Grenada is happy and excited to be hosting the 51st edition of the CARIFTA Games being held at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium, St George’s from Friday (March 29) to Monday (April 1).
The 2024 edition will mark only the third occasion that the region’s premier showcase of junior athletic talent comes to the Isle of Spice, which previously hosted the 45th edition in 2016 and the 29th edition in 2000. The 2005 games were moved to Bacolet, Tobago after the devastating effects of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 rendered Grenada unable to fulfill hosting obligations the following year.
Deputy Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Immediate Past President of the Grenada Athletics Association, Aaron Moses paints a picture of a nation ecstatic about the return of the games to the island.
“Well, we’re certainly quite excited. As you know, athletics is a very popular sport in Grenada, followed by soccer, or what we affectionately know as football. It’s our third time hosting Carifta, we did that in 2000, we were supposed to host in 2005, but we had a hurricane in 2004. It took us a while to rebuild a stadium, and we hosted it in 2016.” Speaking to Guardian Media Sports yesterday at the entrance to Grenada’s Maurice Marshall International Airport, formerly known as Point Salines Airport before the passage of Hurricane Ivan, he said, “On both occasions, it was a pretty successful event, patrons were quite happy, our Caribbean fraternity was very complimentary of the games and so once again we are extremely pleased and happy to be hosting the region.”
When the starter’s pistol sounds on Friday, over 700 athletes from around the region will begin the competition, each seeking glory and a spot on the podium. They will do so in front of what is expected to be a partisan crowd at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
It is officially the best-ever participation at the games in its history from a viewpoint of sheer numbers, which Moses attributes to its return to the southern Caribbean.
Following Grenada’s previous hosting of the event in 2016, the CARIFTA Games have only been held in the southern Caribbean once in four editions, with Willemstad, Curacao chosen for the 2017 games. Nassau, Bahamas won the rights in 2018, Georgetown, Cayman Islands in 2018, and Kingston Jamaica in 2019 before a two-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kingston, Jamaica hosted in 2022.
Moses explained, “On this occasion, it is the largest ever by virtue of the participation of athletes and officials. Generally, when the event is held in this part of the Caribbean, where most of the islands are located, it is cheaper because travel costs and arrangements are a significant factor that have to be considered. When you’re going up north, given the transportation networks, sometimes you have to get visas. It becomes more complicated and more expensive.”
These factors, coupled with the fact this year’s CARIFTA Games form a part of Grenada’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations which was officially commemorated on February 7, adds to the anticipation, says Moses.
We’re looking forward to quite participative games. As you know, our stadium has two main stands on the bleachers about halfway. So we are anticipating a full house. A lot of Grenadians are now scrambling for tickets, they move late. It’s consistent with their sort of mood, as you know Grenada is celebrating 50 years of independence and so the celebratory mood is very high. People are participating. It’s a good year for us, you know so we’re really looking forward to you having an enjoyable Grenadian experience.”
Meanwhile, from a technical standpoint, Moses says the recent re-laying of the track at the Kirani James Stadium offers no threat to Grenada’s ability to host safe, exciting, and successful games.
“The main track was completed about a month ago and since then we have had four national meets, national championships, inter-college games, primary school games, and the garden games. So that has occurred. We’re still in the process of finishing the warm-up track but hopefully, that should be completed in two days. In addition to that, all the equipment is on hand. We’re utilizing the most modern equipment available that you will see at all the international games. So we are prepared. We have done all the training, and all the practice runs, updating all technical officials. On the ground we have both the organization and technical delegates have arrived. All various committees have been working for the last year in all the various areas, hospitality, transportation, protocol, medical, and doping. So they’re all in place and ready to go.