The president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (COB), Romell Knowles, is very excited about Paris 2024 being the most significant event in the sporting history of the country, which is made up of some 700 islands, cays, and islets in the northern Caribbean in the Atlantic Ocean.

Basketball could go a long way if it qualifies for Paris. With three NBA stars, they eliminated Argentina with a memorable 82-75 victory in Mar del Plata, with Eric Gordon (27 points), DeAndre Ayton and Buddy Hield leading a team that surprised the world.

It won't be easy, but they beat the reigning world champions on their home court. Why not dream of surpassing Spain, the favourites in the qualifying group they will share with the Caribbean team, Angola, Lebanon, Poland and Finland from 2-7 June in Valencia, Spain?

A bachelor of business administration and president of the Bahamas Softball Federation from 2000 to 2009, he understands the importance of economy and order, along with the necessary financial work plan. He recognises that for budgetary purposes, sports federations need to know exactly when and how they will have access to government grants.

From a financial perspective, they are forging strategic alliances with Minister Mario Bowleg, working together to ensure that sport receives adequate funding from both the public and private sectors.

A former athlete and softball and volleyball administrator in the Bahamas before joining the Olympic Committee 16 years ago, he is looking for ways to get the public sector to support and invest in his country's athletes. He wants to see not just when there is sporting success, but in a systematic and orderly way to promote elite sport and also to help address the social issues that plague Bahamian society, including crime and the high homicide rate per 100,000 people. 

Unfortunately, the country has one of the highest intentional homicide rates in the world (29 per 100,000, an appalling rate, 29 times higher than the UK or Spain, almost five times higher than the United States, or 4.5 times higher than the world average, according to the World Bank). 

One of the ideas for financial support is to allocate the proceeds of the National Lottery directly to the country's sports. The aim is to provide adequate support that can empower athletes in the sporting, educational, and cultural spheres. 

In addition to basketball, the Bahamas hope to qualify athletes to compete in traditional sports such as athletics, swimming, boxing, tennis, beach volleyball, and judo.