HAMILTON, Bermuda, (CMC) –The expected arrival of Hurricane Fiona later this week has forced organisers to postpone the two-day CARIFTA Triathlon, Aquathlon and Mixed Team Relay at the Bermuda Clearwater Beach.

With the Bermuda Weather Service forecasting the hurricane to be at its closest point early on Friday, the decision was taken to call off the competition, which was slated for September 24 and 25, in a bid to prevent around 100 young athletes from travelling to the island.

Teams from Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico, which lost power when Fiona swept across the island, were scheduled to take part in the first event for junior athletes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

President of the Bermuda Triathlon Association, Sharon Hammond, said that the event organisers deemed it fit to postpone the championships as the overall safety of the athletes and supporters is paramount.

“With the visiting teams beginning their journeys from the Caribbean as early as tomorrow, the local organising committee met this afternoon and made the difficult decision to postpone the event,” she said.

“While disappointing for everyone involved, Bermuda is looking forward to hosting the event in the near term and an alternative date will be communicated in the coming days,” she added.

Meanwhile, a meet organiser has confirmed that the meet organisers are currently working on a date in 2022 to host the events.