Talks have begun to plot a way forward for the Commonwealth Youth Games which is scheduled to be held in T&T, next year.
In a release sent out by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Friday, the executive board has decided to explore rescheduling options for the Games.
"The seventh Commonwealth Youth Games were scheduled to take place from August 1-7, 2021 after T&T was awarded the competition by the CGF in June last year," said the CGF yesterday. "The impact of the pandemic on the global international sporting calendar means that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have now rescheduled to the summer of 2021 during the original dates of the Youth Games.
"Following positive discussions, the CGF has agreed to consider the best alternative options and timeframes for staging the event in the future, potentially in 2023.
"The CGF has given the T&T Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA) consideration as the first option to host.
"Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs in the Government of T&T has committed to asking the Cabinet to re-examine its position and provide the necessary confirmation regarding the hosting of the Commonwealth Youth Games and the related expenditure."
On Friday, Minister Cudjoe confirmed that she met fellow stakeholders of the quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes between the ages of 14-18 on Monday via a meeting on Zoom.
"No final decision has been made on when the Commonwealth Youth Games will be held, no date and no year.
"We spoke on the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications. It is a very fluid thing and we will meet again in June by means of Zoom as the situation progresses," the Minister said.
"We won the right to host the youth Games and we are still available to the host. By September we hope to have something concrete."
The release continued with CGF president Dame Louise Martin saying: “The rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has also changed demands on scheduling and resources for many of our Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) and International Federations from 2020 to 2021.
“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact across the world and everyone’s absolute priority is the health and wellbeing of their communities.”
“Our decision has been made in the best interests of athletes, fans and citizens that are to benefit from these transformational Games.
“We are committed over the coming months to look at future dates and hosting options, to ensure the right decision is taken for the Commonwealth Youth Games, so that the region can continue to play a leading role as part of the Commonwealth Sports Movement.”
The Games will feature eight sports on the programme including athletics, beach volleyball, boxing, rugby sevens, tennis, swimming, cycling (road races, time trials, track) and Fast5 netball.