The Bahamas Judo Federation (BJF) is putting its support behind building sport-specific academies – an idea which has been floating around the country for the past few weeks since Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard said the government would revisit the possibility of opening a few around the country in the very near future.
BJF already runs its own version of a national sporting academy.
As it stands, more than 10 BJF athletes currently live and train at BJF facilities, and according to federation president D’Arcy Rahming Sr., he’s seen a great improvement in the athletes that are a part of the live-in program.
“Well what is happening is that we eliminate all of the distraction by them staying at our facilities,” Rahming said.
“You can’t be late when you are living at the facility, and it’s inevitable that you’re going to get better, if you’re training in the morning and in the evening. We ensure they are getting to bed on time, getting the proper nutrition and also following through with their commitments at school.
“I am certain this idea works, for the fact that our kids had only been training for months and we were able to beat countries like England and Trinidad and Tobago and other countries that had Olympians in the sport.
“Bahamians are naturally athletic, so when we focus our talents, we can beat anyone. This method can be also passed along any discipline and you can expect a similar result.”
The Bahamas won the inaugural edition of the Caribbean Free Trade Agreement (CARIFTA) Judo Championships last year and won several matches at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.
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