The Free National Movement (FNM) is condemning the Christie administration over it apparently ignoring members of the Bahamas Olympic team, who did not medal in the London 2012 games.
The government recently announced that the country’s “Golden Knights” – Chris Brown, Michael Mathieu, Demetrius Pinder and Ramon Miller will receive over $100,000 and coveted crown land for their 4 x 400 relay victory at the games – the only metal won by The Bahamas at this year’s games.
In a candid press release sent out recently, the Opposition said while every Bahamian rightly celebrates the golden achievement of the ‘Fantastic Four’ it is abhorrent that in doing so the government has chosen to ignore the remaining 20 members of the national Olympic team.
“This breach of protocol, respect and precedent should be rightly condemned,” the FNM said.
It added that when it was in government, the Ingraham administration put arrangements in place for the entire team to return home at the same time to receive collectively the accolades of a grateful nation through school and political figures visits and participation in a motorcade.
But the Opposition said that does not seem to be the case today.
“Today it seems that the other team members were callously left to go their own way after the Olympics by a government, which apparently only cares about gold,” officials said.
“Today, we are presented with the sad spectacle of a government which treats so many of our glorious Olympics in such a disrespectful and dismissive manner, merely because they did not earn any medals. This dismissive treatment totally fails to recognise and to thank hard-working athletes who gave their all; some like Adrianna Vanderpool-Wallace who made history by being the first Bahamian to qualify as finalist in an Olympic Swimming event and Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands, who suffered a serious injury in the triple jump, competing for our country.
“This dismissive treatment fails to acknowledge that we were represented at the London Olympics by a Bahamas team, some of whose members achieved a highly coveted gold medal and resoundingly shattered one of the longest winning streaks in Olympic history, others of whose members who, by their own efforts and their presence to cheer and support their fellow team members, undoubtedly, also contributed, even if only a little to the individual and also the overall team efforts.”
The Opposition also chastised Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson’s role in London as it claims he was absent from Olympic venues and activities to support the athletes “most of the time.”
“The FNM would wish to remind the minister that he was not in London on a private holiday at his own expense. He had duties to perform on behalf of his employer – the Bahamian people – first among which was to be visibly present in representing The Bahamas and showing concern for and supporting Bahamian athletes in the throes of fierce competitive sporting events. It is a dereliction of duty for Bahamians to be left with the impression that the minister was AWOL while London,” the FNM said.
“In fact, the minister announced in the House of Assembly this past Wednesday the approval of the application of The Bahamas to host, and the signing of the agreement for The Bahamas for the holding of the an IAAF Track & Field Championships in The Bahamas, next year, an application process which was started under the FNM government. The minister, however, was not able to confirm his attendance at the signing ceremony to the House of Assembly, because he simply was not present.”
The Opposition said that it trusts that the minister would give his undivided attention to his public duties and “move quickly to salve the wounds and heal the pain that he and his officials have so callously inflicted upon our Bahamian National Olympic team members.”
