Sports in Barbados are many and varied. The large Barbadian diaspora around the globe and wide-scale availability of International television covered on the local

cable service Cable television is a system of delivering television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of televisio ...

and

DirectTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

has meant that Barbadians have always been up to date on international trends. Barbadians now follow a wide cross-section of

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

from around the world. In recent years, the Barbadian government has implemented a policy of sport-based

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. Including the hosting of the

2007 Cricket World Cup The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...

and various other events locally. Beyond this, the Barbadian calendar has many sporting events throughout the year.

Athletics

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 ...

won a bronze medal in the 100m at the

2000 Summer Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. He's the first and only Bajan to win an Olympic medal. He is also the only Bajan to run sub 10 and sub 20 over 100m and

200m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a Sprint (running), sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run th ...

Ryan Brathwaite Ryan Brathwaite (born June 6, 1988) is a track and field athlete from Barbados who won the gold medal in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. In recognition of his achievements, on September 17, 2009 Bra ...

won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in the

110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hur ...

at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

in Berlin.

Ramon Gittens Ramon Gittens (born July 20, 1987) is a Barbadian sprinter. He represented his country at the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as four outdoor World Championships in Athletics. He was the 100 meters silver medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games. He ...

won a bronze medal at the

2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 16th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held between March 17 and 20, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, United States. The event did not feature Russia. Following a WADA investigation into widespread and institutional doping practices ...

, as well as the 100m silver medal at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

. Greggmar Swift won a bronze medal at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games

Shane Brathwaite Shane Rashad Brathwaite (born 8 February 1990 in Bridgetown) is a hurdler from Barbados who competed in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics but did not finish the race in the qualifying heats. His gold medal in the octathlon at th ...

won a gold medal in the

octathlon An octathlon is a combined event competition consisting of eight different sports or contests. Track and field An octathlon in athletics is an event which consists of eight track and field events. The word "octathlon" derives from the Greek words o ...

at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics. This is the first Bajan gold medal at a global athletics championship. Brathwaite also won Gold at the

2019 Pan American Games The 2019 Pan American Games ( es, Juegos Panamericanos de 2019, links=no), officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Lima 2019 Pan-Am Games or Lima 2019 ( qu, Limaq 2019), were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Spo ...

and Bronze at the

Akela Jones Akela Jones (born 22 April 1995) is a Barbadian track and field athlete who holds Barbadian records in the women's heptathlon, pentathlon, long jump and high jump. She won gold in the long jump at the 2014 World Junior Championships. In 2015, s ...

won a bronze in the women's

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. Olympian

Sada Williams Sada Williams (born 1 December 1997) is a Barbadian sprinter competing primarily in the 200 and 400 metres. She won the bronze medal in the 400 m at the 2022 World Championships, becoming the first Barbadian woman ever to win a medal at t ...

is the National record holder over 200m and 400m. She's a Multiple

Carifta Games The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). The games was first held in 1972 and consists of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track event ...

Champion. She ran a national record 50.11 over the distance at the

2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

. Andrea Blackett was the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedent ...

Champion over

400m hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Summer Olympics, Olympic athletics (sport), athletics programme since 1900 Summer Olympics, 1900 for men and since 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 for women. On a s ...

. She also placed fourth in the Women's 400 metres Hurdles event at the 1999 IAAF World Championships in

Seville, Spain Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. Olympian Jonathan Jones is the first Bajan to run under 45 seconds over 400m. He holds the national record with a time of 44.64.

Mario Burke Mario Omar Burke (born 18 March 1997) is a Barbadian sprinter. He currently attends the University of Houston. Burke won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at 2016 World Junior Championships in Athletics. On June 24, 2017, Burke won the 100 metres ...

won bronze medal in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

at 2016 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He is only the second Bajan to run sub 10 seconds over the distance.

Cricket

Cricket started in Barbados around 1894, with the Barbados Cricket Association starting in 1933. Many Barbadians follow cricket religiously. Locally, cricket is governed by the

Barbados Cricket Association The Barbados Cricket Association is the ruling body for cricket in Barbados. The BCA was established in 1933 by an Act of Parliament to replace the Barbados Cricket Challenge Cup Committee, which had administered Barbadian cricket since its format ...

(BCA). Barbados has a

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

which takes part in the

Regional Four Day Competition The Regional Four Day Competition, formerly known as Shell Shield and Carib Beer Cup, is the First Class Cricket, first-class cricket competition in the West Indian cricket team, West Indies. It is administered by the Cricket West Indies. In t ...

and the

Regional Super 50 The Super50 Cup, currently named the CG Insurance Super50 Cup for sponsorship purposes is the domestic one-day cricket competition in the West Indies. It was previously known as the KFC Cup until the fast food chain pulled out of sponsorship in ...

