The government has organised a long list of events to thank the four men responsible for winning The Bahamas its only medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Michael Matthieu and Ramon Miller have been thrust into national spotlight following their stellar performance in the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay and the celebrations to recognise their achievements have only just begun.
The Olympic champions arrived at Lynden Pindling International Airport’s (LPIA) VIP Welcome Centre shortly before midnight Tuesday.
The men were welcomed by Prime Minister Perry Christie, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Daniel Johnson, family, friends and supporters.
Mr. Christie was among the first to greet the new national heroes.
“All over The Bahamas everyone stopped to watch the race and support you all. Everyone started to hope and pray and when the team got to that last leg, you were carrying the country on your shoulders on the last leg. It is going to take you all about 10 years to realise exactly what you have done for The Bahamas,” he said.
“I want to thank the entire group of coaches and everyone who contributed to us being where we are today in sports. I would like to thank all of you athletes because you have displayed determination, precision in team work, precision and excellence in being about to achieve this great thing.”
Following the welcome reception at LPIA Tuesday morning, the prime minister also hosted a special news conference for the Olympians at his office Tuesday afternoon.
A special reception for the Golden Boys will be held today at the House of Assembly at noon today.
The prime minister will host the men to lunch on Thursday afternoon and a special reception will be held at BTC on Friday.
The Ministry of Tourism also announced yesterday that the men’s 4 x 400 metre team will continue their moment in spotlight at the Goombay Summer Festival Street party on Friday.
The special programme in honour of the relay team will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Woodes Rogers Wharf.
Local radio personalities, actors and other Bahamian entertainers have been engaged for the event.
A victory parade and concert at Clifford Park will end the week long celebrations for the Olympians on Saturday.
Chris Brown, who spoke on behalf of his teammates, thanked Bahamians for their support.
“First of all we want to give thanks to God for allowing us to go out there and represent the country, it was a tough job and a long road but it all paid off. We want to thank Bahamians for their support on this long road. We hope that this will not be the end of it because we look forward to doing great things in the future. We just appreciate all your support,” he said.
Competing against some of the world’s best athletes, the four men finished the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay with a national record time of 2 minutes 56:72 seconds, which positioned the country as the third fastest nation to ever compete in the race.
