Carifta Games shifted to July
Published:Saturday | January 23, 2021 | 12:12 AMRachid Parchment/Assistant Sports Editor
The 2021 Carifta Games has been rescheduled from April 3-5 to July 2-4 in Bermuda.
The North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) President Mike Sands says that the postponement is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Time is running out and the situation is not improving globally,” Sands said in an NACAC release yesterday. “The NACAC family, the Carifta family is affected. We took a decision at council level to do a survey with membership to determine the best course of action. There were several options for a date change, and we ultimately decided on July 2 to 4.”
NACAC General Secretary Keith Joseph wrote to Bermuda National Athletics Association (BNAA) President Donna Raynor informing her of the decision to move the date of the Games, saying that he is mindful of the challenges that country and other member associations and their athletes across the Caribbean face dealing with the pandemic.
Raynor responded positively to the postponement.
“We created a position paper in which we stated that our preference was moving the Games to a later date,” she said. “That first weekend in July is a good weekend for us. It fits in well with our calendar and our school system. School is out in July. It’s the perfect weekend, and the weather will be great in July, not as cold as in April.”
While the BNAA is happy with the decision to postpone the Games, some Jamaican coaches are expected to have a negative reaction to the new date, as it poses a challenge for many athletes preparing to sit Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations around the same time.