分类： sports

Ahead of the 51st regular CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government, regional athletes and recreational runners gathered in Saint Lucia for the 19th edition of the annual CARICOM Road Run/Walk, where Jamaica’s Garfield Gordon and Barbados’ Carlie Robinson secured the event’s top individual honors.

Held in Gros Islet from July 5-8 alongside the leadership summit, the 2025 event drew more than 250 participants spanning professional competitors, hobbyist runners and amateur walkers from 15 Caribbean countries and territories. Gordon crossed the finish line first in the men’s 10-kilometer race to take home the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy, while Robinson claimed victory in the women’s division to earn the Secretary-General’s Trophy.

Regional neighbors followed closely behind the winners on the podium. In the men’s division, Guyana’s Odida Parkinson finished second, and Antigua and Barbuda’s Kamar Thomas took third place. For the women’s competition, Guyana’s Attoya Harvey claimed second spot, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Alexia John rounded out the top three.

Beyond athletic competition, event organizers and regional leaders framed the Road Run/Walk as far more than a race, positioning it as a cornerstone event that celebrates Caribbean unity and advances public health priorities across the bloc. Speaking on behalf of current CARICOM Chair and Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Saint Lucia’s Minister of Education, Youth Development, Sport and Digital Transformation Kenson Casimir emphasized the event’s deeper meaning during the awards ceremony.

“This gathering is not just about speed or trophies. It stands as a symbol of health, discipline, solidarity and the interconnectedness that binds our entire Caribbean region,” Casimir said. “CARICOM is not only about heads of government meetings and policy decisions. It is first and foremost about our people, our communities, and the shared Caribbean identity that unites us all.”

CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, who joined participants for a group photo ahead of the award ceremony, echoed this sentiment and highlighted the event’s critical public health mission. She noted that non-communicable diseases including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease have seen sharp prevalence growth across the Caribbean region, making active lifestyle promotion a key priority for the bloc. By encouraging regular physical activity and healthy eating through events like the Road Run/Walk, CARICOM aims to drive down rates of these preventable conditions across member states.

Following the race, Barnett presented the Secretary-General’s Trophy to women’s champion Robinson, while Casimir awarded the Chairman’s Trophy to Gordon. The competition sets the stage for four days of high-level talks at the 51st CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government, where regional leaders will deliberate on pressing priorities including deeper regional integration, expanded economic cooperation, cross-border security, and other key issues affecting the Caribbean Community.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage advances, the second round of matches continues to deliver high-stakes action for football fans across the globe, with two highly anticipated clashes scheduled for Sunday, July 5, and two major upsets already sealed from earlier fixtures.

First up on matchday is a battle between Brazilian powerhouse and Scandinavian underdogs Norway, kicking off at 17:00 local time at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The fixture brings an unusual historical hurdle for Brazil: the five-time world champions have never beaten Norway in four previous meetings, with Norway claiming two wins and two draws. The most famous of those victories came at the 1998 World Cup, where Norway secured a memorable 2-1 win. Despite that unwanted trend, bookmakers and analysts still name Brazil as the clear favorite to progress to the quarterfinals.

The evening fixture will see co-host Mexico take on four-time semifinalists England at the iconic Mexico City Stadium, kicking off at 21:00 local time. The two sides have only met once before in World Cup history: during England’s title-winning 1966 campaign, the Three Lions claimed a 2-0 group stage win thanks to goals from legends Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt. England have also held the upper hand in meetings outside of the World Cup, notching four wins in friendly matches played between 1986 and 2010.

For Mexico, this clash represents a chance to end a 40-year drought for a quarterfinal berth, boosted by one of the most formidable home records in international men’s football. Since Mexico City Stadium opened in 1966, El Tri has lost just two official fixtures on its turf. That record has held strong through past World Cups hosted in the country: across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments, Mexico has claimed eight wins and two draws from 10 World Cup matches at the venue. In this year’s tournament, Mexico has kept three clean sheets in wins over South Africa, Czech Republic and Ecuador in Mexico City, plus an additional win over South Korea in Guadalajara. Former Mexico star striker Hugo Sanchez highlighted the unique advantage the venue provides, saying: “The stadium is a monster; that explains the large number of wins and draws. We are optimistic because we know it is England, but if we play like we did against Ecuador, we can beat them.”

