After a years-long pause, one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated inter-campus collegiate sporting events has made a triumphant return. The 32nd edition of the UWI Games, themed “Reunited, Reignited, Ready,” officially opened its doors on May 22 at the University of the West Indies’ St. Augustine Campus, kicking off eight days of competitive action, community building, and Caribbean cultural celebration for more than 600 participating athletes.
The opening ceremony delivered a vibrant, high-energy welcome to delegates from all five of UWI’s campuses, opening with a celebratory parade of athlete and official contingents. Each team took the opportunity to highlight its unique campus identity, marching into the venue decked in bold signature colors, chanting team slogans, and dancing to the infectious rhythms of dancehall and soca music. As the host venue, St. Augustine expanded on the festive energy with a special cultural showcase curated by the campus’ Department of Creative and Festival Arts, which centered the rich shared heritage, rhythmic creativity, and cultural dynamism of the Caribbean region. The ceremony reached its iconic climax with the traditional lighting of the UWI Games torch, a moment that formally marked the start of the competition and set an electric tone for the week of competition ahead.
Delivering the opening ceremony’s feature address was Jehue Gordon, a UWI alumnus, World Championship gold medalist, and Olympic finalist, who drew on his own experience as a UWI student-athlete to speak to the transformative power of combining academics and athletics. Gordon reflected on the unique challenges of balancing rigorous university coursework with elite international training, noting, “I know what it feels like to leave class mentally exhausted and still have to show up for training…to chase greatness while trying to survive university life.” He went on to emphasize that far beyond earning a degree, his time at UWI shaped his character, built lifelong relationships, and fostered the discipline and perspective that drove his athletic success. “What University gave to me was bigger than a degree, it gave me an environment that helped shape my character, relationships, discipline and perspective. Most importantly it gave me a community that believed in me even before the world knew my name,” he said. Gordon stressed that sport acts as a critical complement to academic education, instilling core values of discipline, resilience, and leadership in young people that serve them long after they graduate.
UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles echoed this sentiment in his opening remarks, framing the UWI Games as a student-centered, intergenerational institution whose return demonstrates the university’s longstanding commitment to embedding sport in student life. This year’s games coincide with the 10th anniversary of UWI’s Faculty of Sport, a milestone that Beckles highlighted as a transformative shift for student-athletes. “We are privileged that these games are taking place in the context of the 10th anniversary of the Faculty of Sport. Students, you no longer have to choose between being an athlete and an academic,” he said, noting that the games honor the Caribbean’s centuries-long legacy of excellence in both scholarship and sport.
This 2026 edition marks several historic milestones for the event beyond its return from hiatus. For the first time ever, UWI’s Five Islands Campus is fielding a contingent of athletes, and the Games are hosting the largest delegation in history from the university’s Global Campus. Professor Derek Chadee, Acting Campus Principal of UWI St. Augustine and Chair of the 2026 UWI Games Organising Committees, emphasized that this year’s gathering is more than a simple resumption of the event. “This year we are not just resuming the games, we are renewing them,” he said, crediting the creativity and dedication of event planners, the resilience of generations of student-athletes, coaches, and regional sporting leaders who have preserved the legacy of Caribbean sporting excellence. Chadee also highlighted sport’s unique unifying power, bringing together diverse campuses across the region under a single shared community.
Additional opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Roy McCree, Dean of UWI’s Faculty of Sport; Mr Ronson Hackshaw, Assistant Director of the Physical Education and Sport Division at Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs; and Mr Vedanand Hargobin, St. Augustine Campus Guild President. Speaking on behalf of all campus guild presidents and the broader UWI student body, Hargobin shared his excitement at the return of large-scale student sporting events to campus life. “The memories created here will not only be about medals and scores. They will be about friendships, pride, laughter, rivalry and the feeling of being part of one Caribbean university,” he said.
Over the eight days of competition, student-athletes will compete across 10 popular sporting disciplines: cricket, football, basketball, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, hockey, volleyball, track and field, and netball. Aligned with UWI’s core mission of nurturing well-rounded, socially responsible graduates, the games also include structured social outreach initiatives for participating athletes. The centerpiece of this community engagement is a sports clinic for a local children’s home, scheduled for May 26, which will offer young participants basic sport skills training, mentorship from UWI student-athletes, and opportunities for positive, meaningful connection.
For those unable to attend in person, all games action will be broadcast live via www.uwitv.global and all official UWItv digital platforms. In-person attendance is free and open to all UWI students, staff, alumni, and members of the general public. Anyone interested in attending can register, access full competition schedules, and track live results at the official event website: www.sta.uwi.edu/uwigames.
