BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FOLLOWING a two year hiatus due to the challenges of the COVID pandemic, young scholastic athletes will be on display tomorrow (Jan. 29) at 2:00 p.m., as the athletics season sprints off at the Kim Collins Athletics Stadium with the Giant Malt High School Relay and Cheerleading Competitions.
The competitions have been a hit with the scholastic community, reinvigorating the rivalry between schools across the Federation, and that will be in full display again this year.
The event is a joint effort between the Ministries of Sports and Education with sponsorship from Carib Brewery.
The organizers are optimistic that the event on the track would be the best, as athletes would be seeking to prepare themselves for the High School Championships and subsequent CARIFTA Trials.
Organizer Timothy Morton explained that there is a high level of excitement for the return of the Relay Festival since all high schools in the Federation would be competing for honours.
The organizers are hopeful that a large fan base would turnout for the competition since proceeds from the event would go towards assisting the schools in maintaining a gym and track and field equipment at their respective institutions.
“This meet is well supported by the Department of Sports. We have been leading the charge in terms of logistics and organizing. We believe that it is going to be a very memorable meet, and we want all to come out and support,” Morton added.
On the track, the organizers are expecting it to be one of the best meets owing to the training and competitions undertaken by the athletes over the offseason.
Many of them would have been competing in the various challenge series competitions held by St. Kitts-Nevis Athletics.
Morton told SKNVibes Sports that the competition would provide a platform for many of the athletes to showcase themselves for possible selection for the upcoming CARIFTA Games slated for the Bahamas.
“What we want to do, particularly the male teams, is to participate in an exhibition at the end of the competition and we will use that as a gauge to see how close they are in terms of qualifying for a relay team,” Morton disclosed.