The Round of 16 fixture list continues through the coming week, with two more matches scheduled for Monday, July 6: Portugal will face Spain at Dallas Stadium at 16:00 local time, followed by a clash between hosts United States and Belgium at Seattle Stadium at 21:00. The final two round of 16 matches will be held on Tuesday, July 7: Argentina will take on Egypt at Atlanta Stadium at 13:00, and Switzerland will face Colombia at BC Place in Vancouver at 17:00.

In already completed Round of 16 action, Morocco secured a historic back-to-back quarterfinal berth with a 3-0 win over Canada, ending the underdog North American side’s impressive deep run in the tournament. Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi stole the show with a brace, but the final scoreline does not tell the full story of the match: Canada dominated large portions of the first half and created multiple clear scoring chances, while Morocco did not register their first shot on target until the 28th minute. Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi expressed visible frustration over his side’s sloppy early errors, but praised his team’s second-half turnaround. “These are difficult matches where teams play for their lives,” Ouahbi said. “We responded really well, especially in duels and winning second balls.”

In another completed fixture, France scraped past a stubborn Paraguay side 1-0, with the winning goal coming from a controversial VAR-awarded penalty converted by French captain Kylian Mbappé. After the match, Mbappé addressed questions over Paraguay’s aggressive, physical tactics, pushing back on claims that France were caught off guard by the approach. “They thought we would turn up in tuxedos pulling off all sorts of tricks and one-twos,” Mbappé said. “But we know how to play tough football too. If that’s what the match requires, we have no problem with that.” French head coach Didier Deschamps was critical of referee Ilgiz Tantashev’s management of the game, particularly over the number of yellow cards issued to his side amid Paraguay’s physical style of play.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 delivered a tense, hard-fought clash on July 4 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, where defending champion France scraped past a dogged Paraguay side 1-0 to book their spot in the tournament’s final eight. The match carried extra cultural weight, played on U.S. Independence Day, as FIFA marked the 250th anniversary of American independence with pre-game ceremonies for a crowd of more than 67,000 fans. Patriotic performances, musical tributes and formal commemorations filled the build-up to kickoff, wrapping the entire stadium experience in Fourth of July celebration before the first whistle.

From the opening minutes, Paraguay set out to disrupt France’s free-flowing attack, packing the defensive block and limiting space for Les Bleus’ dangerous front line. France dominated possession, consistently pushing forward through Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, but could find no way through the well-drilled South American defense. Paraguay bided its time, looking for counterattack opportunities to catch France out, and the two sides went into halftime locked at 0-0 in a stalemate that few would have called surprising.

After the break, France upped the intensity, ratcheting up the pressure on Paraguay’s goal. The decisive moment came in the 70th minute, when Dembélé was brought down inside the penalty area. Brazilian referee Ramón Abatti immediately pointed to the spot, and Mbappé kept his cool to send Paraguay’s goalkeeper the wrong way from 12 yards, putting France ahead 1-0. The goal marked Mbappé’s seventh of the tournament, pulling him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race.

With the lead in hand, France controlled most of the remaining possession, ceding territory to a Paraguay side that threw everything forward in search of a late equalizer. The South Americans brought on extra attacking players and generated a handful of half-chances, forcing France’s defense into a few nervy moments, but could only manage dangerous crosses and long-range attempts that failed to find the back of the net. France created openings of their own on the break in stoppage time but did not put the game to bed, holding on through six minutes of added time to secure the hard-won victory.

While Paraguay’s World Cup run comes to an end, the side can return home with their heads held high after an impressive tournament. They navigated a tough group stage to reach the round of 16, pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 World Cup by eliminating four-time champion Germany in a penalty shootout in the previous round. Their performance against France once again demonstrated the organization, discipline and fighting spirit that carried them further than many analysts expected.

For France, the result reinforces their status as one of the favorites to lift the World Cup trophy. Les Bleus won all three of their Group I matches to advance to the knockout stage, then dismantled Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32. Though the clash with Paraguay was far from a smooth performance, Mbappé once again emerged as the difference-maker when his side needed him most. With the Golden Boast race now tied at the top, a late tournament scoring surge from either Mbappé or Messi could turn the individual battle for the top scorer prize into one of the most compelling storylines of this World Cup. France will next face a tough new opponent in the quarterfinals as they continue their push for a spot in the tournament’s final four.