This Week in NACAC: NACAC’s athletes in Nairobi, Kenya

NACAC’s athletes in Nairobi, Kenya

As with all World Championships in athletics, NACAC’s athletes are now poised to take on the world at the Biennial Junior Championships being held in Nairobi, Kenya this week.

The challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic have not spared the organisation of these Championships. They were originally due to take place last year but, like so many other competitions, had to be postponed. The host member federation and the government of Kenya held fast and agreed with World Athletics to postpone rather than cancel the event.

NACAC joins with World Athletics in expressing our most sincere appreciation to our friends in Kenya, as they painstakingly prepared for these Championships, still in many ways confronting the impact of the dreaded pandemic.

The Championships will begin one day later, starting on 18 August instead of the original date of 17 August, as a direct result of the numerous problems experienced by several delegations in getting to Nairobi in time. The Organising Committee is confident that the events could be comfortably held within the remaining days, ending as originally scheduled on 22 August.

NACAC athletes have historically excelled at the World Junior Championships with many earning their first world titles in our sport.

Canada was the first NACAC member federation to host the World Junior Championships. These took place in Sudbury in 1988 and were the second edition of the popular event. Jamaica hosted the Championships in 2002 when Usain Bolt, as a 15-year-old, won the 200m in fine style.

The USA was the most recent NACAC member federation to host the Junior Championships.

NACAC Coaches Survey underway

NACAC’s Director of Coaches and Camps, Chester Morgan, is currently conducting a survey across the Area. The survey is intended to provide the organisation with a comprehensive listing of the coaches who have successfully passed World Athletics Coaches Education Certification System programmes over the years.

The database is of critical importance to the Director’s work going forward and would serve both NACAC and World Athletics in their development planning.

Meanwhile, Morgan is advanced with his preparation of proposals for NACAC Camps for 2021 through to 2023. The proposals will first be presented to the NACAC Council for consideration.

NACAC laments Haiti’s triple crises

President of NACAC, Mike Sands, has reached out to the sports fraternity, especially that of athletics, of Haiti, as that Caribbean nation continues to be hammered by one crisis after another.

First, there was the sudden assassination of the country’s President, then came the earthquake and now the passage of the tropical storm, Grace.

“It is as though Haitians are being called upon to confront major challenges that significantly hinder any genuine attempt at allowing them to feel comfortable and stable enough to facilitate development for all”, Sands said.

NACAC continues to pray for the people of Haiti.

Miller-Uibo and Gardiner celebrated

Bahamians, always eager for an opportunity to bring out the cultural treat of its many Junkanoo bands,  were once more in their glee as the nation feted the double 400m gold medals won by Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steve Gardiner respectively following their triumphant return home last week.

The duo were treated to airport receptions, having returned home on separate flights. They and their respective families were also recognised and taken out by the Bahamas Olympic Association.

The BAAA, governing body for the sport of athletics in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, plans to appropriately recognise the athletes for their accomplishments in Tokyo.

NACAC President, Mike Sands, who was on hand to congratulate the athletes following their victories in Japan, was loud in his praise for them, and highlighted “the stunning way in which their victories followed each other, much to the delight of all of The Bahamas and bolstered NACAC’s standing in global athletics.”

“The successes of both Bahamian athletes was all the more enjoyable for us in NACAC because it comes against the backdrop of the organisation’s headquarters having been located in The Bahamas’ Sands concluded. He advised both athletes of the readiness of NACAC’s Athletes Commission to engage them in its work in the best interests of “all of our athletes in the Area, who already dominate the sport, as evidenced by the results in Tokyo.”

Camps across St Vincent and the Grenadines

Vincentian coaches have once more been using the months of July and August to conduct coaching camps across the country.

Coaches Michael Ollivierre (IT DAT Academy), Godfrey Harry (X-CEED), Chester Morgan (High Performance) and Wildanrick Samuel (Mustangs), all have coaching camps in progress. Rawlson Morgan (X-CEL) will commence his Camp shortly. The fact that St Vincent and the Grenadines will resume formal schooling on 4 October, allows the coaches to have an extended Camp as well as more readily build the grassroots programme that brings more sustained interest in our sport.

This year, some of the Camps are specifically focusing on the encouragement of young boys and girls to get into the sport through the application of the Kids In Athletics approach being revamped by World Athletics.

The Camps also seek to bring more individuals into coaching. Following this introduction, the trainee coaches are encouraged to undertake the Caribbean Coaches Certification Programme (CCCP), an introduction to the fundamentals of coaching, before going on to the World Athletics CECS Level #1.

Qualification for the Inaugural Pan American Junior Games looms  

NACAC is once more appealing to its member federations to ensure that they pay close attention to the pending deadlines for the Inaugural Pan American Junior Games which will take place in Cali, Colombia, from 25 November to 5 December 2021.

The deadline for achieving the qualifying standards and rankings established for the Pan American Junior Games is Sunday 22 August 2021. 

Member federations can still approach their respective National Olympic Committees to register one male and one female athlete seeking approval under the universality principle.

Queries must be made to Noel Cedeño, with a copy to the international technical delegates, Martinho Nobre dos Santos ([email protected]) and Cándido Vélez ([email protected]). Marcos Oviedo ([email protected]), may also be approached with claims in respect of the matters relating to the aforementioned information 

Weekly Meetings

Wednesday 18 August

10:00 am ECT – Weekly Meeting – Mike Sands, Michael Serralta, Chester Morgan, Garth Gayle and Keith Joseph