59th FIFA Congress Concludes Successfully In Bahamas

The 59th FIFA Congress concluded on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 on a high, with all of the delegates and staff of FIFA ending the affair at the Royal Deck of the Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island . The music of Visage resonated in the evening air and drew many of the delegates to “shaking a leg” after a series of meetings of Confederations and the FIFA Congress. The Opening Ceremony on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 was highlighted by addresses from the FIFA President Joseph Blatter, BFA President Anton Sealey and the Bahamian Prime Minister the Right Honorable Hubert Ingraham. The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band gave a stunning rendition of the FIFA anthem which saw 208 young children from the Bahamas display soccer balls with the participating countries flags on them. The entertainment for the evening featured a variety of performances from renowned Broadway shows such as Hair, Caberet, Dreamgirls, Chicago and others, and ended with a rousing performance by the Valley Boys Junkanoo group which got many of the delegates to their feet dancing. An elaborate dinner followed this event and saw more Bahamian culture and performances on display. Veteran singer Pat Rolle set the mood with a variety of songs made famous by the late Nat King Cole and others, and was followed by the National Youth Choir. Many of the delegates did find time to visit other places, and many could be seen downtown Bay Street shopping, easily identified by the colorful Congress badges.

The event was resounding success and all of the comments heard from the delegates afterwards were positive and complementary. FIFA President Joseph Blatter, in a final brief meeting with BFA President Anton Sealey and General Secretary Lionel Haven thanked them for the collaboration with FIFA on the event, and remarked that this Congress in the Bahamas was one of the most successful congresses in recent memory. This comment said a lot for the work put into making the event a success and was a complement to the many agencies and government ministries that supported the BFA and the Atlantis in the hosting of this event. In his remarks to the delegate, Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham remarked that a Bahamian saying, "once is not enough" was one he would like to share with the delegtates, and expressed his wish that the hospitality shown to them would encourage many to return to our shores.

Nassau For further information, please contact Lionel Haven at lehaven@bahamas.net.bs