The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH the pending return of the Bahamas Games in the summer of 2023, the Grand Bahama Sports Council is making sure that their team will be ready to challenge New Providence for the overall title.

On Wednesday at the Pro Cathedral of Christ the King Church’s vestry office, plans were revealed for the Grand Bahama Games scheduled for July 5-9.

Making the announcement were Norris Bain, the deputy director of sports in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and Churchill Tener-Knowles, the chairman of the GB Games.

Bain, one of the country’s most revered high school basketball coaches, also noted that Bimini is also organising their own games in their bid to form their team for the Bahamas Games.

“In Grand Bahama, we have put together some veteran persons as it relates to athletics and the administration of sports on the island,” Bain said.

He noted that the Games Secretariat will be led by international and national Hall of Fame sports executive Churchill Tener-Knowles and Cecil Thompson, a former veteran educator.

Tener-Knowles, known for his long and dedicated service to softball in the country, said he’s very pleased that the Grand Bahama Games, which started in 1992, is back.

The last one was held in 2005 and was named in honour of the late Sir Edward St George. “We have been asked to put together teams for all of our core sports, softball, baseball, track and field, soccer, volleyball and all of their other sports that are a part of the Bahamas Games,” Tener-Knowles said.

With the Grand Bahama Games placed on the shelf for the past few years, Tener-Knowles said that their committee will be canvassing the public to ensure that the athletes come out and participate like they did in the past.

“We will speak with all of the MPs (Members of Parliament) to select their committees so they can organise their teams,” Tener-Knowles said.

“Harold McPhee was a part of Lucaya and they had a very good team as well as High Rock. We are endeavouring to continue that.”

Tener-Knowles said they are appealing to all persons to come on board to make the return of the Grand Bahama so that the island is properly prepared for next year’s return of the Bahamas Games.

If it comes off, this would be the sixth edition of the Bahamas Games - a mini version of the Olympic Games.

The games, the brainchild of the late Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Peter Bethell, was started in 1989 and continued in 1991, 1995 and 2001.

Before leaving office last year, the Free National Movement government had allocated a total of $3.328 million for the staging of the games. They had broken down the expenditure to cover $650,000 for 2021-2022, $1 million for the 2022-2023 fiscal period and another $1,677.975 for 2023-2024.

However, the new government under the Progressive Liberal Party, under Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis with Mario Bowleg as the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, has not yet disclosed if those figures will remain in place and or whether or not they will continue with the plans for the return of the games.

In any event, the Grand Bahama Sports Council indicated that they want to make sure they are ready by bringing back their own Grand Bahama Games in July.