The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE new Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Michael Pintard, comes into office with a lot of promising reviews from our various sporting executives.

While Pintard was just sworn in on Monday night at Government House, he indicated that his first order of business would be to meet with the stakeholders of the ministry.

He noted that the ministry would be sports friendly, something that sat well with the executives, who indicated that they are looking forward to meeting him.

Bahamas Bowling Federation

President Sonith Lockhart said Pintard has his endorsement because of the vibrancy that he brings to the ministry, especially because of his commitment to culture.

“I remember after every election he and his team also have some type of skit to bring the whole community of the Bahamas something to laugh about,” Pintard said.

“Honestly, he is a poet, but he’s what most Bahamians want to be. He will make a great Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.”

For the sport, which is currently hosting its BTC National Championships at Mario’s Bowling and Family Entertainment Palace, Lockhart said they would like to invite Pintard to come into the venue and get a first-hand experience of what the bowlers have to endure to compete at the international level.

He said the sport has become so competitive that the amateurs are now competing with the professionals, which means that they have to look at ways of providing more incentives for the bowlers to compete on an even par.

Bahamas Cricket Association

President Greg Taylor said his only concern is that the new minister will be interested in sports, especially cricket.

“Despite what people say about sailing, cricket is still our national sport and it is the oldest sport in the Bahamas,” Taylor said. “The only sport that is older than cricket is horse racing and that ended in 1976.

Taylor said they feel disrespected that sailing has been projected as the national sport. He said that while they have seen a decline in the participation of competitors, they have hired the service of a level III coach from Trinidad & Tobago, who will be working towards the revitalization of the sport.

“We decided that for one year, we will put some funds aside to see if we can get the numbers up in the association,” he said. “We have another coach in the schools and so they will be working to increase the numbers on the youth in the sport.”

To Pintard, Taylor said they are looking forward to their meeting and putting their plans forward and to hear what he has to say and the part he will play in the way forward.

Bahamas Swimming Federation

President Algernon Cargill said he’s excited about working with Pintard.

“He’s someone who have a keen understanding of young people, he have an understanding of sports, he’s someone who is open minded and he’s someone who is excited about moving sports forward,” Cargill said.

“I think he will make an excellent minister and he would certainly advocate for all young people and for the Bahamas in general.”

With issues recently mentioned by some of the top competitors in the sport, Cargill said they want to ensure that the swimmers and athletes on subvention, receive the funding that is due to them and the recommendations that they made on behalf of the BSF is advanced and funds are available for national teams when it’s time to travel.

“These are some of the things, as well as the improvement of sports facilities and the way that the National Sports Authority function in being fairness to all sport,” he pointed out.

“The fee structure is one that needs to be reviewed because it makes it very competitive for some athletes and organizations to survive if we have to take the same funding that we get from government and pay to use the facilities to train or to hold a meet.”

Having said all of that, Cargill said he’s confident that Pintard will make an excellent choice as the new minister in the triple ministry and they are excited to work with him for the betterment of sports.

Bahamas Olympic Commnittee

President Wellington Miller said he like the enthusiasm that Pintard brings to the office.

“I believe he will blend very well. Like everyone else, we want sports to grow, we want people to get involved and as a young man, he know what it means to inspire them,” Miller stressed.

“I hope that we would share the same ideas to accomplish what is needed for sports to get to the level that it should be. He’s worked there before as a consultant, so he have a good idea of what he’s getting into.”

With the BOC getting ready to host the Commonwealth Youth Games in July, Miller said they are looking forward to bringing Pintard up to speed so that they can have a smooth transition.

“I know very little of him, only what I’ve heard,” he said. “In public life, I think he’s a good person to be around. He’s very motivated. I hope that all of us as associations can sit down with him and let him know what are plans are and blend them together to come up with something great.”

Bahamas Football Association

President Anton Sealey said he’s been associated with Pintard for quite a while so he’s aware of his capabilities and he’s hoping that their relationship will continue to flourish.

“So I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing how we can further develop sports, not only football or soccer, but sports in general,” he said.

“It’s a new thing and with new things, we have to have a lot of enthusiasm. But I want to congratulate the out-going minister (Dr Daniel Johnson) for the support that he gave to soccer and I wish him all of the best in the next phrase of his career.”

Having just recently hosted both the CONCACA Qualifier and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup at the newly constructed facilities at Malcolm Park, Sealey said they would be looking for the support of the ministry in putting on future events of that magnitude.