THIS WEEK IN NACAC
17 May 2021
Get ready for the NACAC New Life Invitational
Agents of the leading athletes of the Americas and eager in their support for the new initiative being undertaken by NACAC, the NACAC New Life Invitational.
The NACAC New Life Invitational is being planned for Saturday 5 June at the ANSIN Sports Complex, Miramar, Florida.
Apart from the 16 planned competitions for individuals, NACAC has established four relays to facilitate qualification for the event at the Tokyo Olympics.
NACAC has also engaged the services of the Panam Sports Channel to facilitate full coverage and live streaming of the competition.
NACAC is planning for the New Life Invitational to be a fixture on its proposed NACAC World Continental Tour Circuit effective 2022.
NACAC Athletes’ concerns in focus
Members of the NACAC Council have expressed much satisfaction with the performance of the NACAC Athletes Commission in respect of their efforts at ensuring that the needs and concerns of the athletes they represent are being addressed.
During the past week, NACAC received word from World Athletics in respect of the measures that have been taken in response to concerns raised about the qualifications for the Relays at the Tokyo Olympics. NACAC had earlier submitted an appeal to World Athletics on the request of the Athletes Commission which felt that some teams were being disenfranchised due no fault of their own. The pandemic and concerns from health authorities as well as transportation issues caused some of our member federations to default on the World Relays in Silesia, Poland.
The Athletes Commission was also applauded for bringing into open discussion amongst NACAC athletes, the IOC’s Rule 50, which addresses the thorny issue of protests at the Games. The discussions allowed for the airing of the divergent views of the athletes of the Area.
The Athletes Commission has requested a presence at the NACAC New Life Invitational scheduled for Miramar on 5 June 2021. The intention is to meet with athletes and distribute fliers on the Commission and its work. It is hoped that all NACAC athletes will eventually recognise and participate in the work of the NACAC Athletes Commission.
Plans are ahead to bolster awareness of the NACAC Athletes Commission with the establishment of its own Instagram Page.
CAC Games 2023 – San Salvador
Centro Caribe Sport (CCS), formerly the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO), has awarded the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games of 2022, now re-scheduled, May 2023, to San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador.
The decision came following the withdrawal of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, which occurred after the visit by the Evaluation Commission of the CCS and before the organisation’s visit to the competing city of San Salvador.
This will be the third occasion that El Salvador will host the CAC Games, having hosted in 1935 and 2002.
It is anticipated that the Games will cost approximately $300m USD.
All of the member federations of NACAC, except Canada and the USA, are eligible to compete at the quadrennial CAC Games which have long been dominated by Cuba, Mexico and Colombia. Increasingly, however, Caribbean athletes have made significant inroads in the medals won in the athletics component of the Games.
In 2018, for the first time, Associate Members were allowed to compete in the CAC Games and these included Martinique, Guadeloupe, Curacao, French Guiana, St Maarten and Turks and Caicos Islands.
The CAC Games is the oldest multisport Games after the Olympics, having first been held in 1926 in Mexico City, Mexico, with a mere three countries, Cuba, Guatemala and host, Mexico.
AROUND NACAC
BAR
Barbadian track and field athletes were delighted to be back in action on the track after an exceptionally long lay-off consequent upon the stringent measures imposed by the country’s health authorities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Saturday, track and field action took place at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. Appropriately the competition was called, Back On Track.
Two athletes, Layla Haynes and Caleb Massiah, turned in performances that saw them achieve the standards for the NACAC U-18/U-23 Championships set for San Jose, Costa Rica, 9 – 11 July 2021.
Haynes’ 1500m performance of 4:47.48 bettered the standard of 4:55.00, while Massiah’s 7.07 long jump performance was better than the established standard of 7.00m
JAM
Jamaican secondary school students produced some outstanding performances at the first ever ISSA. Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships ever convened during a pandemic.
The performances appeared to defy the fact that athletes were under strict health protocols for several months and bearing in mind that this event was cancelled in 2020.
The athletes from Edwin Allen produced the remarkable of winning their seventh straight championship title holders amongst the girls while Jamaica College defended their title amongst the boys.
Aalliyah Francis (Rusea High) and Shantae Foreman (St Jago) shared top honours amongst the class 1 girls. Francis did the double in winning the 200m (23.85) and 400m (52.51) while Foreman won the long jump (6.43m) and high jump (1.84m) respectively.
Javier Brown distinguished himself with victory in the Class 1 Boys 400mH with a record performance of 49.86. He returned to win the 400m in 45.73.
Competing in the US for the University of Tennessee, Carey McLeod produced a personal best leap of 8.34m to win the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championship title on Friday last. His performance has taken him to second in the world rankings for the event.
