CATHERINE HALL, St James — Next weekend’s 40th LIME CARIFTA Games at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall could be one of the best attended championships in several years after 25 of the 26 eligible countries have confirmed their participation.

Carmen Clarke, a member of the organising committee, told the Observer yesterday that every eligible country with the exception of Belize had confirmed their participation in the event that will be held April 23-25 with two sessions each day.

Clarke said the 70-member Bahamas team was the first team expected to arrive and would be in Montego Bay late Wednesday.

Trinidad and Tobago, who finished second in the medals tables behind Jamaica for the last four years, will arrive just after midnight on Thursday, it was said.

Both the Bahamas and Trinidad, which are the only other countries other than Jamaica to have the maximum 70-member squads, will both travel on chartered airlines, the Observer has learnt.

The Jamaica team is expected to assemble at St Elizabeth Technical on Thursday before travelling to the Games Village at Grand Palladium hotel in Point, Hanover.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s team manager Langley Robinson said Thursday that following a meeting of the management team and the coaches at the offices of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association, the entire squad was said to be in good health.

There were concerns over Kemarley Brown, who failed to finish the Boys Class One 200m at the recent ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys Champs, but it is believed that he has since recovered.

Brown, who represented St Elizabeth Technical, is a former Green Island High runner and had beaten Odail Todd of Green Island in the Under-20 Boys 200m at the CARIFTA Games Trials last month.

Jamaica, who will be seeking to top the medals tables for the 26th straight time, amassed 72 medals last year in the Cayman Islands followed by Trinidad (40) and the Bahamas (29).