High school sports is still under suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Ministry of Education has worked to help The Bahamas become a member of the International School Sport Federation (ISF) in hopes that the partnership creates more international competition for high school student-athletes. The Bahamas officially joined the international body in July.
ISF Bahamas President Rupert Gardiner, who is also the senior sports officer at the Ministry of Education, said that The Bahamas will experience a lot of benefits from this move.
“The benefits of being a member of the ISF is significant because it gives the kids an opportunity all over the world. The ISF has its sporting events in countries such as Russia, China, Turkey, Puerto Rico and Cuba, among others. The high school kids will benefit and they will be able to get scholarships. They will also be able to interact with other peers in their age group,” Gardiner said.
Apart from Gardiner, there are others who are on the local body. They include William Johnson (vice president), Kim Hanna (secretary general), Angela Hinsey (treasurer), Varel Davis (member), Nacara Curtis (member), Emmitt Higgins (member), Elton Joseph (member), Georgette Rolle (member) and Layton Bain-Sturrup (member).
Gardiner said that Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) President Romell Knowles sent them the invitation with the requirements and documents. Gardiner filled out the document and applied in June. Less than a month later, The Bahamas was voted in as the 130th member of the ISF.
The coaches that Gardiner spoke to on Wednesday are excited about this new development.
“We got tremendous feedback from the coaches,” Gardiner said. “As a matter of fact, the GSSSA (Government Secondary Schools Sports Association) had a meeting and I was the speaker and I told them about the ISF. They are all excited about it. They said it is a great idea and can see the opportunity that the kids and coaches could have to represent this country and be a part of something like this.”
The first sport that The Bahamas will be competing in is chess. That competition will be done virtually and will take place from October 3-25. The Bahamas has already selected a 15-member team.
Representing The Bahamas on the historic team are FIDE (International Chess Federation) Woman Candidate Master Daijah Johnson (Aquinas College), Trinity Pinder (Doris Johnson Senior High School), Olga Roussos (homeschooled), FIDE Candidate Master Nathan Smith (homeschooled), Aiden Mart (homeschooled), Noah Albury (St. Augustine’s College), Trevor Bridgewater (Queen’s College), Curtis Pride Jr. (homeschool), Nathaniel Higgs Jr. (R.M. Bailey Senior High School), Makayla Horton (St. Augustine’s College), Faith Higgs (S.C. McPherson Junior High School), Tadan Ferguson (homeschooled), Daniel Ramtulla (Queen’s College), Seth Roberts (Queen’s College) and Avian Pride (homeschooled).
Participants in the sport are between the ages of 13 to 18. There is the ISF Gymnasiade – School Summer Games where member countries compete against each other. The next one is set for October 16-23, 2021, in JinJang, China. There will be 18 sports at next year’s Gymnasiade including archery, athletics, basketball, soccer, judo, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling.
The ISF Gymnasiade is the largest school sport event that the international body stages. It brings together school athletes from around the world, creating a unique context for high level sport competitions, cultural exchanges and educational programs.
The ISF also has an E-sport game competition, set for December. The first one was held in Kyiv, Ukraine, last year. Also planned for next year is a volleyball, futsal, beach volleyball, tennis and basketball 3×3 event.
The ISF headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium. It has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995. The other countries which are a part of the ISF include Egypt, Cameroon, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Israel, Norway, China, India, Kazakhstan, Iran, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Suriname, the United States of America (USA) and Canada, among others.
The post The Bahamas set to take part in ISF events appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-set-to-take-part-in-isf-events/
No comments:
Post a Comment