The CARIFTA Games is an annual

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). The games was first held in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and consists of

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

events including sprint races,

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

middle distance track event Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

s, jumping and throwing events, and

relays A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...

. The Games has two age categories: under-17 (under-18 until 2017) and under-20. Only countries associated with CARIFTA may compete in the competition.

History

, Austin Sealy, then president of the Amateur Athletic Association of Barbados, inaugurated the CARIFTA Games to mark the transition from the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CARIFTA was meant to enhance relations between the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean after the dissolution of the West Indies Federation, but the CARIFTA Games took that idea a step further, including the French and Dutch Antilles in an annual junior

championship meet. The meet normally runs over three days during the

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

period and includes over 150 separate events. The Games has two age categories for boys and girls: under-17 and under-20, the latter in line with the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

(IAAF) guidelines for junior athletes. The meet is run entirely under IAAF rules. According to IAAF President,

Lamine Diack Lamine Diack (7 June 1933 – 3 December 2021) was a Senegalese businessman, sports administrator, and athlete. He was president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) from 1999 to 2015. He was the subject of numerou ...

, CARIFTA is "on par with the World Championships." The meet is considered one of the best development meets in world athletics. Having started out on grass tracks, with athletes staying in schools or other similar temporary shelter, the CARIFTA Games have come a long way. College and university coaches and scouts from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

make their way to the Games each year, in a bid to identify up-and-coming athletes. The Games have produced World Record holders,

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight- ...

Darrel Brown Darrel Rondel Brown (born October 11, 1984) is a sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago who specializes in the 100 metres and the 200 metres. In the beginning of his career, he was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy for the most outstanding athlete at ...

, World and Olympic Champions such as

Veronica Campbell-Brown Veronica Campbell-Brown CD ( Campbell; born 15 May 1982) is a retired Jamaican track and field sprinter, who specialized in the 100 and 200 meters.

of Jamaica,

Kim Collins Kim Collins (born 5 April 1976) is a former track and field sprinter from Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 2003, he became the World Champion in the 100 metres. He represented his country at the Summer Olympics on five occasions, from 1996 to 2016, a ...

of St Kitts-Nevis and

Pauline Davis-Thompson Pauline Elaine Davis-Thompson (born 9 July 1966) is a former Bahamian sprinter. She competed at five Olympics, a rarity for a track and field athlete. She won her first medal at her fourth Olympics and her first gold medals at her fifth Oly ...

of the Bahamas,

Alleyne Francique Alleyne Jeremy Francique (born June 7, 1976) is a retired Grenadian athlete who specialized in 400 metres, his personal best being 44.47 seconds set in 2004. He is the 400m two time world indoor champion in 2004 and 2006. He won his first wor ...

of Grenada and

Obadele Thompson Obadele "Oba" Thompson BSS (born 30 March 1976) is a Barbados-born former sprinter, lawyer, author, and speaker. He won Barbados's first and only Olympic medal as an independent country by placing third in the 100 metres at the 2000 Sydney Olymp ...

of Barbados. CARIFTA has spawned administrators like

Dean Greenaway Dean Greenaway (born 13 January 1959 in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands) is a sprinter who represented the British Virgin Islands. Greenaway was part of the first ever team to represent British Virgin Islands at the Summer Olympics when he com ...

, President of the

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Athletics Association. In the early years, a handful of territories (Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Bermuda) had facilities appropriate for hosting what really is a world-class meet. Since 2000, though, Grenada, St Kitts-Nevis and St Lucia have built brand new stadia and hosted the CARIFTA Games. The Games have also been held on Tobago and in Montego Bay, Jamaica, which became the 14th different venue in 2011. The CARIFTA Games are normally sponsored by regional companies including the National Gas Company of Trinidad & Tobago Ltd and Guardian Holdings. In 2009, telecommunications company
LIME Caribbean
signed on as a presenting sponsor, providing finance to the local organising committee, direct assistance to national teams and live coverage of the Games on TV across the Caribbean, as well as via Internet streaming. The Games are hosted directly under the auspices of the North and Central American and Caribbean Confederation of

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

, more commonly known as NACAC. Each country may enter two athletes per event and up to six athletes may be entered for relay events (with two acting as substitutes) and three athletes in the combined events such as pentathlon or heptathlon.

