The CARIFTA Games that are scheduled to be held in August, later than the usual April date for the first time since its inception in 1972, because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, will be safe for all who will be involved, says Dr Adrian Lorde, chairman of medical and anti-doping at North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC).

It was announced last Thursday at a virtual press conference that the three-day championships, that has been rescheduled three times already, will be held in Bermuda, on August 13-15.

The scheduling of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) for June 14-July 16, it was heard, had forced the rescheduling, as according to Mike Sands, president of the NACAC, it would affect a large number of the student/athletes who would be taking part in the region’s pre-eminent junior track and field championships.

Additionally, Donna Raynor, president of the Bermuda Athletics Association and chairperson of the local organising committee (LOC), told the press conference she had been in touch with the Government and everything was being done to ensure the safety of the athletes and the officials, including daily testing.

“I am confident that the medical arrangements that have been put in place in view of COVID-19, the various restrictions that have been put in place, the various protocols that have been put in place, will lead to a safe CARIFTA 2021,” Dr Lorde said. “This is a fluid situation that we obviously need to be aware of and therefore from time to time situations will change by the time the Games start and adjustments will have to be made.”

He said they had been monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Bermuda as well as in all of the Caribbean countries and said while they would not be able to forecast what the situation will be in August, “rest assured that when, I am not saying if, the CARIFTA Games are held it will be a safe Games for safe athletes in a safe place and that is what is the aim of the NACAC medical and anti-doping committee as well as the LOC will ensure.”

Raynor said provisions are in place for athletes and officials to be tested on a daily basis, using the saliva test and they are still to work out if the tests will be done the night before the competition or the morning. “The athlete must return a negative test if they are to compete,” he said, before adding that they were still watching the situation as it related to spectators being allowed into the venue.

“At this point in time, if we were to have CARIFTA today, no spectators would be allowed,” she said, going on to explain that the Government was requesting but not making vaccines mandatory. “So if someone were to come to Bermuda and was vaccinated, they would have a better chance to attend,” she said, adding it had not been agreed on.

She also said the Bermuda Government was asking that teams arrive no later than three days before the competition date, also for testing to start.

Sands said, “CARIFTA was very important to the development of our sport and failure and cancellation is not an option and whatever it takes to make this happen we are going to make this happen.”

He added: “You hear me use the phrase ‘cautious optimism’, that means that right now we are in March and we are hoping that come August the world will be a much better place as we are seeing the roll-out of the vaccine and in seven months we hope things will be better so the situation is fluid.”

Michael Serralta, the competition director who is based in Puerto Rico, said he had some concerns, especially when it had to do with youngsters. “My worry is not be at the competition’s areas, my worry is the accommodation centres where they (the athletes) will be at,” he said. “When dealing with young kids we need to educate them, young kids do not have the same discipline as elite athletes or senior athletes have and we want to avoid any type of situation where one kid, a party or one group of kids might come up positive due to just, not being ignorant, just doing something they shouldn’t do even without recognising it.”

All was not lost, however. “We have more than enough time to educate all these kids as far as how they should behave, how to conduct themselves, to follow the rules that are established by Bermuda for these Games,” he said. “You need to prepare for the worst case scenario; the ideal situation is okay, that’s a piece of cake.”