The CARIFTA Games will be returning to Trinidad and Tobago next month, and the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) has assured that preparations for the highly anticipated event are just about complete.
The Games will take place from April 19th to 21st at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain and the National Aquatic Centre in Couva.
Speaking on the Delving Deeper Programme on Sunday, Head of Partnership and Alliances at SporTT, Kairon Serrette, shared some insight on the preparedness of T&T’s athletes.
“This is the first time in 40 years that the two sports will be held in Trinidad and Tobago, and the first time in 20 years since we’ve had the last athletic competition. So it’s quite exciting. In terms of readiness, I would like to say that the squads have been doing a very good job in terms of getting together their athletes. So the aquatics would have recently had their trials.”
With the Hasely Crawford Stadium and the National Aquatic Centre being the main venues for the Games, Mr. Serrette also provided an update on the readiness of these facilities.
“We are about 60% complete. The materials are here, so they’re going to start actually installing the track. But from all intents and purposes, you know, talking to the contractors and so on, everything is on time and on stream for completion for the Games. At the Aquatic Centre, it’s minimal work, some minor cosmetic stuff that has to happen, some little bits of equipment, but we held the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023, so it’s more or less a finished facility.”
Head of SporTT’s Community Sports Unit, Lyndell Hoyte-Sanchez, said the CARIFTA Games are not just about competition but also aim to inspire the next generation of athletes, emphasising the importance of community support and development programmes.
“Under the Sport In Schools Programme, we do have 30 athletic assistants, and they go to over 130 Primary and Secondary Schools to deliver the fundamental skill, which is the basic fundamentals of running, throwing, and jumping and once we have those skills developed, those individuals can now transition into any sporting discipline.”
Mr. Serrette, meanwhile, highlighted the significance of this event for the youth and CARICOM.
“Helping them to understand that what this means in terms of an opportunity for the youth, the best of the youth in those different sports, to come and showcase their ways, to represent their country, which for them is going to be their Olympics for a lot of them.”