Changes coming to Carifta 2025

When Trinidad and Tobago hosts the 52nd edition of the annual Junior Carifta Games in 2025, there will be some changes. These are the introduction of the Octathlon at the Under-17 Boys level, and the Decathlon for Under-20 Boys.

Previously, the Octathlon was an Open event. However, from next year that event will be for Boys Under-17.

These changes were announced on Monday April 1, 2024, at a press conference held at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium, hosted by the organisers of the Carifta Games, the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC).

Chief executive of NACAC, Vincentian Keith Joseph, making the revelation stated that those were some of the decisions taken at the organisation’s Congress, held earlier that day.

Expanding on the reasons for the introduction of these changes, Joseph explained,“For the benefit of the continued growth of the sport, we have agreed this morning(April 1, 2024), that the Octathlon will stay as an Under-17 event, and the Decathlon will replace the Octathlon at the Under-20 level…We see this as a natural outgrowth of the sport, but also being consistent of what is happening at the World Athletics level”.

Joseph thus underscored the need to fall in line with what obtains internationally.

“At World Juniors and Pan Am Juniors there is no question about what multi-event is being held, the Octathlon does not feature in that,” Joseph pointed out.

The Octathlon comprises eight events- the 100m, Long Jump, Shot Putt, 400m, 100m Hurdles, High Jump, Javelin and 1500m, in that order over two days.

The Decathlon comprises 10 events: the 100m, 400m, 1500m, 110m Hurdles, Long Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault, Discus, Javelin and Shot Put.

However, participation in the Decathlon for St Vincent and the Grenadines may not happen in the near future, as at present, there is no Pole Vault apparatus at the Diamond Track Facility and unless such is erected soonest, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ representation may have to come from a Vincentian who trains overseas and has access to the Pole Vault and is adept at the other components of the Decathlon.

At the staging of the 2024 Carifta Games in Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines was represented in the Octathlon by Matthew Robinson and Jahieme Williams.

Before them, Recordo Williams represented the country in the multi- event in the Bahamas in 2023;

Kirk Hamlett (2022); and Jacques Edwards in 2019.