News
Official Complaint filed by Bahamas, citing TCI Nat’l Swim Coach is ‘out of order’
By Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicos, April 21, 2022 – The Turks and Caicos Sports Commission, the overarching sporting body for the islands has said it is “verifying” what led to the fall out involving CARIFTA qualifying swimmer, Lenin Hamilton Jr, the Turks and Caicos Swimming Federation and the Swim Federation of The Bahamas.
Needless to say, Lenin Hamilton Jr or LJ was devastated by the development, which barred him from competitive participation in the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships. He had been training years for his debut at CARIFTA; it was twice delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and this time a complaint filed by the TCI Swimming Federation postponed his opportunity by another year; he learned of the ruling on his 13th birthday.
“There has been much speculation surrounding this incident, some of which the TCI Sports Commission is in the process of verifying. We are awaiting a comprehensive report from the Turks and Caicos Islands Swimming Federation on the matter,” informed a statement issued on Wednesday.
A deeply concerning debacle developed over the Easter Holiday weekend during the 35th CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, which were staged in Bridgetown, Barbados.
“The series of events that led to Lenin Jr.’s inability to swim in the CARIFTA Swimming Championships 2022 is unfortunate. While National Team selection and coordination is the remit of the National Federations and not the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG), the TCIG champions a fair playing field for all participants in sports and values strong positive working relationships with neighbouring countries, such as the Bahamas.”
Lenin Hamilton Jr, who is a member of the TCI Aquatics Swim Club, is both a Bahamian and Turks and Caicos Islands citizen.
The fiasco seems to stem from a badly worded offer letter to the athletes. Our newsroom obtained a copy which reveals a discriminatory condition.
“I did not accept the offer, because I did not like the wording in the letter for CARIFTA. It wasn’t worded like the letter for CCCAN was worded. This one felt like it had more restrictions,” explained Lenin Hamilton Sr, coach of TCI Aquatics Swim Club.
Hamilton said he felt it was not necessary or best for his swimmer to practice with Coach Hall and considered the stipulation as just another way to block TCI Aquatics from national representation.
An excerpt from the TCI Swimming Federation’s offer letter, which was issued on March 3, 2022 advised: “As you probably well know, the CARIFTA swimming championships is a high-level international swim meet that will require certain expectations. These include dedication to training in the upcoming weeks, including some practice sessions with the National Team headed by National Coach Mr. Ezekiel Hall. Swimmers and parents will also be required to abide by a code of conduct during the training prior to CARIFTA and at CARIFTA, both on and off the pool deck. Failure to show up on time for the practices or not be fully dedicated to training or any breach of the code of conduct could be grounds for removal from the National Team.”
Lenin Jr, at the time was training in The Bahamas, and according to his father and coach would not be able to make the practices; additionally, the stipulation when reviewed by many in the TCI sporting community was described as “disenfranchising” to an athlete.
“I just put my son in a better position to train for this event,” said the Coach about Lenin Jr’s move to The Bahamas ahead of the swim championships.
Turks and Caicos Islands has no Olympic qualifying facility; its swimmers usually earn qualifying times in meets abroad, particularly in The Bahamas.
The clause in the offer letter was also viewed by the discerning as yet another attempt by the TCI National Swim Coach, Ezekiel Hall to exclude TCI Aquatics from participation. Hall, who heads Provo Aquatics Swim Club has been repeatedly accused of biased and questionable execution of his duties as both the head coach and member of the executive board of the TCI Swim Fed.
Bahamian media in reporting on remarks by its Bahamas Aquatics president – Algernon Cargill – said the decision to disqualify the boy was as a result of a complaint filed by the Turks and Caicos Swimming Federation. The decision, once it was publicized, unleashed a firestorm of criticisms and comments expressing shock at the move.
It has also created “bad blood” between the countries which have also been published in Bahamian media.
“We in the Bahamas Aquatics Federation are extremely disappointed with the camaraderie displayed by the Turks and Caicos. We have been extremely generous and benevolent in not only assisting Turks and Caicos to develop their federation but inviting them for years to compete in The Bahamas,” Cargill in a Tribune newspaper article added, “We feel the situation could have been resolved between the countries because the IOC has rules that allows for countries to resolve disputes like this.”
The main reason Hamilton Jr was not cleared to swim and represent Team Bahamas in the 2022 CARIFTA Swim meet was because ten months earlier, in June 2021 he represented Turks and Caicos at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation, CCCAN meet, which was held in Puerto Rico.
