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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
 Nassau, Bahamas - On Sunday, May 6th, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) turns sixty years of age.
On May 6th, 1952 a group of men met at the office of Alfred Francis Adderley (A.F. Adderlley) to form the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association. In addition to Adderley, who was elected president, the men included were:
Cecil. V. Bethel, Gerald Cash, Edwin Davies, Reginald Farrington, Randol Fawkes, Joseph Garfunkle, Kendal Isaacs, Edward Mitchell, Fred Moultrie, Cyril Richardson, and Reginald John Robertson.
One day later, May 7th, 1952, the Bahamas Olympic Association (BOA) was formed. So the Bahamas Olympic Association, now Bahamas Olympic Committee, turns sixty on Monday, Election day. Sir George Roberts was the first president of the BOA.
This was the year of the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
There was an effort being made for the formation of a National Olympic Committee in order for the Bahamas to compete in the Olympic Games on its own and not Great Britain’s team.
It pays to note that there was a Bahamas Athletic Association in 1952 but in order to satisfy the IOC requirement for National Olympic Committees, it was necessary to have national federations associated to their international governing bodies. The BAAA was one of those federations and became associated with the International Amateur Athletic Association.
To do this the BAAA had to become amateur, which it was not before 1952. Prior to 1952 several athletes who participated in other sports as professionals were permitted to participate in local track and field.
With the founding of several other federations associated with their international federations, the BOA became affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
No Bahamian track and field team participated in the Helsinki Olympics however.
Sir Durward Knowles did participate in sailing under Great Britain.
Participation in track and field had to wait until 1956 in Melbourne, Australia when an eighteen year old Tommy Robinson competed in the 100m and 200m and Sir Durward Knowles and Sloane Farrington won the Bronze medal in sailing.
The BAAA hosted its first international competition in 1976, The Carifta Games. Since then it has hosted five Carifta Games, three Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Age Group championships, two CAC Junior Championships, one CAC Cross Country Championships, two Central America and Caribbean Senior Championships, one Pan American Jr. Track and Field Championships, and several One Day International Competitions.
The BAAA is now the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and won its first international medal in 1987 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis with Frank Rutherford’s Bronze medal in the Triple Jump.
The Bahamas has subsequently won Gold medals in both the World Championships and Olympic Games.
In 2007 the Bahamas finished ninth at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan with a Gold medal by Donald Thomas in the High Jump, and silver medals by Derrick Atkins in the 100m and by Avard Moncur, Andrae Williams, Michael Mathieu, and Chris Brown in the 4x400m relay.
Last year the BAAA placed fourth in the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France winning three Gold medals and one Bronze medal.
This was the best ever performance of a Bahamian national track and field team in an IAAF competition.
The BAAA has had its best performance in the annual Carifta Games in twenty-five years with its forty medals in the recent Games in Bermuda.
This summer The Bahamas competes in the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, where they won their first Olympic medal in 1992, and the Olympic Games in London.
They are expected to do well in both events.
Next year the BAAA hosts the 2013 Carifta Games in the new state of the art Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.
The presidents since the founding are:
Cyril Richardson, Harold Munnings, Paul Adderley, Levi Gibson, Sir Arlington Butler, Rev. Enoch Backford, Winston Cooper, Dr. Bernard
Nottage, Alpheus Finlayson, Foster Dorsett, The Honourable Thomas. Desmond Bannister.
Curt Hollingsworth served as interim president between October 2008 and November 2009.
Cyril Richardson and Levi Gibson have passed.
The current president is Mike Sands.
Sir Orvile Turnquest is the only living founder.
The BAAA has planned several events planned for their anniversary, two of which are a church service at on Sunday, May 6th at 11:00am at the Evangelistic Temple on Collins Avenue and a Luncheon in honour of presidents and founders on Sunday, May 27th at 2:00pm at the Thomas A Robinson National stadium.
All athletes who have participated on national teams as well as team personnel as well as executives and council members of the BAAA over these sixty years are urged to attend the church service this coming Sunday, May 6th.
The BAAA is requesting all persons born on May 6th, 1952 to contact them at 325 4433 or 357 5834.
© Copyright 2012 by thebahamasweekly.com
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