Bahamas News
WRAP UP: CARIFTA 36 Aquatics Championships staged in Curaçao
By Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, April 13, 2023 – The 2023 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships hosted by Curaçao this past Easter break, ended after four days of hot competition between the competing countries; The Bahamas emerged on top, dominating the meet for the fifth consecutive time with 1,113 points and 85 medals.
Making a splash from team Bahamas is Nigel Forbes of Grand Bahama who broke the 15-17 boys 200m butterfly record time of 57:85 with his 54:74. 
With 37 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze the 36-member team lived up to the hype.
“The team has been training together for four weeks and the chemistry was there,” he pointed out. “The swimmers have trained hard and executed the win. I am proud of Team Bahamas.” Coach Travano McPhee told media.
Another stand out for Team Bahamas was Saleste Gibson, from the girls 11-12 100m division. Gibson pulled off seven wins for seven gold medals in the 100m butterfly in 1:09.11; 200m freestyle in 2:20.49; 50m butterfly in 30.02; 400m freestyle in 5:06.29; 50m freestyle in 28.69; 200m individual medley (IM) in 2:43.24 and 100m freestyle in 1:03.23.
Pulling up in second place at the Swimming Championships was the Cayman Islands with 752 points and 53 medals; 25 Gold, 16 Silver and 12 Bronze.
Cayman Jullian Crooks gave an impressive performance in the 50m freestyle sprint finals swimming a record breaking time of 26.08, the fastest time by a female swimmer in the championship’s 36 year history.
Adding to Caymans’ victory is Sierrah Broadbelt, the most decorated female swimmer at this year’s CARIFTA Games amassing eight gold medals.
Also, Caymans James Allison advanced to a new time of 50.99 in the 15-17, from his 53.02 last year that had him in 5th place. He is right behind Shaun Malcolm’s 50.94 set in 2006. He is now the third fastest CARIFTA Championship performer of all time.
Trinidad and Tobago was not far behind, rounding out the top three top teams. T&T earned 534 points -, 54 medals, 22 Gold, 26 Silver and 6 Bronze.
T&T’s Nikoli Blackman hit an A standard in the 100 free, setting a new personal best, beating his former time of 50.42, making a CARIFTA record with the Pan American time of 50.07, which of course gave him gold.
His record time automatically goes under the PAN AM time of 50.10.
Coming in fourth was Jamaica with 502.50 points and 30 medals; 1 Gold, 11 Silver and 18 Bronze, then the Barbados Swim team in 5th place with 474 points and 35 medals, 10 Gold, 10 Silver and 15 Bronze, rounding out the top 5 countries.
Antoine Destang claimed TEN medals under the St Lucia flag; 7 gold and 3 silver, and walked away with three meet records, the male 13-14 high point trophy, and the 13-14 most FINA points trophy; a definite win for his country.
Destang got his first CARIFTA gold in record time clocking 56.52 in the 13-14 100-fly, which is under the PAN AM
Games B standard of 57.52. He is the first swimmer from Eastern Caribbean to set a record time in the boys 100m butterfly.
Right behind Destang claiming Silver and Bronze were Christian Jerome of Haiti with a time of 57.30 and Daren Belfon with 59.88.
The excitement continued as Guyanese, Raekwon Noel made history as the first Guyanese boy to win a medal with the country’s best ever performance.
He won the 400m freestyle clocking 4:03.57, beating his national record of 4:11.04. He now holds the title as the sixth CARIFTA junior of all time.
With another record time is Ellie Shaw of Antigua and Barbuda who swam 1:14.28 in the 13-14 girls 100m breaststroke, making her the new record holder.
Next year, the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships will take competition to the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
