TCI: Both CARIFTA Swim & Athletics Meets are cancelled, again due to COVID concerns

#TurksandCaicos, May 12, 2021 – CARIFTA Games – Swim and Athletics are cancelled and once again the Coronavirus Pandemic is the blame. 

Bermuda late on Monday informed, its government requires a two week quarantine of all arriving travellers who are not vaccinated; impossible as expense to the national track & field teams would be driven higher as the rule would apply to more than half of the athletes. 

Edith Skippings, President of the Turks and Caicos Amateur Athletics Association confirmed the disappointing news with our media house on Monday night, adding the requirement by the Bermuda Government is understandable… “people safety must come first.”

Skippings understands the lengths organisers go to ensure it, having just completed a weekend of CARIFTA Trials, where over 50 athletes were not only able to compete in 15 events but where they were kept in a bubble for personal and team safety. 

Turks and Caicos athletes resided at Ports of Call resort for the Friday and Saturday staging of the qualifying meet and Skippings shared it was a success. 

Athletes were tested incoming and outgoing; all with negatives for Covid-19 including the crew which had to return to Jamaica for school. 

The new team would have been announced at least by Friday; settled on by mid-week and that may still happen as the TCAAAs plans for the stand out athletes to represent the country at other athletics events regionally. 

CARIFTA Aquatics was to be held in Barbados; that government terminated the plan with rising cases of Covid-19 and risks. 

Three young swimmers – Tajhari Williams, Jayden Davis and Lenin Hamilton Jr clocked qualifying times in a number of swim events after a month of competition in The Bahamas earlier this year.  The trio from TCI Aquatics Swim Club will also have to wait to represent the country in the premier regional competition.