分类： sports

One of the most decorated clubs in Barbadian football, multiple-time Barbados Football Association Premier League title holders Weymouth Wales, has touched down in Trinidad and kicked off pre-tournament preparations ahead of the upcoming Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield. The Barbadian side enters this year’s competition hungry to outdo their 2025 run, which ended in a heartbreaking 3-2 final defeat to Dominican Republic side Moca FC at Couva’s Ato Boldon Stadium, leaving them with a second-place trophy.

That runner-up finish still earned Weymouth Wales a spot in the prestigious CONCACAF Caribbean Cup later in the year, where the club turned in a solid performance: claiming two wins from four group-stage matches to secure third place in Group B. Now, with a new year of competition on the horizon, head coach Asquith Howell says the squad is targeting incremental improvement and bigger achievements in 2026.

Speaking to reporters following the team’s first on-field training session in Trinidad, Howell outlined his side’s ambitions. “We’re here to go a little step further than what we did last year, so we’re looking to achieve even greater things,” the coach said. “I think most of the guys are healthy, and I think after settling we’ll be a little bit more focused in reference to doing the job that we came here to do.”

Howell made clear the team’s immediate priority is securing a return trip to the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, a goal that first requires navigating through the CFU Club Shield group stage. “Our first mission is to go to the next step, which is the Caribbean Cup, so we need to qualify from this phase,” he explained. “We begin against the team from Aruba and from there on we will see how things go.”

As the island nation of Barbados prepares for next Wednesday’s State Funeral of the country’s most iconic sports figure, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) joined the growing wave of national tributes on Friday, gathering to lay a wreath at the statue of National Hero the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers outside Kensington Oval.

Surrounded by members of the party’s executive committee, DLP Acting President Stephen Lashley addressed reporters after the brief, solemn ceremony, framing the wreath-laying as a meaningful public recognition of a legacy that extends far beyond the boundaries of international cricket.

Sir Garfield Sobers, the universally acclaimed legendary West Indian cricketer, passed away recently, triggering an outpouring of grief and respect from cricket fans, political leaders and sporting bodies across the globe. His decades-long, record-breaking career redefined the sport of cricket and cemented Barbados’ reputation as a cradle of world-class cricketing talent on the international stage.

Speaking to media on site, Lashley emphasized that the DLP’s tribute marked the party’s shared grief over a loss that resonates globally. “Sir Garfield Sobers has been an icon in the cricketing world. He has represented Barbados and the West Indies in an outstanding manner,” Lashley told reporters. “This is a tremendous loss, not only for us here in Barbados but across the world. We felt that it was our duty in the Democratic Labour Party to physically come here and demonstrate the fact that we, too, feel a tremendous part of that loss.”

He also praised the countless individuals and community organizations that have stepped forward to honor the cricketer in the days since his passing, noting that this widespread, cross-sector outpouring of respect reflects the extraordinary regard in which Sobers was held at home and across the world.

Beyond the period of national mourning, Lashley stressed that Sobers’ impact should serve as a lasting guiding light for young Barbadians. “We believe that Sir Garry’s memory will continue,” he said. “All that he stood for will continue to be a part of not only the folklore of Barbados, but certainly should be celebrated in so many ways.”

Lashley pointed out that both the legendary athlete’s unprecedented career achievements and his exemplary personal conduct offer a powerful blueprint for young people across the country. “There are so many parts of his career that can be emulated, and we certainly hope that not only in cricket but the outstanding way in which he carried himself can be a model for our schoolchildren in particular and certainly a model for our nation.”

Concluding his remarks, Lashley called it a profound privilege to lead the DLP’s tribute to one of Barbados’ most beloved and accomplished public figures. “We’re very honoured to be here this morning and certainly it’s been an honour for me, as Acting President of the Democratic Labour Party, to join with my comrades in laying this wreath in honour of the outstanding service of Sir Garfield Sobers.”

Barbados is breaking new ground in accessible sports with a landmark national initiative designed to expand recreational opportunities for blind and visually impaired community members, paving the way for competitive participation both locally and on the global stage. The Barbados Chess Federation (BCF), in partnership with the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs and the National United Society of the Blind (NUSB), has officially received specialized adaptive chess equipment from the International Chess Federation (FIDE), enabling the island nation to host its first-ever official national championship for visually impaired chess players.

