Caribbean Life, January 15-21, 2021 35
CARIFTA Games in peril
By George Alleyne
Dangers posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic have put
the largest Caribbean and
beyond sport event, CARIFTA
Games, in jeopardy with a
possible postponement or
cancellation for the second
year running.
If the Games, tentatively
set for April 03 to 05
in Bermuda, were to happen
it would bring together
27 regional territories but
despite a strong desire to
have the event organizers are
expressing uncertainty over
the date.
In 2020 the governing body
for the Games, North American
and Caribbean Athletics
Association (NACAC), was
forced to cancel the event
which was set for Hamilton,
Bermuda in early April
owing to ravages of COVID-
19. Officials had optimistically
scheduled the sport
for April this year but are
now unsure whether it could
happen though they remain
cautiously optimistic and
thinking of perhaps shifting
the date to later in the year
instead of outright cancellation
as happened last year.
The Nassau Guardian has
quoted NACAC President,
Mike Sands saying, “we are
still moving full steam ahead
but there are several challenges
that we are faced
with.”
“We have to look at the
established protocols regarding
COVID-19 in the host
country. Secondly, we have to
respect the protocols in the
countries of the established
member federations and how
it pertains to travel in and
out of those countries.”
He said that the Association
is conducting a survey
among member countries to
see if that early April 2021
date is practical based on
how the pandemic is affecting
individual territories.
“COVID-19 is still out
there and there … have been
a spike in certain parts of
the region. We’re looking at
several options,” he said, adding,
“cancellation is not an
option at this time. It’s just
a matter of staying with the
current date or switching to
a later date.”
Cancellation of the 2020
Games severely affected the
Bermuda planners financially
as they had already pumped
money in preparation for
hosting and NACAC is anxious
that this year does not
see a repeat.
That termination of the
49th edition of the Games
also affected several athletes
not only because their training
for the event went to
waste but also that competitions
carry age limits of
Under-17 and Under-20.
The Barbados Nation
reported that five of that
island’s athletes were affected
because 2020 was their
last year in the Games as
they had reached the outer
age limit.
Five Bajan athletes will be
hoping that the Games are
run off this year, their last, as
they are on the verge of the
Under-20 limit.
This is the fi nal CARIFTA
Games year for Barbadian
Kansas State University
based quarter-miler, Kyle
Gale. Photo by George Alleyne