Teams from across the region have arrived in Jamaica ahead of the 49th staging set to begin at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday, April 16.

The Games were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic but will now resume in earnest as the best junior athletes in the region pit their talents against each other over three days of intense competition with Jamaica hosting for the eighth time.

The latest teams to arrive include the Cayman Islands which has sent 29 athletes.

“We are expecting to do very well. We have some very talented runners. Some of our athletes are actually in school here in Jamaica and we’re expecting big things from them. Some of the kids are young and nervous but we will go well,” said Assistant Manager of the team, Paula Dawkins-Archbold told the Jamaica Observer.

Also arriving is the team from St. Kitts and Nevis. 'We have a team of 16 athletes-13 boys and three females and we hope to do some personal bests,” said team manager Azurdey Phillips.

The Bahamas has sent a team of 55, Trinidad and Tobago, 43 and Guyana 24. Bermuda which was to have hosted the Games in 2020 has sent a team of 20 while Barbados has sent 17 athletes.

SportsMax, the Caribbean’s premier sports and entertainment broadcaster, will broadcast the games live on its channels and Mobile App.

SportsMax will produce the CARIFTA Games and broadcast on linear TV via its many cable partners across the region and on CEEN TV outside the Caribbean and on its SportsMax and SportsMax+ channels within the SportsMax App in addition to partnering with several free-to-air entities across the region, ensuring that fans get to see their favourite athletes engage in pulsating track and field action over the Easter Weekend.

When the CARIFTA Games get underway, SportsMax, through its partnership with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) and the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), will ensure that the action on the track and on the field will be seen live on CNC3 in Trinidad, CBC in Barbados, CVM TV in Jamaica and Winners TV in St Lucia.