Cayton Brown, competing for the University of Florida at the same meet as McLeod, finished third in the high jump with a season’s best pf 2.24m.
Owayne Owens, a student at the University of Virginia, produced a 15.97m performance to win the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s triple jump on Friday last.
Omar McLeod, Jamaica’s Olympic Champion over the 110mH showed his level of preparation for the Olympic Games with a season opener clocked at 13.11 – the second fastest in the world this year – at the USATF’s Track competition in Southern California over the weekend.
Rhonda Whyte’s season best of 55.11won the 400mH at the same meet ahead of fellow Jamaican, Leah Nugent who also produced a season’s best of 56.12.
TKS
The Turks and Caicos Amateur Athletic Association (TCAAA) in collaboration with The Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission, conducted its Carifta Trials at the National Stadium, Providenciales, TCI, on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May respectively.
The two-day event was carried live via Flow Sports Channel and Facebook page, the Sports Commission’s YouTube Channel and Radio Turks and Caicos. Participating athletes came from Grand Turk, South Caicos, North Caicos and Providenciales, as well as some who are attending school in Jamaica.
The event began with an opening ceremony filled with fanfare and attended by government officials.
The keen competition saw three records being broken. Antwon Walkin, (U 17) set a new mark of 14.01m in the Boys Shot Put. Tajoe Opong, (U 20) posted a new record of 16.02m in the Boys Shot Put. Tanesia Gardiner, set a new mark in the U 17/U 20 high jump of 1.68m. This latter achievement is an all-time TCI record.
The TCI Carifta Trials were held under strict health protocols enforced by the TCI authorities.
TTO
Trinidad and Tobago had cause to celebrate over the weekend when Heptathlete, Tyra Gittens, attained the Olympic Long Jump standard with a leap of 6.96m while competing in the Heptathlon at the South Eastern Outdoor Conference in Texas. Her jump was well past the Olympic standard for the event, 6.82m.
In the Heptathlon, however, Gittens fell just short of the Olympic mark by a mere two points. She nonetheless has yet another attempt at the standard when she competes at the TTO Nationals in June.
Gittens is now holder of the TTO national records for the high jump, long jump and heptathlon
Competing at the American Track League in Southern California on Friday, Sparkle McKnight finished third in the 400m hurdles with a time of 56.54.
VIN
Vincentian athletes attending school in Jamaica, all of whom competed in the Class 1 Division, were proud of their achievements in the annual ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Champs held during the past week.
Verrol Sam placed 2nd in the High Jump with a leap of 2.00m. Uroy Ryan finished a credible 3rd in the long jump with a 7.47m performance.
Handal Roban, finished 3rd in the 1500m (4:01.48) and 4th in the 800m (1:50.39). His 800m performance meant that he achieved the standard for the event for the World Juniors scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya, later this year.
USATF
NACAC continues to express its most sincere gratitude to the USATF for the significant number of competitions that the organisation has put in place for this year’s Outdoor season. These events have made it possible for athletes of the Americas in particular to find the level of competition they require as they strive to attain the standards for the Tokyo Olympics.
The results have shown the level of preparation of the competing athletes as they seek to enhance their respective positions on the World Athletics rankings.
NACAC is not only highly appreciative of the USATF’s efforts but is also very satisfied with ongoing discussions that between the two organisations aimed at significantly enhancing brand awareness and brand recognition of NACAC.
NACAC takes Governance seriously
The NACAC Governance Commission, currently addressing issues in Member Federations, Aruba, Haiti and Mexico, has raised the importance of member federations engaging in periodic examination of their respective constitutions to ensure compliance with World Athletics requirements but also, that they are in keeping with good governance trends in the global sporting environment.
This was raised at the most recent NACAC Council meeting that took place on Thursday 13 May 2021. The Governance Commission is concerned that some of the Area’s member federations may well be using outdated constitutions and that this may give rise to some of the problems that are emerging.
The Council has requested that the Commission consider the creation of a constitution template that would serve as a guide to member federations. It was also recommended that member federations that are unsure of the current status of their constitutions may reach out to the Commission for assistance.
NACAC’s Story being more deliberately told
Chair of the NACAC Sports Journalists Working Group, Kwame Lawrence, has indicated that the members of the grouping remain firmly committed to the task of telling the NACAc Story.
The designation of the Inaugural NACAC Awards of Male and Female Athlete of the Indoor season, is but the beginning. Other Awards are planned for the year and this will be revealed over time.
Lawrence was at the time reporting to the NACAC Council on the work of his group and the plans they have in the pipeline, consistent with the mandate given on formation.
Weekly Meetings
Wednesday 19 May
10.00am ECT – Weekly Meeting – Mike Sands, Michael Serralta and Keith Joseph
4.30 pm ECT – Meeting on developments regarding the NACAC New Life Invitational
