KINGSTON, JAMAICA — The recently concluded GAPS (Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain) Camp, held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus, has been hailed as a groundbreaking milestone in the advancement of para sport across the Caribbean.
In only its second staging in Jamaica, the camp has already earned recognition from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the regional hub for para sport development.
Over five immersive days, the camp created an environment of empowerment, education, and elite training for para-athletes and coaches from six Caribbean nations: Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Grenada, and Dominica.
Empowering through expertise: A regional training catalyst
A powerful collaboration among the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA), Jamaica Commonwealth Association (JCA), Commonwealth Sport (CS), and UWI, the GAPS Camp delivered high-level technical track and field sessions tailored to the needs of para-athletes. These were combined with coaching strategies, skill refinement, and deeply relevant conversations around the broader societal challenges faced by persons with disabilities in sport.
The programme was facilitated by Ryan Brathwaite of Commonwealth Sport, who praised its reach and resonance:
“The programme was a resounding success, bringing together para-athletes and coaches from six countries across the region for an intensive week of practical training and development.”
A training ground for excellence, a platform for change
For JPA President Christopher Samuda, the camp symbolized more than technical mastery—it embodied purpose and transformation.
“This unique and amazing Caribbean activation of sport training and education not only engages the mind and body but does so in the context of Paralympic principles, without which the value and integrity of knowledge and success would be lost and their currency compromised.”
Indeed, the GAPS initiative aims to be more than a camp—it aspires to be a movement.
Vision for the future: From Jamaica to the Commonwealth
Buoyed by the success of this edition, plans are already in motion to expand the GAPS initiative across all Commonwealth territories in the region, further solidifying its role as a cornerstone of para sport development.
Samuda further emphasized the transformative power of the programme:
“The GAPS Camp is a Caribbean oasis of education in sport. It’s all about renewing the mind, innovating thought, building expertise, creating a knowledge-based infrastructure, and capitalizing partnerships.”
A space of belonging, a celebration of courage
Brathwaite, whose leadership remains instrumental in Jamaica’s rollout of the programme, reflected on its deeper impact:
“It offered a transformative space to foster belonging, inclusion, and cultural exchange—and to hear inspirational stories from leading para-athletes which ignited a renewed regional commitment to building a more inclusive sporting landscape for all.”
As the GAPS Camp continues to grow, it carries with it the hopes of a more inclusive, empowered, and united sporting future—where every athlete, regardless of ability, is given the opportunity to rise.
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