Jamaica to Host 2011 Carifta Games

February 3, 2011

After months of uncertainty and fears the games would be cancelled, officials today [Feb 3] confirmed that Jamaica will host this year’s Carifta Games, which will be held from April 23-25.

The annual track and field championships, which attracts the region’s top junior athletes, was in danger of being cancelled for the first time in its 39-year history, after original hosts St Kitts backed away from its original bid to host the meet.

Bermuda Track and Field President Donna Watson said earlier today: “I can now breathe a sigh of relief and move forward with our preparations for Carifta 2011,” and provided the official announcement below from the NACAC office and President Teddy McCook.

Dear Carifta Members

The 2011 edition, the 40th Jr. Carifta Games, will take place in Jamaica from April 23-25. This has been made possible through the cooperation and approval of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association, despite earlier concerns of the event’s proximity to the very popular Jamaica International Invitational event.

On behalf of the NACAC board I wish to, first, thank all the Federations within and outside our competition area for their interest in making the effort to host the Games. It is our sincere hope that we will put all the uncertainty behind us and work with our sponsors to ensure that Carifta 2011, the fortieth, will be an outstanding success.

The Carifta Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association. Carifta has seen many world class champions come through the competition including Usain Bolt of Jamaica, Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, Obadele Thompson of Barbados, Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas and many more.

Bermuda will host the 2012 Games, after last hosting the event in 2004, which saw the start of the rise of now record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica who became the first junior athlete to break 20 seconds in the 200 metres, with his winning time of 19.93 set in Bermuda. Bermuda previously hosted the event on two separate occasions; 1980 and 1975.

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