Alpheus Finlayson (© Getty Images)
World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Alpheus Finlayson, a former World Athletics Council Member and former President of the Bahamian athletics federation, died on Friday (22) at the age of 76.
Born in Nassau in 1947, Finlayson discovered his passion for athletics while at school and became a runner and then an administrator.
He was President of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association from 1989 to 1997 and also held roles including Vice President of the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation, and Vice President of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Area Athletic Association.
The first Bahamian Olympic medal in athletics was won during Finlayson’s presidency of the national federation, when Frank Rutherford claimed triple jump bronze at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
He was also in the role when the nation’s first three World Championships medals were won, in 1995 and 1997.
Finlayson became the first Bahamian elected to the World Athletics Council in 1999 – a position he held until 2003 – and he attended every World Athletics Championships from the inaugural edition in Helsinki in 1983 to the 2017 event in London.
As well as his impact in administration, Finlayson was an athletics writer, historian and broadcaster, publishing his book From Vancouver to Athens: Fifty Years of Bahamian International Track & Field Competition in 2009 and hosting Track World television and radio shows.
Outside of athletics, Finlayson also had a successful career in insurance.