For the first time in the event’s history, the South American nation of Guyana has begun full-scale preparations to welcome the 2027 CARIFTA Athletics Championships, a premier regional track and field competition that will draw more than 600 participating athletes and coaching staff from over 20 countries across the Caribbean and broader Americas during the 2027 Easter holiday period.
Earlier this week, key stakeholders including senior Guyanese government ministers and executive leadership from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) completed a thorough on-site inspection of the event’s primary venue: the National Track and Field Centre located in Leonora. The inspection marked a major milestone in the ongoing planning process for the historic games. Following the walkthrough, NACAC President Mike Sands shared strong public confidence in both the local organizing committee’s work and the Guyanese government’s sustained backing for the project. He even noted that collaborative planning with Guyanese officials had “reduced his blood pressure by 20 per cent”, a lighthearted comment that underscored his satisfaction with progress to date.
Local plans for the championships extend well beyond venue upgrades, with targeted efforts to field a competitive domestic team and align national sporting calendars to maximize athlete performance. Guyana is set to send a delegation of more than 60 homegrown athletes to compete, with structured, centralized national training camps scheduled to launch in late September this year. To give local athletes additional preparation time and competitive experience ahead of the regional event, the 2027 National Schools Championships will be moved to an earlier spot on the annual sporting calendar.
Steven Jacobs, Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of Guyana, emphasized that preparatory work for the regional championships has been underway for some time, framing the hosting opportunity as a reflection of the country’s long-term sporting and developmental vision. “Hosting this event shows the vision of our country and the vision of His Excellency. Happy to say we have already started preparation for the CARIFTA Games. We as a government will ensure everything will be in place. Guyana is officially a sporting destination while we host a number of regional and international tournaments and events,” Jacobs stated. Beyond the athletic impact, Jacobs also highlighted the significant economic benefits the event will bring to local communities: hosting hundreds of international visitors over the Easter holiday will generate increased revenue for local hotels, transportation operators, catering services and small independent vendors across the region.
Currently, organizers are putting the final touches on the venue’s logistical layout, with minor targeted infrastructure upgrades set to get underway in the coming weeks. These improvements include installing additional bucket seating in the venue’s grandstands to accommodate more spectators. Minister of Education Sonia Parag added another layer of context to the event’s impact, focusing on its long-term benefits for youth development across the country. She noted that major sporting infrastructure investments over the past six years have created new opportunities for Guyanese athletes and students to uncover their natural talent, and the 2027 CARIFTA Championships will act as a critical gateway for young people to access upward mobility through sport, thanks to the new training and competition facilities now available.
Organizing officials are also working to expand the event’s global reach, with plans to grow live broadcast access across North America, South America, Europe and Africa. The strategic expansion aims to surpass the 1 million+ global viewership the championships drew in 2026, bringing greater international exposure to Guyana and the sport of track and field across the region.