“The information provided to us explained that Lenin Hamilton Jr., who represented the TCI at CCCAN less than twelve months ago, had made an application to represent The Bahamas at the CARIFTA Swimming Championship hosted this past weekend in Barbados.
Communication was had between the Turks and Caicos Islands Swimming Federation and the Bahamas Aquatics Federation on the matter. With no resolve between each country’s federations, the Barbados Aquatics Sports Association was notified, which subsequently made a ruling that the FINA rule GR 2.5 and 2.6 was violated and withdrew Lenin Hamilton Jr. from the competition,” said the Sports Commission statement.
There was a similar statement to Magnetic Media by the Swimming Federation’s president Dan Redmond, “We were unaware that LJ was planning to represent the Bahamas at CARIFTA until we saw the CARIFTA list of swimmers entered with times (called ‘psyche sheets’).
The rules about ‘sporting nationality’ are very clear and are included in the event summons (see attached document CARIFTA Summons 2022).
Lenin ‘LJ’ Hamilton, represented the Turks and Caicos Islands at CCCAN in June 2021. This makes him ineligible to represent another nation for a period of twelve months, (reference FINA GR 2.5 & 2.6).
This is a problem for the CARIFTA organisers and they’ve simply applied the rules that everyone has signed up to,” shared Redmond.
However, some of what is stated here is not what Dan Redmond reported to Magnetic Media on March 21st, when we contacted him about the absence of LJ Hamilton from the team roster.
Our news organization was told, Coach Hamilton declined the offer due to the requirement to have LJ attend practices in the TCI and would be swimming instead with The Bahamas, where he was training.
Redmond went on to inform that this decision by his coach did not mean LJ would not be able to compete for TCI again. The comment was in response to our question about why the promising young swimmer was not more assertively pursued; why Turks and Caicos was contented to lose such a valuable athlete?
And contented they were. No objections came about Lenin Jr not appearing at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships for The Bahamas and no objections came to yet another slight, when his father – a distinguished coach – was not added to the coaching staff for the team.
The demonstration of care and concern which would be expected for a Youth program and National Coaching team was heartbreakingly absent.
The Bahamas swim president said it was not the first time Coach Ezekiel Hall has shown bad form and double standards.
“Turks and Caicos did the exact same thing in 2018 at CARIFTA. What I have done is file an official complaint with the Turks and Caicos Olympic Association that has clearly outlined that their coach is out of order. In 2018, his own daughter who swam in The Bahamas’ FINA (international swimming Federation) sanctioned meet as a Bahamian athlete, when two weeks later and swam for Turks and Caicos at the CARIFTA games and subsequently went on to the worlds,” explained Cargill in that newspaper article.
Support for Lenin Hamilton Jr, has been massive and reportedly included Mario Bowleg, Minister of Sports for The Bahamas and Prime Minister, Philip Davis who Algernon Cargill said reached out to the national coach.
LJ swam the 50m backstroke in 33.22; the 50m butterfly in 30.42 and the 100m free in 1:00:27; top times, according to The Bahamas who also said the country is looking forward to LJs ability to swim for The Bahamas in future.
GLOBAL — Laws promising equality for women and girls exist in many countries around the world, yet millions still struggle to access justice when their rights are violated.
That stark reality is highlighted in a United Nations report titled “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women
and Girls,” released ahead of International Women’s Day and the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which begins March 9 in New York.
The report points to what experts call an “implementation gap” — the disconnect between laws that guarantee equality and the real-world ability of women and girls to enforce those rights.
While legal frameworks promoting gender equality have expanded globally, the report warns that many women continue to face significant barriers when seeking justice.
Among the most common obstacles are high legal costs, long distances to courts and services, language barriers, and low levels of legal literacy. Many women also face what researchers describe as “time poverty,” balancing work and caregiving responsibilities that make pursuing legal action difficult.
Bias and stigma within justice systems themselves can also discourage women from reporting abuse or seeking legal remedies.
The report notes that girls often face distinct and overlooked barriers. In many cases, justice systems lack child-centred procedures, making it difficult for girls to safely report harm or access legal protection. Issues such as child marriage and early pregnancy can further complicate their ability to assert their rights, particularly when they remain legally dependent on family members who may also be the source of harm.
Older women also face unique challenges, often shaped by lifelong patterns of discrimination and economic disadvantage.
Gendered ageism can undermine their credibility, with complaints involving violence, neglect, health rights, pensions or property disputes sometimes dismissed or ignored.
The United Nations report also highlights structural weaknesses within justice systems, including limited budgets, shortages of trained personnel and poor coordination between institutions responsible for delivering justice services.
