In a heartfelt appeal to those concerned, North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) President Mike Sands urged more financial support for sports as he underscored its transformative power in addressing some of the region's most pressing social challenges, including the troubling rise of violence.
Sands, drawing on Nelson Mandela’s famous reflections on the unifying power of sports, emphasized its potential to inspire positive change and redirect the energy of young people toward constructive pursuits.
“Nelson Mandela speaks about the power of sports, and if we look at what he says, sports can do many things, including uniting people and speaking a language to our young people,” Sands said during an appearance on TalkSports with Michael Bascombe on Saturday.
“In this day and age, with what we are going through throughout the world—particularly in our area—the violence, we can’t hide from that. But I believe that sports can play a role in how we redirect some of this energy our young people have. Sports can give them a purpose for a better life,” he added.
Sands passionately advocated for a regional approach to sports development as he reiterated the call for stakeholders to recognize its role in shaping the lives of young people and fostering societal growth.
“Maybe I see things simply, but I would like to see a little bit more focus on the general aspect of sports and how we galvanize the energy amongst our young people,” Sands explained.
“We need sports—not just track and field—to become a CARICOM discussion. At the end of the day, we need to find ways to incentivize and motivate our young people to become involved so that they can really lead productive lives,” he noted.
Sands pointed out the critical role that national airlines and corporate sponsors can play in supporting athletes’ development. He cited examples like Bahamas Air and Caribbean Airlines, as he pointed out that those partnerships make it easier for athletes to access competitive opportunities.
While recognizing cricket’s cultural and economic importance in the Caribbean, Sands called for a more inclusive approach to regional sports discussions.
“I cringe when I hear that focus is being put on cricket as a grouping. I’m not suggesting otherwise, but I think those discussions need to be more inclusive. What can we, as CARICOM, do to support what is happening in our area in the world of sports? What are the benefits of sports to our young people and the nations involved?”
That said, Sands highlighted the logistical and financial hurdles faced by federations in hosting events like the Area Championships, which were canceled last year due to unforeseen challenges in El Salvador.
As such, he pointed to the need to secure consistent sponsorship and funding to ensure the sustainability of events critical to the region’s athletic success, such as the Carifta Games.
“At the end of the day, the events are very critical to our continued success. We have to find ways to get sponsorships and funding on behalf of our programmes,” he declared.
“There needs to be support—not necessarily from governments. I think we have to have these discussions with our member federations a little bit more, rather than go to the government cap in hand. We have to have a different approach, and that’s why I talked about the marketing approach,” Sands stated.