The CARIFTA Games is best described as the Caribbean’s Best vs whoever Jamaica sends. Unlike World U20, Jamaica is rarely interested in sending its best athletes to the Caribbean Showcase. This is not in any way to down play the performance of our Caribbean neighbours or to throw stones at the JAAA. In fact, the athletes who go to the CARIFTA Games are the ones who survived ISSA Champs, and who are interested. On the other hand, the other countries send their very best. Many of them actually live and train in Jamaica or on the Collegiate circuit in the USA. Wherever the talent is the other countries will send for them to compete at CARIFTA.
In case you didn’t notice, Jamaica has assumed a new role in regional track and field development. On the surface, you see a growing number of Caribbean nationals in the Jamaican High School system. But below that is a growing number of Jamaican coaches spread far and wide across the region. These coaches are developing the athletic skills of the athletes in their home countries. In addition, the World Athletics courses in recent times are predominantly taught by Jamaican lecturers. The footprint is wide and deep. These are factors, though not new, that are actually more prevalent and significantly impact the results we now see.
What’s the Jamaican response? I am certainly not interested in the thoughtless statements and the doom and gloom. First, we need to decide what outcomes we want 5 to 10 years from now and make decisions or policies that will facilitate those outcomes. In the meantime my question is, if last year you played a team and beat them 10-0 and this year you played them and beat them 8-1, did your team underperform?
Next stop Oregon 2026. ##TeamJamaica
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