chairman

• Dr Dwight Marshall, 2nd assistant chairman

• Dr Gemma Rolle, 3rd assistant chairman

• Dr Patrick Roberts, Advisor

• Sterling Quant, Medical Legal Advisor

• Dr Charlene Wallace, Public Relations Officer

• Dr Basil Cumberbatch, Chaplin

• Kareen Wallace, Secretary

• Kimberley Davis, Assistant Public Relations Officer

• Cattrice Robinson, Officer, Freeport Division

Davis, who has travelled on various national teams over the past 30 years, said it’s important to note that athletes are not immune to illnesses and so it’s important to be able to ensure that they are seen and treated properly by the Bahamian medical team.

“With this team that we have, we are planning to basically have a base set up where we have a medical record on them,” Davis said. “If they leave the Bahamas, we know exactly what their medical conditions are, whether they are training in the United States or Cuba.

“If they have a medical condition, we are able to go to our medical database and refer to whatever condition they may have. This is one of our ways of monitoring the athletes’ medical conditions. There are times when we travel that the athletes do not tell the medical team that they have a medical condition and by the time we arrive, sometimes way in Europe, they say doctor I can’t compete because I have this condition going on. We are trying to avoid that.”

Through their committee, Davis said they can give the red or green light to determine whether or not an athlete is sufficiently and medically fit to compete.

“There will be individuals who are sensitive at times, but we are looking out for the health of the athletes. We’re looking out for the health of the nation,” he said. “You can’t compete at 80 per cent or 70 per cent. We prefer you to compete at 100 per cent or none at all,” he said.

“I prefer the athlete to compete at 100 per cent or not at all than to have an athlete compete at 70 per cent and they end up jeopardising their career.”

Davis said they are delighted to have Roberts on board because he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the committee, having served as the first practitioner to travel with an Olympic team and so they hope to utilise his expertise.

“I would like to see the Bahamas whenever we represent ourselves in the medical field, we always have Bahamians representing us,” Davis said. “We do have individuals who are non Bahamians and we are very proud of them assisting us,” he said. “But as of today, we are trying to eliminate that.

“We have a lot of Bahamians who are qualified to represent the Bahamas in the medical field on our national teams.”

As one of the former commissioners of the Anti-Doping Commission, Quant said he’s pleased to be able to work with the committee and he is prepared to do whatever is necessary to assist the committee.

And Marshall, a certified chiropractor, said the committee is long overdue because with so many world-class athletes doing world-class performances, they need the medical personnel who will be able to assist the athletes as they venture in their various disciplines.

Davis said each member will be attending various continued medical education seminars and in two-three weeks of their return home, will hold a session to share with the committee and the public an update of the new developments that they would have derived from their participation.

As they grow, Davis said they will eventually start charging the various sporting bodies for the use of their services at their sporting events.

“Half of the money that you pay will come to the association to assist with the medication, travel expenses and so forth,” he said. “The other half will go to the medical persons who are assisting you. We have to now get out of the era in the Bahamas where we say things are free.

“It is not free. We are all qualified and we have families to feed and we need to feed our families. So people will need to start paying, rather than always calling and asking if we can do it for free. It’s really nice to get a thank you, but the funds are better.”

Davis said it’s important to note that the medical committee will not be seeking any limelight, but will ensure that the athletes are given the best care possible.

He reflected on the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, where Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands suffered an injury during the men’s triple jump final. Davis said he was right there behind the scene assisting Sands from the time he was taken off the track to the completion of his surgery and his departure out of London.

“We are just there to help them,” he said. “What we are trying to do is establish an association to stop the gold mine from going after the athletes. Anybody at this table, once we manage them, you can go into any book and you can look and see how they are to be managed, not be assuming certain things.”