TCI News

Commonwealth Games Association (TCI) Keen to Establish Turks and Caicos Islands As A Competing Nation at the Olympic Games

Published

6 years ago

August 7, 2019

#Providenciales, August 7, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – The four year term limit of the outgoing Executives of the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) – TCI came to a close recently and a new slate of Executive Board members was elected. The successful turnout of 75% of the registered Sports Federations in Country at the recent Annual General Meeting resulted the election of a group of experienced and committed persons who are resolved to champion the enhancement of Athletics in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The CGA is pleased to announce the appointment of its new slate of officers for the next four years. Making up the new Executive Board are Godfrey Been (President), Trevor Cooke (Vice President), Rosalie Ingham (Secretary), Edith Skippings (Assistant Secretary), Edith Cox (Treasurer), Arthur Forbes (Assistant Treasurer), Ezekiel Hall (Public Relations), Levard Missick (Athletes representative) and Dorn Fulford (Coaches Representative).

The newly elected president, Mr. Godfrey Been remarked “I would like to thank all the Presidents of the sporting bodies for nominating and voting for me as the President. I count a privilege and deem it an honour to be a servant to this group and also to the entire communities of the Turks & Caicos Islands. In sports I am no stranger from my high school years it has been my dream to see Turks & Caicos taking part in every sporting event globally and internationally. I want to say a big thank you to Ms. Rita Gardiner and her hard working team for their hard work and dedication over the many years. I must give thanks to almighty God who has kept me and will continue to strengthen me for the task ahead. This Role is not an easy one but with the new executive behind me I will do my endeavor best to move sports to the next level.

The CGA is responsible for all sports federations in the Turks & Caicos Islands and one of the first order of business is to begin the rebranding of the Turks & Caicos Commonwealth Games Association, to show all federations, athletes, corporate community and Government Sports Department that the CGA is very serious about the development of sports, developing our athletes working with the sports department and corporate community to move the sports forward in this new era.

In my acceptance speech I stated that “Our athletes are first and foremost the most important thing to me. We have great athletes out here and the supporting role for them is us.”

I would like to express gratitude to my predecessors, President Vanessa Gardiner for representing the CGA in her short time there, Mrs. Rita Gardiner, who lead the Turks & Caicos CGA for a decades of continued service to sports development in the Turks & Caicos Islands. I also noted that under my watch I aim to move this association to the next level and hold the CGA accountable for its actions. With the help of the sports department and the executive body, I would endeavour to make sure that they (the athletes) climb that ladder and make sure that the CGA does the right thing by all NGBs.

I want to thank all federations who attended the meeting: TCI Football Association, the TCI Rugby Football Union, the TCI Basketball Federation, the TCI Softball Federation, the TCI Amateur Athletic Association, the TCI Tennis Federation, the TCI Swim Federation, the TCI Volleyball Federation, the TCI Cricket Association, the TCI National Darts Association, the TCI Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation and the Turks and Caicos Cycling Federation.

I want to also thank the Director of Sports, Mr. Jarrett Forbes for attending and his kind words, Mr. Drexwell Seymour and Mr. Hawkins for making sure the elections were fair. I also congratulated the new executive and proposed that we will work together for the growth of sports in the Turks & Caicos Islands.”

Mr. Trevor Cooke (Vice President) Commented, “ I joined in with the President in thanking the outgoing President and her team for the work they have done in carrying out the mission and sharing the vision of this great organization. I look forward to working with the newly elected executives as we strive to meet the strategic objectives of the Commonwealth Games Association and embracing its core values that would guide us as we seek to meet the needs of our partners and end users. Last but not least I want to personally and on behalf of the executives, thank Mrs. Rita Gardiner for her stellar service over the years to the CGA and by extension the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

The Board members embody the spirit of community, competition, commitment and bring outstanding talent, expertise, accountability, and energy to the table. The Board is keen to facilitate the recognition and establishment of the Turks and Caicos Islands as a competing nation at the Central American and Caribbean Sporting Organization (CACSO) and the Pan American Sporting Organization (Pan AM Games) during its term in office. The pathway toward this goal is clear and the Board in collaboration with the TCIG Sports Department, TCIG Sports Commission and Member Federations stands ready to make this goal a reality.

Release: Commonwealth Games Association-TCI

Photo Caption: Picture L-R: Jarrett Forbes (Director of Sorts – TCIG), Arthur Forbes (Asst. Treasurer, Ezekiel Hall (Public Relations), Trevor Cooke (Vice President), Edith Skippings (Asst. Secretary), Godfrey Been (President), Rosalie Ingham (Secretary), Edith Cox (Treasurer) and Levard Missick (Athletes Representative. Not pictured is Dorn Fulford (Coaches Representative)

TCI News

Unidentified Deceased Male Discovered in Grace Bay Area

Published

5 days ago

July 5, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Turks and Caicos, July 5, 2025 – Around 7AM on today’s date 5th July 2025 officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) assisted by members of the public carried out a search in the community of Providenciales focusing on targeted areas.

