The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg called it a "political boycott" by Bahamas Aquatics at their welcome home celebrations for Team Bahamas, but president Algernon Cargill said the timing was just bad.

Team Bahamas returned home on Wednesday, having won the CARIFTA Swimming Championships for the eighth consecutive year and they were disappointed that there were no government officials to greet them at the Lynden Pindling International Airport. While they also didn't greet the track team from their third-place finish at the CARIFTA (Track & Field) Games in Grenada, Bowleg said they invited the team to a reception at the Ministry of Sports the following day. Bowleg said the same courtesy was offered to Bahamas Aquatics, but only coach Allan Murray and his two children showed up for the reception.

"The team was supposed to be here. We wanted to recognise and celebrate them," Bowleg said. "But the most disappointing thing was when president Algernon Cargill, who is one of the coordinators for the Free National Movement in the upcoming general elections, made it political, when it was all about empowering the young people."

Bowleg, who will be seeking a second term as the Member of Parliament for Garden Hills, said it was unfortunate that he didn't have the opportunity to greet neither the track or the swim team on their arrival at the LPIA.

"But we had a reception for the track team the next day and so we did the same for the swim team," Bowleg said. "We don't want any federation to believe that they supersede any other. "All of these are Bahamian children and so they should be treated equally. So, we did the same thing for the swim team that we did for track. But I am disappointed that Algernon Cargill continues to make it political when it comes to this ministry."

In defence of Bahamas Aquatics, Cargill said it was disheartening that Bowleg decided to "attend a political event at the University of the Bahamas" instead of coming out to greet the swimmers after their eight-straight feat as they did last year when they got their seventh straight.

"The athletes are disappointed, the parents are disappointed and the federation is disappointed," said Cargill, who made it clear that he is not a political candidate in the elections and only serves as the president of Bahamas Aquatics.

"Instead of greeting the team at the airport as they've done traditionally, they told us to come to a reception today (yesterday) at 10am."

Having arrived home around 7:30pm on Wednesday, Cargill said a number of the swimmers in New Providence were not able to make it and the swimmers from Grand Bahama were already booked to return home.

"We in the federation never told anyone not to attend the reception," said Cargill, who indicated that he had a funeral that he had to attend the same time. "We asked the ministry to meet the team at the airport on our arrival because they were all going in separate directions today (yesterday).

Bowleg said Cargill continues to mislead Bahamas Aquatics about the issues pertaining to the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex and the support that they give to their association.

"We have done more for swimming than any other administration in the history of this country," Bowleg claimed. 

He pointed out that his ministry provided a charter for Bahamas Aquatics to travel to the Goodwill Games plus provide them with a grant for $50,000. Additionally, the ministry provided a charter at the cost of $150,000 to travel to CARIFTA.

"We had 20 seats on the plane and the president asked the ministry for those seats, 15 which were allocated to a junkanoo group and five for staff members from the Ministry, who was supposed to go with the team to support the team," Bowleg stated.

"They wanted more parents to travel, which we understood. We gladly gave up those seats so they can give them to whoever they wanted to give them to. We believe parents’ support should always be there."

Out of the 138 seats on the charter, Bowleg said it was estimated that Bahamas Aquatics had 45 free seats for the team and officials and they were able to charge persons for the remaining seats and they secured the revenue."

Cargill said it's true that the government provides funding to Bahamas Aquatics, but it's also true that the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex is inoperable.

"The cooling and heating system does not work," Cargill stressed. "We had to postpone major competitions because the water was too cold because the system is not working. This hampered the preparation for the CARIFTA team.

"Had the cooling system been working from January, we would have been in a better position to win our eighth straight title and we would have been able to put away the championship from day one."

Bowleg said he's of the opinion that the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex should be replaced with a new swimming pool because of the condition that it is in.

"We had to stop some of the renovations prior to the last hosting of CARIFTA," Bowleg said. "After CARIFTA, we knew that we had to go back and do some things to correct and finish off the pool.

"That wasn't done because every time the NSA wanted to do the renovations, Bahamas Aquatics didn't want them to close it down. As a result of that, the pool continued to deteriorate."

Bowleg said they really should just shut down the pool and build a new one, like they are currently doing in Grand Bahama.

"The federation seemed to want to bold fold its members about what this ministry has done to renovate and upgrade all of these facilities," Bowleg said.

"But it's just sad that he would seem to make something like this political and I'm disappointed in him and I hope that the parents will see the light because every year we were there to receive them. This year we didn't for track and swimming, but we still hosted a reception for them."

Bowleg said they complimented Bahamas Aquatics and its swimmers for their eighth straight title, but he's disappointed that Cargill continues to try to make the ministry look bad.

Cargill said The Bahamas is the only country to win the championship for the eighth consecutive year and it had nothing to do with politics because the team represented the country to the best of their abilities.

"We want to go for the nine-peat and we will go for the nine-peat next year," Cargill projected. "But we have to ensure that we have the facilities fully functionable to do so and we don't play political with these young children."

Cargill said The Bahamas was the alternate to host the event next year behind St Lucia. But because St Lucia indicated that their pool would not be ready, the organisers asked The Bahamas to step in.

Cargill said they wrote to the government, but were denied the opportunity to host it again. He indicated that they even wanted to do it by getting corporate Bahamas involved but were denied.

"We don't know why the government would not grant us permission to host the Games," Cargill said. "If it's not political, I don't know what is. But they should not make it political when it comes to these swimmers who would have loved to do it again at home."