07282016 sports

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SPORTS SECTION E

4th Quarter Press

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THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Countdown to 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer WCup begins By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WE have a look, we have an emblem, and the countdown toward the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is officially underway. Nine months away from opening kickoff, the Local Organising Committee unveiled the official look and emblem of the event at a press conference hosted yesterday at the Atlantis Resort. In an event expected to revolutionise the sport in the country, 16 teams from around the world will be taking part in the tournament hosted April 27 to May 7, 2017 at the new beach soccer stadium, currently under construction near the Nassau side of the Paradise Island Bridge. Bahamas Football Association President Anton Sealey said the entire country should begin its preparation to host the international football community. “This is an exciting time for the BFA and for the country in general. Beach soccer is such an exciting and spectacular event and this runs for 14 days, it’s a festival. The island of the Bahamas will play host to some of the most ac-

robatic, exciting football that we have ever seen,” he said. “We at the BFA have worked extremely hard to make sure that we land this event because we know the impact it can have, not only on the local sporting community but also economically for the country as a whole.” The new beach soccer facility at the foot of the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge has an expected completion date of November 2016. “It will be the first of its kind, certainly in the region and one of the best beach soccer facilities in the world. We hope to have it completed by November and that will transform that entire area,” Sealey said. “When I approached Dr Daniel Johsnon with the idea of hosting this FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup he said this is what his ministry is about and under his direction and his guidance with this, and with a number of other events, we have furthered our development into the business of sports.” According to the LOC, the emblem is intended to reflect the positive uplifting nature of the tournament and the local culture of the host country. The emblem uses the shape of the FIFA Beach

THE OFFICIAL logo for the Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017. Soccer World Cup Official Trophy as the canvas and the vivid colours reflect the pristine landscape and culture of the host country. “The official emblem is a testament to the beauty of The Bahamas and the great appeal of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. We are delighted to unveil this iconic emblem along with the tournament’s official look, inviting beach soccer fans to join what promises to be an exciting and colourful event”, said Thierry Weil, FIFA marketing director. At the heart of the official emblem, an orange sunset hov-

ers above three pillars. The first column shows the silhouette of a player performing one of the spectacular athletic feats beach soccer is known for across the world. The 16 white dots mirror the islands of The Bahamas when seen from the sky. The central pillar features a feather, a reference to the islands’ national bird, the flamingo. And the bright costumes on display at the biggest local festival Junkanoo. The third pillar is the silhouette of a wave, to show the hundreds of kilometres of beach and coast that make up the pristine Bahamian archipelago. LOC Chairman Jeffrey Beckles said the launch was a call to action for all Bahamians to seek involvement in the upcoming tournament in some form or another. “It serves as a clarion call to Team Bahamas, the people that live here and call this country home. We encourage Bahamians everywhere to get involved volunteering their time and their effort to ensure that this event will be the best event that FIFA ever put on in its history. “We welcome the world to our shores. Hosting this event is another giant step in our quest to become the premier sports desti-

nation in the world. This unveiling signals the official countdown, which is nine months away. “We are extremely proud to release this beautiful imagery, which not only represents what we are as Bahamians, but offers a view of what embodies the spirit of what it means to be Bahamian. The thousands of visitors who will visit our shores to experience this magnificent tournament will not only see the vibrancy and colour of the country in the official emblem and the pageantry, they will feel it when they interact with our warm, hospitable people.” Participants in the event will be confirmed after the six continental qualifying stages during 2016 and 2017. Groups and match schedule will be announced at the official draw on February 28, 2017. “We have this brand that is better than any in the world. Last year $7.6 trillion was spent on sports and leisure travel. Our brand, as you know, has a market share and anywhere in the world you know that brand. What we didn’t know is what’s better in the Bahamas. What is the ‘it’ we have that no

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Day 2 on par By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net here is some ground to make up for the Bahamas Golf Federation’s team at the 60th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships, but there have also been several individual standout performances.. Through two days at the event, several Bahamian players have been in the hunt, near the top of leaderboards in their respective divisions at the tournament hosted at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island. In the Hoerman Cup for regular players, Devaughn Robinson leads the charge for Team Bahamas. Robinson shot a -2, 70 yesterday, one of only seven players in the Hoerman Cup field to shoot under par on day two. A six-time former member of Team Bahamas’ CAJGC and CAGC national teams, Robinson has been the top player of the team and is tied for fifth in the overall field at -1 (143). He shot an opening round 73. Horace Miller and Richard Gibson are tied at No.31 with total scores of 157. Miller shot +4 over yesterday while Gibson shot +6 over. Both stand at +13, Miller had rounds of 81 and 76 while Gibson shot 79 and 78. Steven Kemp is tied with a trio of players at No.33 with a total score oh 158. He shot a +6, 78 yesterday to follow up an opening round of 80. Peter McIntosh shot +10, 82 in round two for a cumulative score of 162 thus far, tied at No.40. McIntosh, a multiple BGF national amateur champion and equally a repeat member of Hoerman Cup teams, shot an opening round 80. George Swann, ranked at No.47,

