NACAC set to postpone CARIFTA

When pressed for a response, Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) President Drumeco Archer said they see no other alternative than for NACAC to push the athletics meet back. NACAC President Mike Sands said he prefers not to preempt the official announcement today, but he did mention that if CARIFTA is pushed back again, it would be the last resort for the meet in 2021, adding that it would have to be canceled after that, similar to what took place in 2020.

“This is a real discussion that is being had. We have learnt that the CXC exams will be held around the proposed date of July 2-4, so I would imagine that there is no other option,” said Archer. “NACAC has requested member federations to determine whether or not a certain date in August is plausible and we have no objection to that. We see no other alternative. The BAAA agrees to the August date, but this comes under the jurisdiction of NACAC. It’s the NACAC Council that is left with the tough task of identifying an alternative date to ensure that CARIFTA takes place this year.”

With the imminent switch to the new date, it creates a crowded schedule of major athletic competitions for Bahamian athletes, particularly juniors, this summer. The Olympic Games is still on the table, set for July 23 to August 8, in Tokyo, Japan, and CARIFTA track and field is now set to commence less than a week later. The World Athletics Under-20 (U20) Championships is scheduled for August 17-22, in Nairobi, Kenya, and the 2021 Junior Pan American Games is September 9-19, in Cali, Colombia.

The Pan Am U20 Athletics Championships was originally set for July 16-18, in Santiago, Chile, but due to the Junior Pan American Games, the former is up in the air. There has been no word on whether or not the Pan Am U20 Athletics Championships will still take place this year.

“You can only imagine how difficult it must be to organize a complete athletics schedule this summer,” said Archer. “With us, our local environment is faced with our own examinations prior to the proposed date. I want to stress that this is not conclusive as the NACAC Council makes the final determination, but it appears that the CARIFTA family has unanimously approved the change. I do not speak on behalf of NACAC. You can imagine that this will be very strenuous on the athletic program and we request the fullest cooperation from athletic community as much possible in spite of the long and unstable season. Once again, coaches are asked to adjust their training cycles and we expect their full 

cooperation.”

The postponements and cancellations of athletic meets, which stems from 2020, can all be traced to the effects of COVID-19 in the region and around the world. In 2020, for the first time in the history of the event, the CARIFTA Games was canceled. With the COVID-19 pandemic still rampant in year two, this year’s CARIFTA Games was pushed back from the Easter holiday weekend to July 2-4. Now, it is set to be postponed again, which reportedly is the last resort before being canceled altogether for a second year in a row.

“It’s unfortunate, but that is the reality of COVID-19,” said Archer. “We’re concerned about the sustainability of training for junior athletes and also that there will be a number of athletes heading off to university around that same time (August 13-15). This is a measure of logistics for the federation that we were not faced with before. We have to be prepared for junior and senior meets compacted within a short window of each other. It’s a challenge, but it is the reality with what we are faced with, with COVID-19. We will continue to push forward.”

Given the imminent change in schedule for 

CARIFTA, it becomes apparent that some high-profiled athletes in the region will likely have to skip the meet in order to focus, prepare and attend the much more acclaimed World U20 championships. Additionally, both events now come right on the heels of the Olympic Games, and it is likely that some juniors could compete in the Olympics as well. 

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