ALMOST 100 Olympians from the Caribbean islands where Sandals Resorts International operates have been gifted complimentary vacation stays by the company’s Executive Chairman Adam Stewart in recognition of their valiant efforts at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Olympians who medalled in the just-concluded staging of the games will each receive one complimentary, no limit on nights stay in the highest room category at any Sandals or Beaches resort across the region, complete with luxury BMW transfers from their home, if applicable, to the resort of choice,” the award-winning, all-inclusive luxury resort group said in a news release yesterday.

“In addition, all athletes who represented their country in the Olympics in any event will receive luxury-included four-night vacations at a Sandals Resort in their home island. The contingent from St Vincent will enjoy their vacation at a resort in St Lucia, since the highly anticipated Beaches St Vincent is not yet open,” Sandals added.

Stewart, who is also executive chairman of the Jamaica Observer, first took to social media to reward Jamaica’s gold medal-winning trio of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, for their clean sweep of the women’s 100m finals, declaring, “The world’s best deserve the world’s best vacations!”

He later extended similar complimentary, no-limit stays to all subsequent medal winners from Jamaica, The Bahamas and Grenada, and is now further extending the offer to all Tokyo Olympics athletes from Jamaica, Grenada, The Bahamas, Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Antigua.

Commenting on the teams’ exceptional accomplishments to make it to the Olympics and to stand on the podium, Stewart said, “It takes a great amount of sacrifice, hard work, dedication and consistency to even make it to the Olympics. Our Caribbean athletes have shown admirable grit, tenacity, and a fighting spirit, and as a Caribbean brand entirely committed to the development of the region and showcasing our regional talent, we are beyond proud of every single athlete who went out there to represent their country.”

He added: “I’ve been saying it throughout the Games and I will continue to say it, ‘The world’s best deserve the world’s best,’ and we cannot wait to roll out our red carpet for all our Olympians when their schedules allow.”

The athletes are set to receive complimentary stays for outstanding performances and fortitude in an Olympics that has faced delays and uncertainties due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“These Games and the performances our athletes have delivered have been just what we need to lift our collective spirits,” Stewart said. “We can never thank our athletes enough for everything they do for their countries and we cannot express enough what it means to all of us, but we are certainly going to make sure they have the best vacation experience of their lives when they redeem their well-earned prizes at Sandals Resorts.”