Approximately 9:06 a.m. on Saturday, July 5th, 2025, while conducting the search operation in the Grace Bay area, one of the teams discovered the body of a deceased male in a decomposed state.

The discovery was made along Long Bay Road. The scene has been secured, and all appropriate partner agencies have been notified.

At present, the identity of the deceased has not been established. The RTCIPF will provide further updates as soon as the identification process is complete and the next of kin are informed.

Acting Commissioner of Police Mr. Rodney Adams on commenting on the discovery of the body. We the police extend condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and ask that the public not speculate and await positive identification of the deceased.”

This matter remains under active investigation.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is appealing to anyone who may have information to contact 911 or the nearest Police Station. Information may also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 (TIPS)

TCI News

Ministry of Health and Human Services Participates in UKOTs Public Health Conference 2025

Published

5 days ago

July 5, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

PRESS RELEASE

FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – The Ministry of Health and Human Services was represented at the 2025 UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) Public Health Conference held under the theme “Collaborative Approaches to Risk Communication” at the Park Plaza Victoria in London, from June 23–27, 2025.

Attending on behalf of the Turks and Caicos Islands were Dr. Nadia Astwood, Chief Medical Officer, and Mr. Lynrod Brooks, Director of Health Policy and Planning.

Hosted by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under its Civil Resilience Programme, the conference convened Chief Medical Officers and senior technical officers from several UK Overseas Territories including Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands – as well as from the Crown Dependencies, St. Helena, Ascension and Gibraltar.

The week-long event featured a range of expert-led sessions and workshops, focusing on strengthening risk communication and public health resilience across the UKOTs. Key agenda items included:

Introduction to Behavioural Science-Informed Risk and Crisis Communication
Good Practice for Effective Crisis Communication
Crisis Alert! A Scenario-Based Exercise
Identifying Key Health Threats and RCCE (Risk Communication and Community Engagement) Needs – Workshops Parts 1 & 2
Civil Food Resilience in the UKOTs
Risk Communication and EPRR (Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response) Frameworks
Practical Approaches to Risk and Crisis Communication
Communicating Risks in Violence Prevention: Public Health Approaches
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support During Crisis
Responding to Emerging Infections
Antimicrobial Resistance: Assessing the Global Threat
Cervical Cancer Elimination and RCCE
Tackling Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Vaccine Hesitancy
Enhancing Comprehensive Prevention and Management of Diabetes – Interactive Session

A highlight of the conference was the keynote address delivered by Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England. In his address, he emphasized both progress and persistent challenges in global public health.

Commenting on the importance of the conference, Dr. Nadia Astwood, Chief Medical Officer of the Turks and Caicos Islands, stated, “This gathering provided a critical opportunity to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange across the Overseas Territories, particularly around preparedness and response to public health threats. Strengthening health security remains a top priority for the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

Hon. Kyle Knowles, Minister of Health and Human Services, echoed this sentiment, noting, “We are grateful for the continued support from the UK Government through the FCDO and UKHSA. This platform ensures that the Turks and Caicos Islands are part of a coordinated approach to building resilience and safeguarding public health.”

The Ministry’s participation in this conference forms part of ongoing efforts to enhance the national capacity for emergency preparedness, community engagement, and evidence-informed public health communication.

News

Search for Missing American Tourist Intensifies in Turks and Caicos

Published

5 days ago

July 5, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

U.S. Officials, Family Join Local Efforts as Disappearance Enters Ninth Day

By Deandrea Hamilton | Editor and Wilkie Arthur | Eagle Legal News

Turks and Caicos, July 4, 2025 – The United States Department of State has confirmed it is aware of the disappearance of American citizen Brian Tarrence in Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Embassy in Nassau is actively assisting in the ongoing investigation. Tarrence’s mother is now on the island, anxiously hoping for good news as the search for her son enters its ninth day.

Tarrence, 51, of New York, vanished on June 25 while vacationing with his wife in Providenciales. The couple was staying at the Inn at Grace Bay in a privately rented villa booked via Airbnb. CCTV footage reviewed by Eagle Legal News shows Tarrence walking away from the property around 3:00 a.m., alone and without signs of immediate distress. He has not been seen since.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is treating the case as high priority, and a search operation is underway in Grace Bay, with efforts expanding to The Bight and nearby districts. U.S. private investigator Carl DeFazio, hired by Tarrence’s family, is also on the ground and working alongside local authorities.

“We are tracking any activity—credit cards, digital devices—that could point us toward his location,” said DeFazio. “This is a coordinated effort, and we are committed to bringing Brian home.”

Sources close to the investigation say Tarrence may have been in a vulnerable state prior to his disappearance. His wife reported that he had relapsed into alcohol use and was displaying increasingly erratic behavior, including signs of paranoia and delusional speech. He reportedly believed people were outside their villa and made concerning remarks hours before he disappeared.

When his wife woke that morning, Tarrence—and his phone and wallet—were gone. The devices remain unreachable, and no transactions or confirmed sightings have been reported.

His wife continues to cooperate fully with police, while his mother, who recently arrived in TCI, has joined local and diplomatic efforts in hopes of a safe resolution.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest police station or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-8477.