Three of the top athletics administrators in the world are optimistic about the sport in the region, following the conclusion of the 49th Carifta Games in Kingston last week.
Mike Fennel, who chaired Carifta’s local organizing committee and was president of the National Olympic Committee of Jamaica, said he is “pretty optimistic” because of the groundwork that has been done.
“I’ve been working in more involved multi-sports games. Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Pan American, and Central American Games. Athletics is the one sport that every country takes part in. We have seen where a number of the small countries are emerging. This makes the CARIFTA Games even more significant,” he said.
The former president of The Commonwealth Games Federation also referenced Jamaica’s recent Boys and Girls Championship to support his optimism. He said he was not expecting the results he witnessed from “Champs,” especially coming out of the pandemic.
Carifta“After two years, I felt that we may have seen some nice competition [at champs] but nothing very rosy. What we saw was fantastic. We had high-level performances, records being broken, and people surpassing their best.” He said that even though the usual top schools dominated the annual high school championship, it was good to see performances from all the schools.
“We had new schools winning medals, new schools breaking records. It shows the depth of preparation at the lower level by our coaches and our leaders. And that to my mind is a great strength to have in the region.”
World Athletics President Comments on the 49th Carifta Games
Lord Sebastian Coe, who heads World Athletics, feels that the other regions must start training “bloody hard” to keep pace. “The real truth of what I witnessed in the last few days and for the last 20 years, is the ingrained nature of athletics in the schools. This is something that this region leads the world on. The other regions, he said, have a lot to learn about how athletics is ingrained in the lives of youngsters.”
Regarding this year’s Carifta, the Olympic gold medalist and former record holder said: “I think it was of the highest quality. I’ve been to every Carifta since 2015, and this ranks amongst the best. There were lots of performances that stood out for me. Clearly, the young girl Adaejah Hodge from the British Virgin Islands that won so many individual titles, the record-breaking Jamaican girls 4×100 team which shows that there is still scope to improve on that time when you look at the changeover, and Strachan of the Bahamas with his record throw in the javelin are just a few.”
President of NACAC Weighs In
Michael Sands, president of the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), said the “future of the region is in good hands.” As head of NACAC, which has responsibility for the Carifta Games, Sands was full of praise for the local organizing committee.
“My kudos to the organizations and the people of Jamaica for doing a stellar job despite the difficult period. It is very exciting. We have waited two years, and we are not disappointed at all. Performances have exceeded expectations. NACAC is extremely grateful,” he told CNW.
Sands said the Carifta games is the bedrock of athletics in the region. “Every young child in the Caribbean involved in athletics aspires to make their country’s Carifta team. We see here the best that each country has to offer.”
He also gave credit to the coaches. “We cannot forget the coaches because they are the ones behind the scenes, working on getting athletes in the best shape possible to produce stellar performances.”
The former Bahamian 100m and 400m record holder also shared his optimism for athletics in the region. “I am extremely optimistic. I am excited,” he said. “When you look at the performances of the Jamaica quartet that broke the world record, Hodge from The British Virgin Islands, The Bahamian javelin thrower who also broke the record, and the other top performers, one has to feel good about the future.”
Photo/Patrick Green
He pointed out that many of the smaller islands are medaling, which “speaks volumes about our overall athletics program.” He noted this will only get better as these younger athletes become more exposed and mature with training and guidance from their coaches.
“I am looking forward to the next few years with excitement as these athletes approach their twenties. Carifta always unveils diamonds in the rough. In this case, we have several stars that are born,” Sands told CNW.
Regarding the operation of NACAC, the president said: “There is much more that NACAC is doing to help shape the athletics environment. We are doing development programs, athletes and gender leadership commissions, and constitutional reform. We have a pathway to address life after athletics and a weekly newsletter that informs our stakeholders on matters important to them and the organization. We are doing several things to enhance athletics in the region.”
During the Carifta Games, NACAC, with the help of World Athletics, hosted a very informative communications seminar for member countries. This Sands pointed out was one example of how the organization is going beyond the athletes to strengthen the management and operation of athletics in the region.
The Bahamas will host the next Carifta Games in 2023.
