This Week in NACAC: NACAC leadership visits Jamaica for talks on Carifta 2022

NACAC leadership visits Jamaica for talks on Carifta 2022

NACAC President, Mike Sands, and General Secretary, Keith Joseph, will pay an official visit to Jamaica from 14 – 16 October 2021 to avert the postponement of yet another edition of the annual Carifta Games, last held in 2019 in the Cayman Islands.

According to Sands, “we were blind-sided by the news coming out of Guyana that it will no longer host the Games in 2022. The Organising Committee had been working diligently in the planning process, meeting weekly for several months. Suddenly, there was a cessation of communication and then the news of the member federation’s withdrawal.”

Jamaica, which has hosted several editions of the Carifta Games, was approached by NACAC and immediately, discussions began in earnest.

During the planned visit, the NACAC leadership is expected to meet with the JAAA’s Executive, the planning committee and the Minister of Sport.

NACAC is very conscious of the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Carifta family and understands the economic challenges that are involved in attempting to host the Games in the current environment. Nonetheless, the leadership is committed to hosting the event and all around the region, athletes and their member federations are eager to have the event in 2022.

The annual Carifta Games is world-renowned for being the world’s most exciting and entertaining track and field competition for junior athletes anywhere in the world.

Many of the outstanding athletes of the Carifta Games have gone on to become medallists at the Olympic Games and World Championships.

NACAC Circuit Work Group Update

NACAC has begun the process of establishing an annual Athletics Circuit aimed at facilitating more exciting and financially viable competitions for our athletes with the formalization of the NACAC Circuit Working Group which is now fully constituted as follows:

Duffy Mahoney (USA) – Chairman)

Michael Serralta (PUR) – NACAC Competition Director

Garth Gayle (JAM) – NACAC Competition Commission – Chairman

Chris Winter (CAN) Claudia Perez (MEX) Brian KC George (JAM) Geen Clarke (CRC)

Carmen Cecilia Suero (DOM)

Following its first meeting, the Working Group immediately circulated applications amongst all member federations and athletes’ representatives. The responses have been good with 80% of the meet organizers establishing contact with the Competitions Director.

Already a draft has been prepared to view how all the WA Continental Tour and the NACAC Area Permit Meetings fit into our Calendar in a manner that allows for everyone to benefit. As of 6 October 2021, we have 25 One-Day events as follows:

1 Diamond League

2 World Indoor Gold Label

1 WA Indoor Silver Label

2 WA Continental Tour Gold Label

6 WA Continental Tour Silver Label

2 WA Continental Tour Bronze Label

9 NACAC Area Permit Meetings

NACAC is planning to have the best possible season in 2022 with regards to providing our athletes with home-based competition of a high standard allowing for them to access Ranking Points to serve as qualifiers for the World Championships scheduled for Oregon in 2022.

Cali readies for next generation of Athletes

Officials of Panam Sports and its Commissions paid an official visit to Cali, host of the 1st Pan American Junior Games.

Word coming from the visiting team is that the organisers have shown tremendous commitment to the tasks that they have been assigned to make this inaugural event a resounding success. In respect of our sort, athletics, the competition venues are very good and it is expected that athletes will deliver good performances in what promises to be an exciting aspect of the Games. NACAC continues its efforts aimed at persuading its member federations to attend and participate in this inaugural Games that will form part of the sporting landscape of the Americas going forward.

“NACAC is aware that athletics is the core of the Junior Games just as it is at the Summer Olympics. This is the reason why we are urging our member federations to participate”, Mike Sands has again stated. He noted that “NACAC’s dominance of athletics at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics highlights that we are not prepared to drop our standards at these multisport Games. We must maintain our leadership,” Sands concluded.

The challenge is of course that the Games have had the dates change twice during the year because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Panam Sports and the Governments of Cali and Colombia have spared no effort in putting in place the appropriate protocols to safeguard the athletes attending the competitions. Assurances have been given to all participating countries that Colombia is safe.

In any event, Panam Sports has insisted that all athletes and officials over 18 years and attending the Games must be fully vaccinated.

The Games are set to open on 25 November and the curtains come down on 5 December 2021.

Nicaragua hosts Age Group Champs

Mindful that the country is scheduled to host the NACAC Age Group Championships in December 2021, Nicaragua organized the combined events of categories U09, U11, U13 and U15. A total of  95 athletes participated (45 girls and 50 boys) developed this weekend.

The member federation also organized the national interclub championships were held with the participation of 26 clubs and a total of 250 athletes (100 women and 150 men).

1. Association of Rivas. 17 medals (7 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronzes).
2. UNAN- Managua. 12 medals (5 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronzes).
3. South Front of Rivas. 6 medals (4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze).

The U20 youth athlete, Yeykell Eliuth Romero, from the Frente Sur team, set the U20 and senior records, with a time of 10.49 seconds in the 100m, bettering his previous record of 10.50  at the Central American Championships in Costa Rica.

PanAm U20 postponed

President of the member federation of Chile, Juan Luis Carter, by letter dated 6 October 2021, informed of the postponement of the Pan American U20 Championships which were originally scheduled for 22 – 24 October this year, in Concepción, Chile.

The full letter reads:

“Dear Presidents of and other members of the Athletic Federations of America.

On behalf of the Board of the Chilean Athletic Federation, we want to express our sincere apologies in announcing the postponement of the U20 Pan American Championship that was to be held from October 22 to 24 in Concepción, due to various difficulties that have arisen to guarantee a majority. important of countries.

1. First, due to the recent reopening of Chile post coronavirus, many airlines have not resumed their flights to Santiago de Chile.
2. The health authorities require the entry of athletes from all countries with the application of vaccines against the coronavirus and many countries have not reported that the priority has been the vaccination of the oldest population.

We are willing to organize the event and receive a majority of countries with a large number of athletes, so we have proposed to the Pan American Athletics Association to hold the event between April and May as a preamble to the U20 World Championship in Cali Colombia.

We hope you understand the reasons stated above, thank you for your efforts and we look forward to seeing you next year.”

The challenge is that a date in 2022 will be difficult to find given the already packed calendar for us in the NACAC region.

NACAC and CONSUDATLE will meet and discuss their respective Calendars for the year to agree on a date that best suits the member federations of both regions.

Meetings this Week

Tuesday 12 October 2021

Meetings in Jamaica re Carifta Games 2022

Wednesday 13 October

10.00 am Miami Time – Weekly Meeting – Mike Sands, Michael Serralta, Chester Morgan,Garth Gayle and Keith Joseph

Thursday 14 October

Meetings in Jamaica re Carifta Games 2022

Friday 13 October

Meetings in Jamaica re Carifta Games 2022

Saturday 16 October

1.00 pm Miami Time – Meeting of the NACAC Coaches Working Group