The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). The games were first held in 1972 and consist of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track events, jumping and throwing events, and relays. The Games has two age categories: under-17 (under-18 until 2017) and under-20. Only countries associated with CARIFTA may compete in the competition.
History In 1972, Austin Sealy, the president of the Amateur Athletic Association of Barbados, inaugurated the CARIFTA Games to mark the transition from the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CARIFTA was meant to enhance relations between the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean after the dissolution of the West Indies Federation, but the CARIFTA Games took that idea a step further, including the French and Dutch Antilles in an annual junior track and field championship meet.
The meet normally runs over three days during the Easter period and includes over 150 separate events. The Games has two age categories for boys and girls: under-17 and under-20, the latter in line with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) guidelines for junior athletes. The meet is run entirely under IAAF rules.
According to IAAF President, Lamine Diack, CARIFTA is "on par with the World Championships." The meet is considered one of the best development meets in world athletics. Having started out on grass tracks, with athletes staying in schools or other similar temporary shelter, the CARIFTA Games have come a long way. College and university coaches and scouts from the United States make their way to the Games each year, in a bid to identify up-and-coming athletes.
The Games have produced world record holders Usain Bolt, Darrel Brown, World and Olympic champions such as Veronica Campbell Brown of Jamaica, Kim Collins of St Kitts-Nevis and Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas, Alleyne Francique of Grenada and Obadele Thompson of Barbados. CARIFTA has spawned administrators like Dean Greenaway, President of the British Virgin Islands Athletics Association.
In the early years, a handful of territories (Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Bermuda) had facilities appropriate for hosting what really is a world-class meet. Since 2000, though, Grenada, St Kitts-Nevis and St Lucia have built brand new stadia and hosted the CARIFTA Games. The Games have also been held on Tobago and in Montego Bay, Jamaica, which became the 14th different venue in 2011.
The CARIFTA Games are normally sponsored by regional companies including the National Gas Company of Trinidad & Tobago Ltd and Guardian Holdings. In 2009, telecommunications company, LIME Caribbean signed on as a presenting sponsor, providing finance to the local organising committee, direct assistance to national teams and live coverage of the Games on TV across the Caribbean, as well as via Internet streaming.LIME pumps $20m into Carifta Games , Jamaica Gleaner, 22 October 2009]
The Games are hosted directly under the auspices of the North and Central American and Caribbean Confederation of World Athletics, more commonly known as NACAC. Each country may enter two athletes per event and up to six athletes may be entered for relay events (with two acting as substitutes) and three athletes in the combined events such as pentathlon or heptathlon.
Games EditionYearCityCountryDateVenueNo. of EventsTop Team1st1972 () BridgetownBarbados1–4 April23Jamaica2nd1973 () Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago4–5 May34Jamaica3rd1974 () KingstonJamaica13–15 AprilIndependence Park34Jamaica4th1975 () HamiltonBermuda29–31 March36Bermuda5th1976 ()NassauBahamas19–20 April39Jamaica6th1977 ()BridgetownBarbados25–26 April39Jamaica7th1978 ()NassauBahamas27–28 March39Jamaica8th1979 ()KingstonJamaica20–22 AprilIndependence Park42Jamaica9th1980 ()HamiltonBermuda3–4 May48Bahamas10th1981 ()NassauBahamas20–21 AprilThomas A. Robinson Stadium48Bahamas11th1982 ()KingstonJamaica10–12 AprilIndependence Park52Jamaica12th1983 ()Fort-de-FranceMartinique2–4 April52Bahamas13th1984 ()NassauBahamas21–23 April52Bahamas14th1985 ()BridgetownBarbados7–9 April52Jamaica15th1986 ()Les AbymesGuadeloupe29–31 March52Jamaica16th1987 ()Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago18–20 April52Jamaica17th1988 ()KingstonJamaica2–4 AprilIndependence Park52Jamaica18th1989 ()BridgetownBarbados25–27 March50Jamaica19th1990 ()KingstonJamaica14–16 AprilIndependence Park52Jamaica20th1991 ()Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago30 March 30 – 1 April53Jamaica21st1992 ()NassauBahamas18–20 April53Jamaica22nd1993 ()Fort-de-FranceMartinique10–11 April55Jamaica23rd1994 ()BridgetownBarbados2–4 April58Jamaica24th1995 ()George TownCayman Islands15–17 April58Jamaica25th1996 ()KingstonJamaica6–8 AprilIndependence Park58Jamaica26th1997 ()BridgetownBarbados4–6 AprilNational Stadium58Jamaica27th1998 ()Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago11–13 April62Jamaica28th1999 ()Fort-de-FranceMartinique3–5 April63Jamaica29th2000 ()St. George'sGrenada22–24 AprilNational Stadium61Jamaica30th2001 ()BridgetownBarbados14–16 April62Jamaica31st2002 ()NassauBahamasMarch 30 – April 1Robinson National Stadium66Jamaica32nd2003 ()Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago19–21 AprilHasely Crawford National Stadium66Jamaica33rd2004 ()HamiltonBermuda9–11 AprilNational Stadium66Jamaica34th2005 ()BacoletTrinidad and Tobago26–28 MarchDwight Yorke Stadium66Jamaica35th2006 ()Les AbymesGuadeloupe15–17 AprilRené Serge Nabajoth Stadium66Jamaica36th2007 ()ProvidencialesTurks and Caicos Islands7–9 AprilNational Stadium66Jamaica37th2008 ()BasseterreSt Kitts and Nevis22–24 MarchSilver Jubilee Stadium 66Jamaica38th2009 ()Vieux FortSt Lucia10–13 AprilGeorge Odlum National Stadium66Jamaica39th2010 ()George TownCayman Islands3–5 AprilTruman Bodden Sports Complex66Jamaica40th2011 ()Montego BayJamaica23–25 AprilMontego Bay Sports Complex66Jamaica41st2012 ()HamiltonBermuda6–9 AprilNational Stadium66Jamaica42nd2013 ()NassauBahamas29 March – 1 AprilRobinson National Stadium66Jamaica43rd2014 ()Fort-de-FranceMartinique19–21 AprilStade Pierre Aliker66Jamaica44th2015 ()Sugar CitySt Kitts and Nevis4–6 AprilSilver Jubilee Stadium66Jamaica45th2016 ()St. George'sGrenada26–28 MarchNational Stadium66Jamaica46th2017 ()WillemstadCuraçao15–17 AprilErgilio Hato Stadium66Jamaica47th2018 ()NassauBahamas31 March – 2 AprilThomas Robinson Stadium66Jamaica 48th2019 ()George TownCayman Islands20–22 AprilTruman Bodden Sports Complex66Jamaica49th2022 ()KingstonJamaica16–18 AprilIndependence Park66Jamaica50th2023 ()NassauBahamas7–9 AprilThomas Robinson Stadium68Jamaica51st2024 ()St. George'sGrenada30 March – 1 AprilKirani James Athletic Stadium68Jamaica52nd2025 ()Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago19–21 AprilHasely Crawford Stadium68Jamaica53rd2026 ()St. George'sGrenada4–6 AprilKirani James Athletic Stadium68Jamaica
Medal Totals Since 1990 As of 2024
CARIFTA Games Records
Jamaica has dominated the medals table at CARIFTA over the years. So too the record books. They hold records in 10 of the 21 Under-20 men's events contested all-time at CARIFTA, and hold or share 11 of the 17 Under-20 women's records. At the junior level, Jamaican boys own nine of the 17 records, whilst their girls possess a remarkable 10 of 16 marks in the Under-17 division. The oldest CARIFTA record in the books, though (at least for events still being contested in the modern Games), belongs to a Bermudian, Sonya Smith, whose Under-20 Javelin Throw performance of 53.98m has been on the books since 1979. The oldest boys' record is 15.03 m, the winning distance for Lyndon Sands of the Bahamas in the 1980 Under-17 Triple Jump.
Kareem Streete-Thompson went on to become one of the world's leading horizontal jumpers, but his CARIFTA performances have earned legendary status. In 1989, he set an Under-17 Long Jump record with a leap of 7.83 m, and a year later his 7.94 m was an Under-20 record, in his first year competing at that level for Cayman Islands. Both marks remain untouched. The women's horizontal jump records are almost as long-lived, Jackie Edwards' 1987 mark of 6.14 m was the Under-17 winning distance that year, and Daphne Saunders' leap of 6.93 m won her the 1989 title. Both ladies are from the Bahamas.
