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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Sports
Nassau, The Bahamas – On a day that could only be described as perfect, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie officially opened the IAAF Relays. The races are being held here on New Providence during the weekend of May 24-25 at the Thomas A. Robinson stadium. He proudly expressed ‘joy’ that The Bahamas plays the role of host nation, and welcomed the delegates to the country. “On behalf of the Government of the people of The Bahamas, it is my great honour, to welcome athletes, coaches, media representatives and sports fans from all around the world to the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2014 in the capital city of Nassau,” said Mr. Christie.
Mr. Christie asked the mostly Bahamian crowd to express, by a sounding of cheers, whether they wish The Bahamas to host the relays again next year. With a resounding round of applause and cheers, the crowd confirmed their support for hosting the event again in 2015. The Bahamas has been slated to be the venue for the 2015 IAAF World relays. Mr. Christie said that the "calibre’ of athletes competing at the relays is among the best in the world. He said that with this high standard of excellence in the country, it offers Bahamian athletes the opportunity to observe first hand the “best of the best” in action.
“This event also provides us the opportunity to showcase the newly constructed Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium and our level one IAAF certified track and field facilities,” he said. “We are confident that our state of the art infrastructure, distinctive hospital and growing reputation as an international sports tourism destination will make the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2014 and enjoyable and memorable event for all concerned.” The IAAF World Relays is an international annual track and field sporting event that facilitates national teams from around the world to compete in relay races. The first two editions take place in Nassau, Bahamas at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in 2014 and 2015. The competition format include the 4 × 100 metres relay, the 4 × 200 metres relay, the 4 × 400 metres relay, the 4 × 800 metres relay and the 4 × 1500 metres relay. The event has a $1.4 million prize fund. The games are being staged at the newly built Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The stadium currently has a capacity of 15,000 people, but has the ability to be expanded to hold 30,000 people. The stadium was built by the government of the People's Republic of China as a gift to the Bahamian people. RELATED: Culture rocks the opening of IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2014 IAAF Bahamas Relays 2014...World records fall! Local artist gives Bahamian touch to IAAF World Relays
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