During a formal handover ceremony held Friday, the BCF presented 10 custom braille chess sets and five adaptive chess clocks to NUSB, gear tailored specifically to meet the unique needs of players with limited or no vision. BCF President Allan Herbert explained that the request for specialized equipment grew out of introductory training sessions launched with visually impaired participants last year. Standard chess gear designed for fully sighted players simply does not work for those with visual disabilities, Herbert noted, prompting the federation to reach out to FIDE for support. The global governing body responded with a grant that covered the cost of the adaptive equipment.

With the custom gear now in hand, visually impaired players can transition from remote online training to in-person over-the-board competition for the first time in Barbados. “The core goal of this project from the start was to secure the proper tools to make competitive, in-person chess accessible,” Herbert said. “Now that we have that equipment, we can move forward with building structured, traditional competitive play for this community.”

A new round of community training is scheduled to kick off next month, designed to recruit and train new participants from the visually impaired community. The training period will conclude later this year with the historic first national championship for visually impaired chess players, a milestone for inclusive sports on the island. Looking ahead to the long term, the BCF has set an ambitious target: to develop a competitive national team that can represent Barbados at the FIDE World Team Championship for Persons with Disabilities within the next two to four years, where the tournament is held every two years. “We are starting from an early, developing stage,” Herbert explained. “But we are confident that in the coming years, we will have a team ready to compete at the international level.”

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Adrian Forde praised the initiative, framing it as a reflection of the Barbadian government’s ongoing commitment to advancing equal opportunity for people living with disabilities across all sectors of society. “Our ministry’s work must be balanced to ensure that people with disabilities get the same access to opportunities as every other member of our community,” Forde said. “Inclusivity isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a value we want every Barbadian to live by, and this program embodies that.”

Forde emphasized that meaningful partnership for disability inclusion requires tangible action, not just empty rhetoric at international forums. “Partnership has to mean real opportunities for people with disabilities here at home,” he said. The minister also announced plans to support the future hosting of an international blind chess tournament in Barbados, expanding the impact of the initiative beyond national borders. “Under my watch, we will fulfill our mandate to guarantee equal opportunity for people living with disabilities,” Forde added. “Before long, we will welcome competitors from across the region and beyond for an international blind chess tournament right here in Barbados, to showcase the incredible talent in our community.”

NUSB President Ralbert Ashton noted that the programme opens a critical new avenue for visually impaired Barbadians to demonstrate their skills and contribute to national life. “We have a saying: ‘There’s life after blindness,’” Ashton said. “We already saw the incredible talent our community has shown in the national Calypso competition, and our members excel in so many different fields. Our community has so much to give back to Barbados — all we need is the opportunity to showcase that. This collaboration between the BCF, the Social Empowerment Agency and NUSB gives us exactly that chance, and helps us continue advocating for full inclusion for people with disabilities.”

Kerryann Ifill, immediate past president of NUSB, recalled that the effort began when the organization reached out to the BCF to explore accessible chess programming, and was met with immediate enthusiasm — a welcome change from the pushback disability advocates often encounter. “When you work in this space, you get used to people saying no, saying they don’t know if it will work,” Ifill said. “It was so refreshing to have the BCF say yes immediately, that they were ready to make this happen.”

Ifill also singled out chess coach Dirk Austin for praise, noting that he volunteered his time to learn how to work with blind players and has been a consistent supporter of the programme. “Dirk had never worked with blind chess players before, but he stepped up without hesitation,” Ifill said. “He’s always available to encourage our players and help the programme grow.”

Currently, participants train on an accessible online chess platform that offers a dedicated blind mode, which allows visually impaired players to compete against sighted opponents seamlessly, often without their opponents even noticing their disability. “Once you enable blind mode, the platform adapts completely for screen readers, and you can just sit back and enjoy the game of chess,” Ifill explained. Now, with the new braille equipment, players will get the chance to test their skills in person for the first time, building toward the historic national championship later this year.

The Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, hosted in the Dominican Republic, delivered a day of mixed results for Team Barbados on Friday, with standout young tennis player Hannah Chambers stepping into the spotlight as the island nation’s only multiple winner across all contested events.

Chambers delivered two gritty performances to claim two victories over the day, first advancing through the women’s singles draw with a hard-fought three-set win over El Salvador’s Gabriella Tevez. After claiming the opening set 6-3, the Barbadian dropped the second frame 3-6 as Tevez found her rhythm on the hard court. But Chambers dug deep in the decisive third set, adjusting her serve placement and closing out key points to secure a 6-4 win and a spot in the tournament’s second round.

