Caribbean Games moved to 2022
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, November 23, 2020 - The inaugural
Caribbean Games have been moved from 2021 to 2022 due to the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Competition was scheduled to take place in Guadeloupe from June
30 to July 4 2021, just weeks before the delayed Olympics are
set to begin in Tokyo.
Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) and
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee President Brian Lewis
told insidethegames that Guadeloupe proposed the
postponement of the Caribbean Games but reaffirmed its
commitment to host the event.
New dates in 2022 are now being considered.
It was announced that Guadeloupe had been awarded the hosting
rights of the Caribbean Games in January.
An inaugural edition had been scheduled to be held in Trinidad
and Tobago as far back as July 2009.
This was cancelled, however, due to the global spread of the
novel influenza A virus at the time.
Netball, despite not being a staple of sport in Guadeloupe, will
be a compulsory sport alongside athletics and swimming at the
Caribbean Games, with the island territory introducing the sport
after assistance from CANOC.
The Games are set to be hosted every four years and will feature
under-23 athletes from nations in the region.
The 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games has also been
impacted by the pandemic, with Panama citing the global health
crisis as the reason behind its withdrawal as host in July.
Puerto Rico and El Salvador have both now bid to hold the
multi-sport competition organised by the Centro Caribe Sports. |