Karib Cable endorses Daneya CharlesCaribbean Games 2009 launched

Six sporting disciplines; twenty-six participating countries; the occasion – the Caribbean Games, the venue – Trinidad and Tobago from July 13 to 19, 2009.

After some years of incubation, the Caribbean will stage the event which has been described as the forum for the region to put on show its elite products: Track and Field, Boxing, Netball, Tennis, Indoor and Beach Volleyball.{{more}}

With a working budget of about TT$34 Million, the cost of the inaugural multi sport games will be borne by the central government of the host nation. The participating countries are only responsible for getting to and from Trinidad and Tobago.

Using international standards, many of the requirements for major world competitions have been implemented.

As part of the qualification process, this month’s AFNA Netball Tournament, to be held here at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, will form the basis for the rankings of the eight countries that will get spots in the Netball segment.

Likewise, the six top finishers at NORCECA Volleyball championships in September will be crucial to the seeding of the Indoor Volleyball aspect of next year’s Games, with twelve teams eligible for the Beach segment.

As it were, it will be no free ride for the twenty-six participating countries, as excellence in performance is premium.

The Netball competition of the Caribbean Games is slated for the Jean Pierre Complex in Port of Spain.

Track and Field takes place at the Haseley Crawford Stadium, Boxing at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Tennis at Shaw Park, Tobago, with Indoor Volleyball contested at the UWI SPEC and Beach Volleyball, the Saith Park in Chaguanas.

Already, the Organising Committee of the Caribbean Games (OCCG) has issued a detailed time line for the submission of the prerequisites for participation.

The thinking behind the Games is to give the peoples of the region an opportunity to see their top athletes on a single stage, as many of them mainly perform outside the Caribbean.

But paramount is the forging of unity among the Caribbean’s people, as attained by the West Indies Cricket Team.

All these were unveiled on the night of Monday June 23, at the Methodist Church Hall in Kingstown, when the Vincentian leg of the launch of the Games, was held by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Olympic Committee (SVGNOC).

And, the Games will have a strong Vincentian input, as Keith Joseph, the General Secretary of the SVGNOC, is the Technical Manager of the OCCG.

Anesha Caruth of the NOC Services of Trinidad and Tobago, Trevor Bailey President of the SVG NOC, Eli Francis of the Ministry of Sports, and Hon. Clayton Burgin, Minister of Transport and Works gave brief addresses at the launch.

Joseph, in a Powerpoint presentation detailed the organisational structure of the Games as well as took the audience through the significance of the much anticipated event, which he said was truly Caribbean.

To be held every four years, the 2013 Games are set for the Spanish Caribbean country of Cuba.