SEALEY: ‘THE TEAMS ARE HERE AND WE ARE READY TO GO’

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By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DEVAUGHAN ROBINSON, of the Bahamas, drives on the second day of the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship at the Ocean Club course, Paradise Island. SEE OFFICIAL RESULTS AND PHOTOS ON PAGE 2 Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff shot an 86 yesterday at +14. The veteran golfer has a total of 175 thus far. In the George Teale Cup for ladies, the Bahamas fielded a team of Inecia Rolle, Sheridan Robinson, Marlique Hield and Taneka Sandiford. Rolle has been the top performer for the team thus far in 12th place with a score of 162, +18 over. Rolle, the winner of the BGF’s 2015 President’s Cup, shot 82, +10 yesterday to follow an opening round of 80. Robinson is tied at No.14 with a score of 166, +22 over. After an opening round of 86, she lowered her score in round two to 80, and was 11th in the 25 member field at +8 on the day. Hield is tied at No.18 with a total score of 169 after she shot +10 over,

82 yesterday. Sandiford also shot an identical score of 82, and is in the 20th spot with a total of 170. A repeat member of the George Teale Cup and a former contender for the 2015 Bahamas’ representative spot in the PureSilk Bahamas LPGA Classic, she shot an opening round of 88. Rolle follows one spot behind with a score of 166 and +22 over. Bahamas Golf Federation president Glen Archer said during the week of activities, there will be a special recognition of the late legendary golfer and administrator Fred Higgs. He will be inducted in the next class of the Caribbean Golf Association’s Hall of Fame. Additionally, Archer said the CGA will pay tribute to Ambrose Gouthro, a former president of

the BGF. Ambrose is the current CGA president. For the first time this year, the Ambrose Gouthro Trophy will be presented to the overall team champions in honour of Gouthro. The federation, according to Archer, will be naming the Bahamas national team later this week. The team will comprise of six men in the Hoerman Cup for regular golfers and three women for the George Teale Cup. The winners will be determined from a combined score accumulated for the Arthur Ziadie Trophy. A total of nine countries, including the Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands, are expected to participate.

WITH two devoted fanbases, championship football clubs and the anticipation of elite level soccer, the Bahamas Football Association expects a large crowd and fierce competition on the pitch tomorrow night. The Bahamas Football Association, through the sponsorship of BTC and the support of the National Sports Authority, will host the Montego Bay United Football Club against the Don Bosco Football Club 8pm Friday (July 29) in the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium. “The teams are here and we are ready to go,” said Anton Sealey, president of the BFA. “Based on what I know on the passion both the Haitians and Jamaicans have for the sport of football, I expect to have a very good, enthusiastic and energetic crowd on hand so I expect a great event on Friday.” Sealey said the objective is to be able to host a series of matches between champions throughout the region and eventually have the involvement of the Bahamas in the series. Also serving as an ex-

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Nike Elite Youth Basketball Camp returns to New Providence By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net FOR the second consecutive year, the highlight of Nike’s offseason basketball programme for high school players will be featured in the Bahamas. The footwear and apparel giant is hosting some of the best high school seniors and underclassmen in America at the Bahamas edition of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Camp, August 20 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The programme features 12 of the top high school junior and senior players for a brief training camp and exhibition against a select squad from the Bahamas. The event was created last year emerging out of the prospect battle between Nike and rival show company Under Armour.

Both Nike and Under Armour hosted events concurrently, with the Under Armour Elite 24 hosted in Brooklyn, New York, and the new Nike event in the Bahamas. The Bahamas has already established a reputation as a host for some of the top collegiate basketball talent in America with the Battle 4 Atlantis and now looks to do the same at the prep level. The Under-Armour Elite 24 has quickly become one of the premier events during the summer as the bidding war between major shoe companies heats up in an attempt to claim top college prospects. It is televised live on ESPN, but the creation of Nike’s new event has lured away some of its star power. The No.1 recruit in America for the class of 2017, Bahamian forward DeAndre Ayton, competed

NBA LEGEND Gary Payton coached one of the teams in last year’s event. Photo: 10thyearseniors.com in last year’s Under Armour game after spending the season on the UA Association circuit. This season, the Hillcrest Acad-

emy product has competed on the Nike EYBL circuit for Supreme Elite out of California. The Nike EYBL Bahamas edi-

tion, referred to as #TheTrip – was announced approximately a week prior to its scheduled date. Nick Blatchford, Under Armour director of grassroots and college basketball, admitted that the Nike event, forced recruits to choose between spending three days in New York or three days in New York at their event of three days in the Bahamas. “It’s a paid-for vacation,” said Blatchford when the game was announced last year. “That seems to be a pretty fair interpretation. The fact that they’re putting something together, kind of lastminute, tells me they’re trying to play defence.” In 2015, the Nike EYBL Select team, coached by NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, made quick work of the Bahamas’ Select team

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