FIRST, it was 2021, then 2022 when Guyana was scheduled to host the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Track and Field Championships but the COVID-19 pandemic forced postponements.

However, with Jamaica set to host the 49th edition in 2022, Guyana is locked into hosting the Games in the following year.
According to News Room, president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson, on Wednesday, clarified Guyana was still offered to host the event in 2022, but tinstead took the decision to host it one year later.

In discussion with the Minister (Charles Ramson Jr) it was decided that Guyana preferred to have the 50th running of CARIFTA and doesn’t have a problem waiting another year, and that information was passed on to NACAC.”

The CARIFTA Games was scheduled to be held in Bermuda earlier this year but was eventually cancelled because of spikes in the spread of the COVID-19 virus in that country.

Usually held during the Easter weekend, the Games was first moved to July 2-4 and then to August 13-15 before it was eventually cancelled in May.
The CARIFTA Track and Field championship caters to Under-17 and Under-20 athletes, meaning it is considered a junior athletic event, and most countries have begun implementing vaccinations for persons 18 years and younger.

There is a strong possibility that vaccination will be a requirement for the Games next year, and according to the article, Hutson said he believes “unvaccinated athletes should not be on the team.”