High school sporting events postponed indefinitely

High school sporting events postponed indefinitely
Director of Sports Tim Munnings.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS- All national high school sporting events have been postponed indefinitely due to the global threat of the new coronavirus.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture announced on Thursday that it will be pulling the plug on all high school sporting events as officials brace for the potential spread of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

In an interview with Eyewitness News, Director of Sports Tim Munnings said that the government is erring on the side of caution and being proactive with its approach to the disease (COVID-19).

His comments follow the suspension of the 2020 High School National Track and Field Championships,

The national championships kicked off today and was supposed to run through Saturday at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. However, midway through the day, the Ministry decided to pull the plug on the meet and postpone it.

“It was really a beautiful day on the track. It was just the first day and the stands were filled with people. So, I could have only anticipated how many people would have been in attendance for the final day,” Munnings said. “The Government of The Bahamas met over the last few days, and overnight, they decided it was in the best interest of the athletes and everyone involved to shut down the races.

“Until we can have a better way to control this, it’s difficult to say when any sporting event can happen. Large gatherings seem to be increasing the potential exposure for everyone. Daily we will be assessing the spread of this virus that will impact everyone around the globe.”

Munnings added that the government will accommodate all the Family Island athletes that travelled to the capital for the meet.

“We will house them and feed them and work our best to get them home safe and quickly,” he said.

 

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.