BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH the three-month postponement of the CARIFTA Games due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the region, President of St. Kitts-Nevis Athletics (SKNA), Delwayne Delaney has welcomed the decisions made to postpone the Games and not to change the quota for the meet.
Originally scheduled for the Easter weekend, member bodies of the North America, Central America, and Caribbean (NACAC) region unanimously agreed to have the Games rescheduled for the first weekend in July.
President of the NACAC, during a recent interview with regional journalists, revealed that the decision was made following a survey carried out by the body to garner feedback from member associations.
“So, the membership has voiced their opinion and that is the position of the membership that we have put to the public. I am cautiously optimistic that the CARIFTA Games will go on,” said President Mike Sands.
Resultantly, Delaney said that the decision has given the association in St. Kitts and Nevis more time to plan and prepare the athletes for high-level competition.
“Now it makes the athletes understand that the CARIFTA Games is on and they have something to work towards, and with us at the association providing the framework to assist them in reaching those goals, objectives and standards, I think speaks volumes,” noted Delaney.
Friday last, the SKNA opened its season with a Challenge Series meet, which is a developmental meet for local athletes.
However, with the COVID-19 pandemic currently around and a number of strict measures remaining in place, staging scholastic meets to find a team for the CARIFTA Games may pose a challenge for the local body.
As Delaney told SKNVibes, the scholastic meets do not fall under the purview of the SKNA noting that it is the responsibility of the Ministries of Education and Sports to plan.
No decision has been made on when or if any scholastic meets will be held this year.
Regarding the decision made by the NACAC Council to allow for the quota of athletes for the Games, President Delaney said he welcomes that decision as it gives every athlete from the various disciples an opportunity to participate without any limits.
“I have no problem with them keeping it as it is,” said Delaney. “It gives the opportunity for more athletes and a wider scope. By doing this you are not limiting it to only sprinters or throwers or jumpers, but it gives us that wiggle room to include all athletes because we don’t want anyone to be sidetracked or being subjected to being left off the team even though they would have made the standards.”
Meanwhile, the President said though there is still time left before the game discussions are being had over the protocols for a proposed team heading to Hamilton, Bermuda, and their return to St. Kitts and Nevis after attending the meeting.
The meet is for athletes 20 and under, and they would have to be subjected to mandatory quarantine upon their return to the Federation; a cost that has to be borne by the SKNA for the entire contingent.
“We have to still work out the finer details,” he told SKNVibes, adding that “what we know is that when we go they are asking us to fly in on the 30th (June) just before the meet and leave on the 5th (July), the day after the meet.”
He added: “There is no quarantine for the Games but when we return. That is something that we would definitely have to work out.”
