The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH less than a month to go for the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Local Organising Committee is going full force in sensitising the country of what to expect.

Yesterday, the LOC participated in CC Sweeting Senior High School's prize-giving ceremony 2017 where Drumeco Archer provided an update of the July 19-23 games that will comprise of nine different sports.

"The Commonwealth Youth Games is an event that attracts student-athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 years and so we certainly could not promote this event without engaging the students of the Bahamas," said Archer, the deputy managing director of legal affairs/aarketing.

"We not just wanted to look at people who are athletically inclined, but we want to touch all areas of disciplines. If you stood out academically, we want you to be involved and if you are artistic, we need you to be involved too. Everything that young people are doing, we want to be inspired and see how we can use them."

The stop at CC Sweeting came after the LOC went to St Augustine's College, St John's College and CV Bethel Secondary High. It is hoped that they will also visit Yellow Elder and TA Thompson Junior High School as well as the Government High and Doris Johnson Secondary High Schools.

With this being the first time that the Bahamas will host such a prestigious event, Archer said everything is lining up and when the curtains go up, the LOC will put on a fantastic games for all to enjoy.

Rachel Simon, who along with Mike Sands accompanied Archer to CC Sweeting, said she was extremely pleased with the progress she has witnessed so far.

Simon, who works in the Commonwealth Games as the head of the Commonwealth Youth Games, has been visited the Bahamas for the sixth time since the country was afforded the rights to hold the games after St Lucia withdrew in 2015 citing financial difficulties.

"I think it's a really exciting time," said Simon, who has been here for the past two weeks on this latest visit. "We only have a month to go and everybody is working really hard to make it happen and to pull it all together.

"We're very excited, especially with what we have seen in the visits to the schools because this is not just a sporting event, but it is a cultural and educational development event. So we're looking for the whole piece to come together to showcase the Bahamas."

Out of the 72 registered countries in the Commonwealth, Simon said a total of 65 have registered to compete in the nine sports, inclusive of aquatics (swimming) athletics (track and field), beach soccer, judo, Rugby sevens, tennis, beach volleyball, boxing and cycling.

She noted both aquatics and athletics are expected to be the most prescribed, but the competition will not be any different from those that will witness in all of other seven.

Having taken over from St Lucia in hosting the games in the Caribbean for the first time, Simon said she's confident that with what the Bahamas has the offer, these will be a successful games.

"We've never had a Commonwealth Games event to the Caribbean, so this is important that we look forward to bringing it here in the Bahamas," she emphasized.

"We want to share it around the region and this is the Caribbean's time and so we know that they ill put on a great games."

From what she's seen, Simon said everybody have been working hard to make it a success and once the teams arrive and everybody is in the stadium, she anticipate that it will be very successful.