Her compatriot Gabrielle Leslie suffered an early exit in women’s singles, falling 6-3 6-1 to Dominican home crowd favorite Ana Zamburek in the round of 32. But Leslie bounced back quickly to join Chambers in the women’s doubles draw, where the pair dominated their Venezuelan opponents to take a straight-sets 6-4, 6-1 win and advance to the next round of competition.

Other Barbadian tennis competitors were not as fortunate on the day. Kaipo Marshall was eliminated in the first round of men’s singles after a tightly contested three-set battle against Jamaica’s Nicholas Gore, with the final scoreline reading 6-4, 2-6, 5-7. El Salvador’s Caesar Cruz also claimed a straight-sets win over Barbados’ Stephen Slocombe, knocking Slocombe out of the singles draw with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Away from the tennis courts, Barbados’ other competitors faced their own early-round challenges. Archer Javier Jordan, the first Barbadian athlete to compete on Friday, finished 20th out of 29 entrants in the opening round of the men’s individual compound event.

In team badminton action on day two of group play, El Salvador claimed a 4-1 win over the Barbadian side. The only bright spot for the Caribbean nation came from the doubles pairing of Kennie King and Shai Martin, who pulled out a three-set win over their opponents 21-17, 18-21, 21-17. All other singles and doubles matchups on the day fell to El Salvador. The result follows a rocky start to group play for Barbados: after opening the tournament with a 4-1 loss to Venezuela on Thursday, the Barbadian quartet suffered a 5-0 blanking at the hands of Guatemala in their second group match.

Barbados’ 2023 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games journey got underway in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, with badminton marking the island nation’s first competitive action of the multi-sport event. The opening matchup against Venezuela ended in a 4-1 defeat for the Barbadian national side, though it produced one bright highlight for the delegation: veteran men’s singles player Kennie King secured his country’s only win of the tie, battling past Venezuela’s Ricardo Torres in three hard-fought sets 21-18, 11-21, 21-5.

In the women’s singles draw, Barbados’ Monyata Riviera fell in straight sets to Venezuela’s Mariangel Garcia, 14-21, 19-21. King and his men’s doubles partner Shae Martin could not overcome their Venezuelan opponents, dropping the match 15-21, 15-21. Riviera and Sabrina Scott, competing in women’s doubles, also lost in straight sets 14-21, 18-21. The final contest, mixed doubles, saw Venezuela claim another victory as Martin and Scott fell 10-21, 19-21 to the Venezuelan pairing.

Beyond the badminton court, the Barbadian delegation of more than 140 athletes, with a total support and competitor contingent of roughly 200 people, has been settling into the CAC Games environment across multiple host cities. Chef de Mission Dr. Adrian Lorde, speaking exclusively to Barbados TODAY from his base in Santo Domingo, reported that the team’s morale remains strong despite the opening result and logistical adjustments required for the tournament.

“Batches of competitors are still arriving, but I’ve been really impressed with the team’s spirit and resilience,” Lorde said. “Conditions here are quite hot, and we’ve had some variation in accommodation, but the group has settled in far better than expected.” Many early-arriving athletes have already begun on-ground training for their upcoming events, Lorde confirmed. The men’s hockey squad has already held a public warm-up scrimmage against the host Dominican Republic team, while shooters have reported to their venues, and swimmers and tennis players arrived in country Wednesday night. A formal team welcome ceremony for the Barbadian delegation is scheduled for Wednesday evening in the main CAC Games Village.

The 2024 CAC Games, which will run through July 24 to August 8, are expected to welcome roughly 6,000 athletes from across the region to compete in a full slate of sporting events. Lorde noted that Barbadian representatives have quickly built camaraderie with competitors from other participating nations, with athletes swapping national pins and connecting in shared training and accommodation spaces.

Unlike most delegations concentrated in the main Games Village, Barbados’ team is spread across multiple host cities to align with event venues: the rowing team is based in a separate municipality, golfers are competing out of Punta Cana, and other groups are stationed in Santiago. Lorde acknowledged that event organizers have faced early logistical growing pains, commonly referred to as teething problems, as they prepare for the full duration of the games. “The organizing committee is doing everything possible to address these early issues, and we’re all ready to compete,” he said. “We have no complaints at all about the quality of the competitive facilities, which are top notch. While the Games Village is still being finalized and isn’t quite at the level we would have hoped for this early in the event, the food has been excellent. All things considered, things are looking really good for our team moving forward.”