Sands urges CARICOM to put sport at the heart of regional development
Key Points(5)
- North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) President Mike Sands wants Caribbean governments to stop treating sport as a peripheral issue and give it a permanent place in the region’s policy-making machinery.
- Sands has called on CARICOM to establish a high-level sports commission or dedicated subcommittee that would bring political leaders into more consistent dialogue with the sporting community.
- His proposal is simple but potentially far-reaching: sport should have its own seat at the regional table.
- Speaking on Saturday’s TalkSports programme, Sands argued that CARICOM’s engagement with sport must extend beyond its traditional emphasis on cricket and encompass the wider sporting landscape.
- “Maybe it’s time for CARICOM to select one of those leaders to be the chair of a sports commission, if they don’t already have one.
North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) President Mike Sands wants Caribbean governments to stop treating sport as a peripheral issue and give it a permanent place in the region’s policy-making machinery.
Sands has called on CARICOM to establish a high-level sports commission or dedicated subcommittee that would bring political leaders into more consistent dialogue with the sporting community.
His proposal is simple but potentially far-reaching: sport should have its own seat at the regional table.
Speaking on Saturday’s TalkSports programme, Sands argued that CARICOM’s engagement with sport must extend beyond its traditional emphasis on cricket and encompass the wider sporting landscape.
“Maybe it’s time for CARICOM to select one of those leaders to be the chair of a sports commission, if they don’t already have one.
“There should be a subcommittee probably for sports. That’s the point I make, not just cricket, sport,” Sands maintained.
CARIFTA 2027 provides the opening
Sands believes the timing is right, particularly with Guyana preparing to host the 2027 CARIFTA Games.
The upcoming championships, he suggested, offer an opportunity to build on recent conversations between CARICOM and regional athletics and create a more structured relationship between political leadership and sport.
Rather than waiting for major competitions to bring the two sides together, Sands wants regular engagement throughout the year.
“If we really want to sensitise our heads to the importance of sport, I think they need to be gathered in one place on a more regular basis,” Sands said.
For Sands, the argument goes well beyond medals, records and championship results.
He sees sport as a vehicle for nation-building, one capable of contributing to youth development, community cohesion, economic activity and the broader development ambitions of Caribbean states.
Politics should not derail nation-building
Sands also made a distinction between changing political administrations and maintaining long-term national priorities.
“…Politics change the individual, but it should not change some principal things about nation-building.”
That philosophy, he suggested, should underpin any regional sports mechanism established by CARICOM.
A dedicated commission or subcommittee could provide continuity even as governments and political leaders change, ensuring that sport remains part of the region’s long-term development conversation rather than becoming a priority only when a major event arrives.
The proposed structure could also give sporting administrators a more direct channel to governments across the Caribbean.
Beyond CARICOM’s borders
Sands stressed that such an initiative should not create divisions within the broader CARIFTA community.
The Caribbean sporting family, he argued, is wider than CARICOM itself and any regional framework must recognize that reality.
He pointed to the relationship between CARIFTA and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), noting that although not every CARIFTA member belongs to the OECS, OECS countries are part of the CARIFTA structure.
That interconnectedness, Sands suggested, reinforces the need for an approach that reaches beyond political groupings and recognizes the sporting region as a whole.
Building a permanent sporting dialogue
At its core, Sands’ proposal is about changing the frequency and quality of the conversation.
Instead of governments and sporting organizations engaging primarily around individual championships, he wants a sustained regional dialogue about what sport can deliver and how governments can help maximize that potential.
A permanent or high-level sports body within CARICOM could provide a forum for those discussions, bringing political decision-makers and sports leaders together to examine development, infrastructure, youth programs and the wider contribution of sport to Caribbean societies.
The goal would not be to elevate athletics above other disciplines, but to create a structure that recognizes the full breadth of Caribbean sport.
A bigger vision for Caribbean sport
With Guyana preparing for CARIFTA 2027, Sands sees an immediate opportunity to turn discussion into action.
His appeal is ultimately for Caribbean governments to view sport not simply as entertainment or competition, but as an instrument of national and regional development.
A stronger relationship between CARICOM and the wider sporting community, he believes, could produce more consistent policy, greater cooperation and a clearer understanding of sport’s role in building Caribbean societies.
The message from the NACAC president is therefore unmistakable:
CARICOM’s sporting conversation should be bigger, broader and more regular.
And it should be about all sport , not just cricket.
