Over 150 years ago, British soldiers brought the sport of rugby to Barbados.
And now, Barbados is set to be the envy of the rugby world for the next two days.
The historic Garrison Savannah is certainly the place to be, as it hosts the North America and Caribbean International Sevens tournament for the first time.
And talk about a packed schedule.
Between today and tomorrow, a whopping 86 matches will be crammed into two days of what is expected to be non-stop action. In Rugby Sevens, teams play to blitzing seven-minute halves.
Rugby, as admitted by Barbados Rugby Football Union president George Nicholson, remains a minority sport on the island, but this weekend could change all that. “It should be very exciting. And Barbados should be very excited about it,” Nicholson said at the launch of the tournament.
And the youthful Barbados team will be smack dab in the middle of it.
The two-day event, which features 27 teams from 17 countries, will also be streamed live on the internet thanks to worldwide rugby sponsors DHL. The event, now on the Barbados Tourism Authority’s Sports Tourism calendar, is also expected to draw more than 300 visitors into the country for the two days.
The tournament will have both men’s and women’s competitions, with two pitches being used simultaneously on the large Garrison pitch.
Barbados have been grouped with arch-rivals Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Martinique in men’s action.
The other men’s teams are five-time defending champions Guyana, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Guadeloupe, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Curacao, the USA South, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
In the women’s competition, fierce rivals Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are expected to draw the largest crowds. The other women’s teams are Guadeloupe, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, USA South, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Canadian team the Maple Leafs. (BA)