KINGSTON, Jamaica – The 49

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staging of the CARIFTA Games will be hosted by Jamaica after the government gave its approval for the three day junior track and field championships to be held April 16-18.

Garth Gayle, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) made the announcement at Saturday’s NACAC Special Congress that was held virtually.

The event, which is one of the premier junior track and field championships in the world, has not been held the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guyana were originally scheduled to host the 2022 staging after Bermuda were denied the chance on two occasions, 2020 and 2021, when the coronavirus forced the championships to be cancelled.

Gayle told OBSERVER ONLINE that the JAAA was confident in its ability to deliver a top classed event.

“We at the JAAA are confident in our own abilities. Once the opportunity came up and we sat as an executive, we thought it would be a great decision to take on the challenge,” he said.

To this end he said they had assembled “a team of professionals who we believe will deliver from start to finish and our meetings have already started”.

He added, “we still have a few more arrangements to complete with Government agencies to finalise the successful staging of the games.”

-Paul A Reid