THIS WEEKEND THE FOCUS will be on our track and field athletes as they compete for glory in the annual CARIFTA Games being held in The Bahamas.
The hope is that they not only capture a number of medals, but that their performances be record-breaking. There is much at stake for both them and the country.
The CARIFTA Games, the brainchild of Barbados’ own track and field administrator Austin Sealy, has long been the premier junior athletic competition in the Caribbean. It is an opportunity for these outstanding juniors to showcase their talent to the top track and field officials and the scouts from United States colleges looking to attract rising stars to their universities.
The CARIFTA Games have in effect become a golden opportunity for our young athletes to utilize their skills to better their tomorrow. This is where Usain Bolt, Kirani James, Obadele Thompson and Keshorn Walcott all got their first major exposure, as did most of the other Caribbean star athletes of recent times. These games give our athletes the chance to showcase their skills, and with good times and distances can make it into the major competitions.
Not only does it give them a chance to make a name and possibly a fortune, it is also their moment to capture the attention of one of the many scouts from the various American universities there looking for talent. Simply stated, it is an opportunity to gain a fully paid college education coupled with numerous opportunities.
Forty-two years after the start of the CARIFTA Games there is justification for them to embrace all countries of the region. They should be expanded to include all the nations from The Bahamas back to Guyana bringing in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Suriname and Venezuela, exposing our competitors to the very best talent long before the Pan Am Games, the World Juniors Games or the Olympics.
Before we lobby for the logical inclusion of other nations to the competition, we must ensure that we are ourselves well prepared for these important games. What we witnessed this year is certainly a disgrace. That our athletes had to go to Trinidad and Tobago to participate in qualifying meets because our National Stadium was out of service at the most critical period, thereby stopping the scouts from seeing what was on offer domestically, was nothing short of a national disgrace.
Our officials who would want to attend the Olympic Games should perhaps ensure they see what happens at the lower level. They should also attend the CARIFTA Games to appreciate what is at stake. These games are not to be taken lightly since we should by now recognize the national pride they can engender.