By DAHALIA SMITH, NG Sports Reporter

Former World Indoor Champion Dominic Demeritte is just one of those athletes who are concerned about their future after their professional sporting careers would have been completed, but Sports Director in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Martin Lundy, is assuring them that they will be taken care of.

Currently, at least 57 active professional athletes and 12 sporting bodies in the disciplines of swimming, track and field, bodybuilding and boxing are currently benefiting from the Ministry of Sports newly revamped 2008/2009 subvention program. However, many of the veterans are wrapping up their careers. At age 30, Demeritte, a professional athlete of nine years and a two-time Olympian, has a few suggestions about how government can assist retired pro athletes with their transition into the workforce.

"I am in a different position than most athletes as I currently have a part-time job in the career which I intend to go into after retirement. However, other full-time professionals, who have not been in the workforce at all since graduating from college, will have a difficult cross over," he said. "Some Olympians will be joining the workforce at the age of 40. They will be competing against 20-years-olds for a job. If I am an employer I would prefer to go with the youth especially in the case whereby their (retired pros) only background and experience is athletics.

"The government should in some way assist Olympians with job placement. I don't expect government to extend severance packages to retired pros even though I consider ambassadorship through international competition as a form of civil service," he added.

Even 2008 Olympic bronze medallist 'Superman' Leevan Sands is concerned about his future.

"I see myself as an ambassador for the country. I have been competing for The Bahamas for a very long time since I was 15, so I feel as if they should have some sort of retirement plan or pension in place for us," he said. "It seems as if everyone else is moving ahead in their careers in terms of qualifying themselves academically. By the time most athletes are done, many of us will be in our late 30's and would have to enter a job at the beginner's salary of $30,000," noted Sands.

According to Lundy, as mandated by the National Sports Policy, the government can provide pro athletes with employment in the sports ministry in the careers of coaching and other aspects of sports development.

Some may think that the Bahamas Olympic Association (BOA) should be able to assist former Olympians with job placement but apparently, that is not always the case.

"We can endorse them through letters of reference and represent them, however when it comes to gaining employment in the workforce their qualifications and background would be considered like every other candidate," said BOA secretary general Romell 'Fish' Knowles.

Demeritte also suggested an alternative to job placements and severance packages.

"The government should make available funds for retiring athletes who serve over 10 years in a sporting profession to further their education. There are some veteran athletes who may have attended college on an athletic scholarship but then they may want to go to grad school. That additional qualification may give them the upper hand over youthful job applicants," he said.