BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – In an official announcement aligned with its 2025–2029 Strategic Plan focused on advancing athlete growth and competitive support, the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee (SKNOC) has formally confirmed its national delegations set to compete at two of the year’s most prestigious regional and Commonwealth multi-sport events in 2026.
From July 23 to August 8, 2026, St. Kitts and Nevis athletes will travel to two host locations: Glasgow, Scotland for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the Dominican Republic for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Centro Caribe Sports Games. For the SKNOC, this year’s participation carries extra historic weight, as the federation will make its competitive debut in two new sporting disciplines: sailing and 3×3 basketball, both at the CAC Games.
Leading the seven-person 2026 Commonwealth Games delegation is Lester Hanley, who serves as the event’s Chef de Mission. All competing athletes will compete across two core sports: track and field athletics and swimming. In athletics, Shamarie Roberts will contest the men’s 100-meter sprint, while Alexander Caines is set to compete in the men’s 800-meter run. For swimming, Jonathon Essien is scheduled to race in both the men’s 100-meter butterfly and 50-meter butterfly, and Skyla Connor will compete in the women’s 50-meter breaststroke and women’s 50-meter freestyle. The delegation is supported by head coach Eldon Thomas and physiotherapist David Steven to keep athletes in peak competitive condition.
The larger CAC Games delegation, totaling 18 members, will be headed by Senior Chef de Mission Leroy Greene, with Brenda Allen stepping in as General Team Manager and Dwain Archibald handling all on-team medical responsibilities as the delegation’s official doctor. St. Kitts and Nevis will field competitors across four distinct disciplines at the Dominican Republic event: tennis, beach volleyball, 3×3 basketball, and sailing, the latter two being historic first appearances for the federation.
In tennis, Khalil Burroughs and Omar Mongerie will each compete in both men’s singles and men’s doubles, guided by head coach Watkins Chiverton. For beach volleyball, two national teams will compete: Zendai Richards and Elkreen Morton in the men’s division, and Jontette Hensley Philip and Shajunee Gumbs in the women’s division, with Richard Swan serving as the team’s coach. The historic debut 3×3 basketball roster includes Cecil Angel, Daivique Osbourne, Makari Gumbs, and Tyquan Rogers, led by coach Wendell Pemberton. Rounding out the delegation in the other debut discipline, sailing, Amadi Byron-Hendrickson will compete in the men’s dinghy class, with Nicholas Dupre acting as the team’s coach.
Competition schedules for both events place swimming at the Commonwealth Games running from July 24 to July 29, with track and field events taking place from July 27 to July 29. At the CAC Games, tennis competition is scheduled from July 24 to July 30, beach volleyball from July 25 to July 30, 3×3 basketball from August 1 to August 2, and sailing running from August 1 to August 6.
In closing, the SKNOC extended its full well wishes to all members of Team St. Kitts and Nevis, wishing athletes safe travel, strong performances, and success as they represent the small island federation on the global and regional international sports stages.