Archer: It’s going to be a challenge

In-person live sports has resumed and with two track meets and a swim meet in the books already, sports appears on the upside for the immediate future.

Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) President Drumeco Archer foresees challenges with the main issue being no spectators in the stands, but he is pleased that sports has resumed.

At the BAAA Odd Distance Track and Field Classic that was held on Saturday at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, safety and social distancing measures were in effect but there were no fans in the stands. Archer said that can be a challenge, as clubs look to host meets in the future.

“I think that it doesn’t come without its challenges and that is a point of concern for me as the head of track and field. The fact that we do not have spectators in the stands creates a real issue because clubs cannot underwrite the cost of hosting meets. I think we need to look at inventive ways in which we can get back to the track in an economical way and that may mean the 

assistance of the government to underwrite or waive some of our expenses associated with hosting a track meet like facility usage,” Archer said.

The BAAA chief said that although there are volunteers, they still have to be fed and food is not cheap. At the odd distance meet, Archer said there were more than 100 volunteers who were there ensuring that the proper COVID-19 protocols were being followed. He said there is also the timing system, and additionally the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials (BACO) members have to be paid.

“Our issue now is, in the absence of clubs hosting meets, the federation – our mandate is to ensure that our athletes are able to compete, so we may have to bear some of that burden once again. Whereas, we would have been accustomed to having an odd distance meet and then we go back to having maybe a high school relay and then the CARIFTA Trials. Now, it looks like we may have to end up doing a whole lot more to ensure that athletes are able to step on the track and compete in the absence of clubs not hosting meets,” Archer said.

He anticipates less club meets because one of the objectives of a club meet is to raise money, and in a non-spectator environment, there is little money coming in, with the exception of registration fees, which is a nominal cost for the athletes.

“If the clubs do not have meets, we simply cannot afford not to have meets. The federation will have to do more meets. The thing is, you cannot have meets without timing systems because you can only legitimize qualifying standards based on a timing system. It is one of those things that we must continue to look at and I believe there should be ongoing dialogue with our government to support these initiatives,” said Archer.

Saturday’s odd distance meet, the Blue Chip Athletics Throwers Meet and the Neymour Athletics Christmas Odd Distance Track and Field Classic that was held in Grand Bahama were the first track and field meets since the Bahamas National High School Track and Field Championships were halted on March 12, because of the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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