Men Under 20 EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateGamesVideo100 m10.11 Yohan Blake7 April 20072007 Providenciales 200 m19.93 Usain Bolt11 April 20042004 Hamilton400 m45.02Kirani James3 April 20102010 Georgetown800 m1:48.95Kenroy LevyApril 19871987 Port of Spain1500 m3:47.56Gavyn Nero11 April 20092009 Vieux Fort3000 mEvent held 1973-19798:48.20Trevor SmallApril 19761976 Nassau5000 m14:34.34Kemoy Campbell5 April 20102010 George Town110 m hurdles (99.1 cm)13.19 Shaquane Gordon21 April 20252025 Port of Spain300 m hurdles41.00Clive Barriffe5 May 19731973 Port of Spain 400 m hurdles49.76Jehue Gordon4 April 20102010 Georgetown3000 m steeplechase9:59.62Junior Mitchell31 March 19911991 Port of SpainHigh jump2.22 mJermaine Francis17 April 20172017 WillemstadPole vault5.30 mBrenden Vanderpool30 March 20242024 St. George'sLong jump7.94 m7.95 m by other sourcesKareem Streete-Thompson20 April 19901990 Kingston Triple jump16.46 m Jaydon Hibbert18 April 20222022 KingstonShot put (6 kg)20.02 mKobe Lawrence18 April 20222022 KingstonDiscus throw (1.75 kg)66.41 mRoje Stona15 April 20172017 WillemstadJavelin throw (800 g)79.89 mKeyshawn Strachan16 April 20222022 KingstonHeptathlon5623 ptsMaurice SmithApril 19991999 Fort-de-France Octathlon5839 ptsShakiel Chattoo4–5 April 20152015 BasseterreDecathlon (U20)6522 ptsTyrique Vincent19–20 April 20252025 Port of Spain4 × 100 m relay39.15Bouwahjgie NkrumieBryan LevellSandrey DavisonDeAndre Daley17 April 20222022 Kingston4 × 400 m relay3:05.49Nadal SealeAidan MooreJahkye BrewsterShamari Greenige-Lewis6 April 20262026 St. George's
Women Under 20 EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateGames100 m11.03 (heat)Aleen Bailey11 April 19981998 Port of Spain11.03 (heat)Tamicka Clarke11 April 19981998 Port of Spain200 m22.11 Shanoya Douglas6 April 20262026 St. George's400 m51.30Sonita Sutherland15 April 20062006 Les Abymes800 m2:05.90Natoya Goule24 March 20082008 Basseterre1500 m4:27.48Natoya Goule10 April 20092009 Vieux Fort3000 m9:50.56Janice Turner31 March 19911991 Port of Spain100 m hurdles (83.8 cm)13.06 Alexis James10 April 20232023 Nassau400 m hurdles56.22Shiann Salmon1 April 20182018 NassauHigh jump1.87 mJeanelle Scheper1 April 20132013 NassauPole vault3.20 mNaima Caprice4 April 20262026 St. George'sLong jump6.50 m Janae De Gannes1 April 20242024 St. George'sTriple jump13.40 m Yanis David3 April 20152015 BasseterreShot put (4.0 kg)17.44 mMarla-Kay Lampart20 March 20252025 Port of SpainDiscus throw (1.0 kg)55.06 mJackie Henrianne Pri Hyman30 March 20242024 St. George'sJavelin throw 600g old spec. (-1998)53.98 mSonya Smith20 April 19791979 KingstonJavelin throw 600g new spec. (1999-)51.13 mCandesha Scott28 March 20162016 St. George’sPentathlon3935 ptsSalcia Slack23 March 20082008 Basseterre Heptathlon5231 ptsAyesha Champagnie4–5 April 20152015 Basseterre4 × 100 m relay42.58Serena ColeTina ClaytonBrianna LystonTia Clayton17 April 20222022 Kingston4 × 400 m relay3:31.47Olivia JamesJanieve RussellSimoya CampbellChrisann Gordon25 April 20112011 Montego Bay
Mixed U-20 EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateGames4 × 400 m relay3:20.79Tishawn EastonAkeela DoverMalachi AustinTianna Springer5 April 20262026 St. George's
Boys Under 18