BASSETERRE, St Kitts — ST Kitts and Nevis will not host the 2027 CARIFTA Games after key stakeholders concluded that staging the regional athletics championships next year would not be the best option for the Federation.
Interest in hosting the Games resurfaced during the 2026 CARIFTA Games in April after St Kitts-Nevis Athletics, along with Trinidad and Tobago, expressed a willingness to stage the event when no formal bids had been submitted.
During an April 6 press conference, President of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), Mike Sands, announced that the regional body had adopted a new approach to awarding the Games. Under the revised process, national associations must secure government guarantees before a host is selected.
The move is intended to prevent local athletics associations from being left with significant financial burdens after hosting the event, as occurred following the Federation's previous staging of the Games.
"There were no bids that were presented prior to the congress, so therefore we were not in a position to make a decision. But from the floor, St. Kitts and Nevis have expressed their interest, and so does Trinidad and Tobago," Sands said at the time.
Speaking with SKNVibes today (Jul. 15), Sports Minister Samal Duggins confirmed that after discussions involving the Government, St Kitts-Nevis Athletics and the St Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee, all parties agreed that hosting the 2027 Games would not be in the country's best interest.
"We believe that, along with the different institutions, particularly the Olympic Committee, that next year would not be the most ideal time for us to host it. And we have asked to defer that hosting until another date which would be announced accordingly," Duggins said.
NACAC had indicated that it would make a decision within 14 days of receiving the required documentation from interested parties. It remains unclear whether Trinidad and Tobago submitted the necessary guarantees.
Although the Federation has stepped away from hosting the 2027 edition, Duggins stressed that the Government remains committed to bringing the Games back to St Kitts and Nevis in the future.
"I think it would be best for some of that detail to come from the different associations involved," he said when asked about the factors behind the decision.
The minister reiterated that the decision was based on timing rather than a lack of interest.
"The Government is excited about bringing the Games back to St Kitts and Nevis. We just sat with them and recognized that next year may not be the best time to do so," he added.
Duggins noted that the ongoing refurbishment of sporting facilities forms part of the Government's broader strategy to expand sports tourism. He pointed to the successful hosting of the recent OECS Championships as an example of the Federation's vision of attracting more regional and international sporting events.
He added that while the Government remains eager to host another CARIFTA Games, stakeholders agreed that 2027 was simply not the right time.
The 2027 CARIFTA Games are scheduled to be held over the Easter weekend, from March 26 to 29.
