The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Ticket sales were officially launched yesterday for the Commonwealth Youth Games and the Local Organising Committee looks to galvanise support in its final month of preparation.

During yesterday's press conference at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, Bahamas Olympic Committee President Wellington Miller received the first official ticket of the event presented by CYG Bahamas 2017 mascot "Chickee."

CYG Bahamas 2017 will be the largest international sporting event ever to be hosted in The Bahamas, and the largest-ever edition of the Youth Games, with up to 1,300 athletes aged 14-18 set to make the most of an inspiring and immersive mix of impactful sporting competition, personal development and new Commonwealth friendships.

Miller, who also serves as chairman of the CYG Association Committee, said the months of work behind the scenes will all culminate when the games are hosted July 18-23 in New Providence.

"The team has worked so hard in bringing this to reality. Our local team, the Commonwealth Youth Games Federation, the students from Brock University, the stakeholders, everyone who has played a role in this event getting to this point, we are grateful," he said.

"It has been a pleasure going overseas to promote the games and now see it coming to fruition. The people working behind the scenes are who really drive the games. We are going to see what we have done, we will show that we are very competent and we can host world-class events on the world stage."

Tickets will be available online at http://www.bahamas2017cyg.org/ and onsite provided by "ETix."

The "Season Pass" of $100 comes with access to all sporting events every day over the course of the six-day event.

Senior citizens package receive a 50 per cent discount on season passes and come at a price of $50.

"All Day Passes" gives access to all of the events purchased on a given day and come at a price of $35 with gold seating where seating is available at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium and Beach Soccer Facility.

General admission for boxing, judo, tennis come at a cost of $15 while swimming is priced at $20 and rugby is free of charge.

Access to all venues will also be free to every student under age 18.

Corporate "Season Pass" packages are also available at various intervals. Companies featuring 10-20 employees can receive passes at $90 per employee; 21-50 employees at $80 per employee and 51+ employees at $70 per employee.

Managing Director of the CYG Association and BOC Secretary General, Romell Knowles, said further support from both the general public and corporate Bahamas will ensure the game's success.

"We need the support of team Bahamas. With 180 athletes and team officials comprise our team. While we have corporate sponsor of BTC, really we need the participation of the general public. We invite you to join us to make sure we have stadium full beginning as early as the opening ceremony which will be a treat," he said, "This edition of team Bahamas is the largest, youngest most dynamic team ever assembled in our country's history. With respect to our facilities, we are 90 percent completed with finishing touches on the tennis centre and some remedial work at the beach soccer stadium."

The nation's first-ever international multi-sport event will see 94 medals contested across Athletics, Aquatics (Swimming), Beach Soccer, Boxing, Cycling (Road), Judo, Rugby Sevens, Tennis and (subject to final confirmation) Beach Volleyball. It will be the first time Judo, Beach Soccer and Beach Volleyball have been presented at a Commonwealth Youth Games.

As part of the Federation's commitment to partner and support peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Commonwealth communities, it will be the second edition of the Youth Games to be held on a Small Island Developing State, following the hugely successful Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in September last year. It will also be the first Commonwealth Games event to be held in the Caribbean for over 50 years, with Commonwealth athletes last participating in the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.

Also among the list of "firsts" for the Bahamas at this year's event will be the addition of the cultural village and international television broadcasts.

"We are excited about the presentation of events. We think the Bahamian athletes will do very will with the exposure to be able to compete at home. We expect their friends, families and loved ones to be able to support. We want these young athletes to share in the cultural experience, so we have added a special dynamic feature, the cultural village that I think we will all enjoy with special performances from Dyson Knight and Wendy," Knowles said, "Over 18 months of work will culminating in just under 35 days to pull off these events. For the first time in these games, there will be an international broadcast company doing distribution. This is new for the CYG. We are going to package a good product for television as for the first times the games will be carried live on television and distributed internationally.