The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard and Deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright made sure that the opposition party was fully on board supporting the youth of the nation for the Oaktree Medical Center’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

The two leaders showed up on Monday at the Cultural Village of to purchase $2,500 worth of ticket for the games, scheduled for April 8-10.

“We are so excited as Bahamians to be able to come here and to support Team 242. We know we are going to do very well,” said Cartwright, the Member of Parliament for the neighboring St Barnabas constituency.

“We are here to encourage our athletes, who have been working so hard throughout the year to make this team to represent our country. We want to watch them run faster, jump higher, throw further as be turn out to be the gracious hosts that we are known to be.”

Pintard, the MP for Marco City in Grand Bahama, said they anticipate that Team Bahamas will have representation from throughout the archipelago and so they want to stand by Team Bahamas.

“We want families to come out as a group in order to support our athletes to help deepen the ties that we have with our Caribbean brothers and sisters and of course to cheer our team on to victory,” Pintard said.

“This is the ninth time we are hosting the event and the 50th anniversary of the games coincide with the 50th anniversary of our independence as a nation and so it is important for us in our jubilee year to support our athletes as they go up against some fierce competition from the region.”

Athletics, according to Pintard, assist us as a nation and people in so many areas and facets of life that they could not pass up the opportunity to make their presence felt in the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium when the games take place from April 7-11.

And as a retired athlete, Cartwright said the cheers of the fans is so vital to the success of athletes when they compete.

“Yes, there’s that need to perform our best from that pride within, but we’re here in the Bahamas in our 50th year of celebrations and so we want to enjoy this together with the Bahamian people,” Cartwright said.

“So, we want the Bahamian people to come out and let’s fill up the stands so our athletes can be further motivated to be able to compete against the best coming in from the region. We want to encourage Team Bahamas to compete at their best at home with the fans in the stands cheering them on.”

The leaders of the FNM didn’t give any indication where exactly they purchased their tickets for, but revealed that they have gotten seats that will be very visible for the athletes to see them and for them to cheer on the athletes.

Tickets for the event are now available for purchase online atwww.carifta50. com and at the Box Office, located at the Eastern Grand Entrance of the Thomas. A. Robinson, National Stadium, on the same side as Road Traffic.

For more information you can subscribe to the carifta50.com website or follow them on their social media pages on @ carifa2023 or Facebook: @50thCariftaGames2023.

Persons can also call 808-Gold or email partnership@carifta50.com to still take advantage of the opportunity to partner for these upcoming CARIFTA Games.