Barbados ready to host XXXV CARIFTA Swimming Championships

AFTER two years of cancelations the XXXV CARIFTA Swimming Championships are set to swim off tomorrow.
This was announced by the 2022 host Barbados with 18 countries expected to contest the games at the Aquatic Centre in Wildey.
According to president of the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association, Lady Cheryl Forde, there will be “just over 300 athletes from across the region starting from Bermuda in the North right down to Suriname in the south. We also have officials from the territories and we expect to have a very exciting competition.”
Barbados who were set to host the championships when the first cancelation was announced is ready now that sports and championships in the region get going after the 2020 and 2021 editions were called off due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
“In edition to the Pandemic we had the ash fall which created another situation for the pool and facilities. However we were able to maintain some level of training for swimming but the other two sports that we would have at Carifta, Water polo and Artistic Swimming, being team sports and contact sports they were in a difficult situation and unable to train until recently.
The last two years without the championships sees some swimmers who entered an age group also leaving the age group without being able to compete in it.
This is a situation which obtained not only in Barbados, but throughout the region. We were unable to field enough teams to make a competition. This year we have swimming which will start on Saturday, and run until April 19 on Tuesday, and then we have the 5k open water event which will take place in Carlisle Bay on Wednesday. Lady Forde said that they have been following the protocol send by the Covid-19 monitoring Unit and by meeting all the requirements they have been able to get to this point along with the regulations from
FINA.
Second vice president Wayne Beckles said that as this is probably one of the first Caribbean games where teams are travelling from the region to participate in a sporting activity in the middle of a pandemic is the most important that we maintain with protocols as the government of Barbados and in conjunction with the FINA COVID-19 regulations..All athletes, coaches, officials, support staff and volunteers are required to test tomorrow (Friday) the 15th of April 2022. Thereafter, unvaccinated 48 hours and vaccinated every 72 hours.”
Also in the protocols are bubbles and social distancing, washing your hands, throughout the Swimming Championships.
For spectators the maximum capacity for the facility is allowed and persons who are vaccinated are not required to show a COVID-19 test, while unvaccinated are required to show a negative antigen test which is to be repeated every 48 hours.
There will be isolation rooms available at the hotel as well as a Covid-19 liaison officer. Should someone test positive it will be difficult for the athlete to return to swimming as a PCR will be done afterwards.
Beckles said that according to the FINA rules and regulations if more than three persons from a Federations test positive than that federation can be removed from competition.
“However, that is in consultation with the medical team so it is not automatic removal from competition. The risk analysis will have to take place to determine what is the best course of action.”