Games

File:HCStadium2013.jpg, File:Independence Park.jpg, File:Tommy Robinson National Stadium.jpg,

Medal Totals Since 1990

As of 2019

CARIFTA Games Records

Jamaica has dominated the medals table at CARIFTA over the years. So too the record books. They hold records in 10 of the 21 Under-20 men's events contested all-time at CARIFTA, and hold or share 11 of the 17 Under-20 women's records. At the junior level, Jamaican boys own nine of the 17 records, whilst their girls possess a remarkable 10 of 16 marks in the Under-17 division. The oldest CARIFTA record in the books, though (at least for events still being contested in the modern Games), belongs to a Bermudan, Sonya Smith, whose Under-20 Javelin Throw performance of 53.98m has been on the books since 1979. The oldest boys' record is 15.03 m, the winning distance for Lyndon Sands of the Bahamas in the 1980 Under-17 Triple Jump. Kareem Streete-Thompson went on to become one of the world's leading horizontal jumpers, but his CARIFTA performances have earned legendary status. In 1989, he set an Under-17 Long Jump record with a leap of 7.83 m, and a year later his 7.94 m was an Under-20 record, in his first year competing at that level for Cayman Islands. Both marks remain untouched. The women's horizontal jump records are almost as long-lived, Jackie Edwards' 1987 mark of 6.14 m was the Under-17 winning distance that year, and Daphne Saunders' leap of 6.93 m won her the 1989 title. Both ladies are from the Bahamas.

Men Under 20

Women Under 20

Boys Under 18

Girls Under 18

Boys Under 17

Girls Under 17

Austin Sealy Award Winners

Starting in 1977, the Austin Sealy Award is presented to the athlete adjudged the most outstanding, either in terms of record accomplishment, or quality of performance as compared to other top medallists. The Carifta Games Magazine issued for the 40th edition of the Carifta Games contains the article: "Most Outstanding Athletes over the years: Winners of the Austin Sealy Trophy", by David Miller, published on page 19 in part 2 and on page 24 in part 3. It displays a complete list of award winners. However, there are a couple of inconsistencies: in 2008 Barbados' hurdles sprinter

Kierre Beckles Kierre Kamille Beckles (born 21 May 1990) is a Barbadian athlete specializing in the 100 metres hurdles. She competed at the 2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds t ...

won the trophy rather than Trinidadian hurdles sprinter

Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon (born 15 December 1991) is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. He turned professional on 24 June 2010, and signed a deal with Adidas in August 2010. Formerly a pupil of Belmont Boys' Secon ...

, who on the other hand gained the trophy in 2010 rather than Grenadian sprinter

Kirani James Kirani James (born 1 September 1992) is a Grenadian professional sprinter who specializes in the 200 and 400 metres. He won the 400 m at the World Championships in 2011 and the 2012 London Olympics. In the 400 metres James also won the sil ...

, the winner of 2009. In 2002 Jamaican U17 sprinter Anneisha McLaughlin won the award rather

, who was awarded the trophy in 2003 and 2004. Bahamian thrower

Lavern Eve Laverne Eve (born 16 June 1965, in Nassau) is a female track and field athlete from the Bahamas, who competes in the javelin throw. Her personal best throw (new javelin) is 63.73 metres, achieved in April 2000 in Nashville. In her early career ...

is reported to be the award winner in Kingston in 1982 and Martinique in 1983, rather than in 1981. In the year 1981, U17 sprinter

Candy Ford Candy Ford is an American comedian and television actress, best known for starring in the sketch comedy, ''The Rerun Show'', Ford has also appeared in other TV programs including: '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''Will & Grace'', and she provided voi ...

from Bermuda, who then won three gold medals (100 m, 200 m, and 400 m), was awarded the so-called "Oscar Steele Challenge Trophy" for being the most outstanding athlete of the games. * = Under-17 (before 2014) / Under-18 (after 2013)
† = Oscar Steele Challenge Trophy

References

External links

CARIFTA Games Records
*Results of all CARIFTA Games in all events (last standing 2006)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carifta Games Athletics in the Caribbean Recurring sporting events established in 1972 Athletics (track and field) competitions in North America Politics and sports Annual sporting events

CARIFTA The Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) was organised on 1 May 1968, to provide a continued economic linkage between the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean. The agreements establishing it came following the dissolution of the ...