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Jamaica Gymnastics Association (JAGA) President Nicole Grant has expressed her excitement and pride that Jamaica will soon host the inaugural Caribbean Free Trade Area Gymnastics Championships.
The event, scheduled for November 29-30 at the National Indoor Sports Centre, marks a significant milestone for Jamaican gymnastics and reflects the sport’s growing prominence in the country.
Traditionally, the CARIFTA Games and CARIFTA Swimming Championships have provided a platform for young athletes to showcase their talents in track and field and aquatics. However, until now, gymnasts from the region have not been afforded similar opportunities. This gap prompted Grant and her colleagues to partner with the Pan American Gymnastics Union (PAGU) to create the CARIFTA Gymnastics Championships.
“Hosting the inaugural CARIFTA Gymnastics Championships is a major achievement for Jamaican gymnastics. It demonstrates Jamaica’s commitment to the sport and its ability to organise large-scale regional events. The CARIFTA has existed for many years but gymnastics has not been a part of it due to the technical nature of the sport,” Grant told SportsMax.TV.
She added: “This event provides a platform for gymnasts from the Caribbean to compete and showcase their talents. It also helps promote gymnastics in Jamaica and the Caribbean region, encouraging more young athletes to take up the sport. Overall, hosting such a prestigious event is a great honour and a testament to Jamaica’s growing presence in the gymnastics world.”
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Jamaica was chosen as the host country for this tournament after impressing PAGU with its successful hosting of the Pan American Hope Championships last year. Grant was eager to once again put on a good show, highlighting the country’s ability to host high-level tournaments. Jamaica beat out Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and the Bahamas, three other countries that have also hosted this tournament in the past.
“Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have already confirmed their participation and each country is expected to send at least 20-30 athletes. While we wait for other countries to confirm their participation, our focus is on hosting a memorable inaugural Games,” Grant shared.
To bolster Jamaican gymnastics’ technical expertise, Grant announced the appointment of Olympian Toni-Ann Williams as technical director. Williams will work alongside her former coach, Mladen Stefanov, who will serve as head coach of the senior men’s and women’s teams.
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Two overseas training camps in Canada and China
“Tony Ann will be working with us on a month-to-month basis. She will start training camp for the CARIFTA Gymnastics Championships in July, and Mladen Stefanov will be the head coach of the senior team. He has been Tony Ann’s coach throughout her time as a gymnast and has been working with us for many years, so we are very happy to have them both join our technical team,” Grant noted.
Jamaican athletes will attend two overseas training camps in Canada and China to perfect their techniques and movements before the championships. The China camp is part of a bilateral agreement between the two countries’ sports ministries, while the Canadian camp will provide four weeks of intensive training for local top gymnasts.
“The China camp is the final leg of a bilateral agreement between the two countries’ sports ministries. Our high-level local gymnasts will be in Canada for a four-week camp to prepare for the championships,” Grant concluded.
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