One of the Caribbean’s most anticipated regional junior swimming competitions will have to find a new home in 2027, after the Saint Lucia Aquatics Federation (SLAF) formally pulled its hosting bid last month, citing unavoidable delays to the completion of the island nation’s new National Aquatic Centre (NAC). The Bahamas has quickly stepped forward to submit a provisional bid to host the 54th edition of the prestigious CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, with the event scheduled to run from March 26 to 31 at Nassau’s Betty-Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre if approved.
The formal notification of Saint Lucia’s withdrawal was delivered in a March 12 correspondence from SLAF President Paula James to Steven Joachim, Chairperson of the CARIFTA Congress. James’ decision followed an official update from the Ministry of Education, Youth Development and Sports (MYDS) that confirmed ongoing construction at the Beauséjour, Gros Islet facility would not finish before the Easter 2027 event, as the project timeline extends past next year’s Easter holiday.
In her statement following the withdrawal, James emphasized the disappointment of the local aquatics community while acknowledging the urgent need for alternate organizers to begin preparations. “Regrettably, the update indicates that the facility will not be completed within the timeframe required to support Saint Lucia’s bid to host CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in 2027,” James said. “While this news is very disappointing for us, we understand that the alternate host country will now have to start making their preparations. Once the National Aquatic Centre is completed, Saint Lucia looks forward to bid to host once again at a future date.”
The NAC project, which was fully launched in April 2025, is positioned adjacent to the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground and Saint Lucia’s National Tennis Centre. Designed to meet international competition standards, the purpose-built facility will feature an Olympic-regulation 50-meter pool fitted with a movable bulkhead, a dedicated warm-up pool, and covered spectator stands. On March 9, just three days before SLAF’s formal withdrawal notification, MYDS Permanent Secretary Dr Uralise Delaire formally communicated the construction delay to James and the federation leadership.
The Ministry of Education, Youth Development and Sports reaffirmed the island government’s unwavering commitment to finishing the aquatics centre and advancing competitive aquatics in Saint Lucia, even as it confirmed the 2027 hosting bid could not move forward. “While this development is unfortunate, the Government of Saint Lucia remains fully committed to the completion of the National Aquatics Centre and to the continued development of aquatics in Saint Lucia,” the ministry said in a statement. “The Government also looks forward to continued collaboration with the Saint Lucia Aquatics Federation toward the successful hosting of a future edition of the CARIFTA Swimming Championships once the facility is completed.”
Kenson Casimir, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Education, Youth Development and Sports, confirmed in an exclusive interview with local outlet *St Lucia Times* that the new facility is on track to be completed within the next 12 to 14 months. He added that the project will be a transformative development for competitive swimming on the island, where athletes currently train without access to a 50-meter international-standard pool. “We hope swimming continues to take its place in sports development in Saint Lucia… Of course, we know our team, they continue to will themselves on, despite the fact that they don’t have a 50-metre international-standard pool. Once that’s dealt with within the next 12 to 14 months, we can see improved times, improved performances,” Casimir said.
This is not the first time Saint Lucia has been forced to withdraw from hosting the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships: the island also pulled out of the 2019 event when construction had not yet broken ground. The current project has a long history of incremental progress: the modular pool structure was delivered to the island in early 2023, while site clearing work was completed in 2024, before full construction kicked off last year. For 2027, organizers have a backup plan in place if the Bahamas is unable to step into the host role: Trinidad and Tobago, which hosted the 2025 championships, has offered to serve as an alternate host. Jamaica has already secured hosting rights for the 2028 edition of the competition.