Another factor contributing to the enforcement gap is the continued male dominance within justice sector leadership, which researchers say can discourage women from engaging with institutions meant to protect them.
The findings come as the United Nations marks International Women’s Day under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” a call for governments to move beyond commitments on paper and ensure that laws protecting women are fully enforced.
Global leaders say closing the gap between legislation and real-world outcomes remains one of the most urgent challenges in achieving gender equality and ensuring that women and girls everywhere can live safe, healthy and purposeful lives.
Developed by Deandrea Hamilton • with ChatGPT (AI) • edited by Magnetic Media.
CARIBBEAN — Jamaica has become the 13th CARICOM member state to accede to the African Export-Import Bank Establishment Agreement, further strengthening economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
The development was confirmed during the 50th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, where an Afreximbank delegation led by George Elombi and Kanayo Awani met with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness to advance cooperation.
Prime Minister Holness thanked the bank for its support following Jamaica’s recent hurricane, noting that Afreximbank financing helped restore critical infrastructure including water, electricity, sewage systems and roads, while also assisting reconstruction efforts aimed
at building stronger resilience to future disasters.
The meeting also focused on broader development opportunities tied to Jamaica’s membership in the agreement. Discussions included rebuilding and modernising infrastructure such as railways, hospitals and other public facilities, while strengthening regional transportation and trade networks to improve the movement of people and goods across the Caribbean.
Afreximbank has been expanding its presence in the Caribbean as part of its strategy to connect Africa with the region often referred to as “Global Africa.” The bank has already committed billions of dollars in financing and trade support to Caribbean economies in recent years, including funding for infrastructure, trade facilitation and private sector investment.
By joining the agreement, Jamaica gains expanded access to Afreximbank’s financial instruments, technical support and trade networks designed to promote commerce between Africa and CARICOM states.
Regional leaders say the growing partnership could unlock new opportunities in areas such as trade, logistics, tourism, manufacturing and cultural exchange, strengthening economic cooperation between the two regions with deep historical and diaspora ties.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — A major new chapter in Caribbean tourism has begun in the Turks and Caicos Islands with the opening of Treasure Beach Village at Beaches Turks and Caicos, a $150 million expansion expected to drive increased bookings, air arrivals and tourism earnings for the country.
The new oceanfront development, officially opened on February 28, adds 101 luxury multi-bedroom suites to the resort and
introduces new dining, entertainment and family experiences designed to strengthen the destination’s position in the global luxury family vacation market.
Tourism officials and resort executives say the expansion is expected to generate greater demand for the destination, which in turn translates to more flights, more visitor spending and increased government revenue from hotel and tourism taxes.
The development is part of an ongoing investment strategy by Sandals Resorts International, which continues to expand the Beaches brand across the Caribbean.
Executive Chairman Adam Stewart described the opening as a powerful signal of confidence in the Turks and Caicos tourism product.
“This moment reflects a partnership between Sandals and the Turks and Caicos Islands that has been built over decades,” Stewart said during the opening celebrations. The new village, he added, builds on the brand’s reputation for creating multi-generational travel experiences where families reconnect and spend meaningful time together.
The resort expansion reinforces Beaches’ reputation as the world’s leading luxury all-inclusive resort brand for families, and Beaches Turks and Caicos continues to stand as one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious properties.
Government officials attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Tourism Minister Zhavargo Jolly, said the investment strengthens
the destination’s international standing and highlights continued confidence in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier tourism market.
The new village significantly expands the resort’s accommodation offerings with spacious ocean-view suites and high-end villas designed to host larger families and groups. The property now includes luxury options such as the CrystalSky four-bedroom beachfront villas and a multi-level Chairman’s Penthouse suite capable of accommodating up to ten guests.
Treasure Beach Village also introduces six new dining concepts, including the Pinta Food Hall with multiple global cuisine stations and Butch’s Island Chop House, a signature steakhouse previously exclusive to the Sandals brand.
Additional amenities include a 15,000-square-foot lagoon pool, waterslides and splash zones for children, a swim-up bar, and the brand’s first Starfish Cinema, a theatre designed for family movie nights.
Guests staying in the new village will also have access to the full Beaches Turks and Caicos experience, including 28 restaurants, the 45,000-square-foot Pirates Island Water Park, unlimited water sports and supervised children’s programmes.
Industry observers say the investment not only enhances the visitor experience but also strengthens Turks and Caicos’ reputation as one of the Caribbean’s most sought-after luxury destinations.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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