, whereas the

Barbados Royals The Barbados Royals (previously known as the Barbados Tridents) are the representative franchise cricket team of Barbados in the Caribbean Premier League. They are one of the six teams specifically created in 2013 for the inaugural season of t ...

is a franchise team in the

Caribbean Premier League The Caribbean Premier League (abbreviated to CPL or CPLT20) is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean. It was founded by Cricket West Indies in 2013 to replace the Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier Twenty20 competition in t ...

. Additionally, Barbados has players that are a composite part of the

West Indies cricket team The West Indies cricket team, nicknamed the Windies, is a multi-national men's cricket team representing the mainly Commonwealth Caribbean, English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean region and administered by Cricket West I ...

. Barbados has a number of famous cricketers including:

Sir Garfield Sobers Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, (born 28 July 1936), also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, ...

, Sir Everton Weekes,

Sir Clyde Walcott Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott Knight or Dame of St. Andrew (Barbados), KA, Gold Crown of Merit, GCM, OBE (17 January 1926 – 26 August 2006) was a West Indies cricket team, West Indian cricketer. Walcott was a member of the "three W's", the other ...

, and Sir Frank Worrell. Cricket grounds include the

Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is a stadium located to the west of the capital city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. It is the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. it has hosted many important and exciting c ...

and the

3Ws Oval The Three Ws Oval (Most commonly styled '3Ws Oval') is a cricket field at the entrance of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Mostly known for the sculpture in the shape of three large wickets that stand tall on ...

Basketball

Barbados' basketball team has a unique history of international accomplishments. It was the only Caribbean team that qualified for the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

and celebrated several surprising victories. Overall, the team finished 5th, leaving behind

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Further, it is one of the few Caribbean teams that qualified for the

FIBA Americas Championship The FIBA AmeriCup (previously known as the FIBA Americas Championship) is the Americas Basketball Championship that takes place every four years between national teams of the Western Hemisphere continents. Since FIBA organised the entire Wester ...

Football

Rugby Union

Scouting and Guiding

Kitesurfing and Windsurfing

Barbados is a popular destination for

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

and

Windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

.Barbados Kitesurfing Guide
/ref> Wind is blowing most of the year, and its best at December to March. Barbados has great wave for kitesurfers and windsurfers, and there are no flat water spots. Main kite and windsurf beach is Silver Rock at the south tip of the island.

Sport governing bodies

*Archery – Barbados Archery Association (BAA) *Athletics (track and field) –

Athletics Association of Barbados The Athletics Association of Barbados (AAB) is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Barbados. History AAB was founded in 1947 as Amateur Athletic Association of Barbados (AAAB), and was affiliated to the IAAF in 1966. In 201 ...

AAB
*Badminton –

Barbados Badminton Association Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

(BBA) *Basketball – Barbados Amateur Basketball Association
BABA
*Bodybuilding –

Barbados Amateur Body Building and Fitness Federation Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

(BABBF) *Boxing – Amateur Boxing Association of Barbados (ABAB) *Cycling –

Barbados Cycling Union The Barbados Cycling Union or BCU is the national governing body of cycle racing in Barbados. The BCU is a member of the UCI and COPACI. External links Barbados Cycling Union official website Cycle racing organizations CyclingB Cycling ...

(BCU) *Darts – Barbados Darts Association (BDA) *Equestrian –

Barbados Equestrian Association Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

BEA
*Football –

Barbados Football Association The Barbados Football Association is the governing body of association football in Barbados. It is responsible the administration of football in Barbados with responsibility for the Barbadian national football team as well as the other Barbados ...

(BFA) *Golf –

Barbados Golf Association Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

BGA
*Hockey – Barbados Hockey Federation (BHF) *Hockey (Ball) – Barbados Ball Hockey League
BBHL
*Horse Racing – Barbados Turf Club
BTC
*Polo –

Barbados Polo Association Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

(BPA) *Polo (Segway) – Barbados Segway Polo Association
SPCB
*Polo (Water) – Barbados Amateur Swimming Association
BASA
*Racing – Barbados Auto Racing League (BARL) Barbados Rally Club (BRC) *Road Tennis – Barbados (Professional) Road Tennis Association
BRTA
*Sailing – Barbados Sailing Association (BSA) *Squash –

Barbados Squash Rackets Association Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

(BSRA) *Tennis – Barbados Tennis Association
BTA
*Volleyball – Barbados Volleyball Association
BVA

References

External links

Sports tourism in Barbados: the development of sports facilities and special events
Yolande J. Elcock, Journal of Sport Tourism 10(2), 2005, 129–134
Sport in Barbados
- Totally Barbados

- Barbados Tourism Encyclopaedia
Sports in Barbados
- Official Website of Destination Barbados and Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc {{DEFAULTSORT:Sport In Barbados