ST. GEORGE’S, 18 December, 2016 –
THE GAA (Grenada Athletic Association) will host five of the major track & field events to be held in Grenada in 2017 beginning with the KFC National Relay Meet on 18 February 2017, ending with the OECS Championships on 1 July 2017. Grenada will also host the privately owned Grenada Invitation Meet, organised by Michael Bascombe.
The GAA has appointed a Local Organising Committee (LOC) to manage its events headed by President Charles George. The other members of the Committee are: Aaron Moses, Deputy Chair; Jeanelle Gill, Secretary; Claudia Francis, Treasurer; Alison Felix- Burke, Accommodation; Don-Holman Phillip, Accreditation; Veda Bruno-Victor, Ceremonies/Sponsorship; Alvin Clouden and Kwame Hypolite, Media/Marketing/Promotion; Dr. Sonia Phillip, Medical/Anti-Doping Control; Conrad Francis, Meet Director; Elizabeth Henry-Greenidge, Protocol/Liaison; Ralph James, Transport and Major Nigel Noel, Security.
The KFC National Relay Meet, the first major meet of the season is expected to attract hundreds of athletes including some from regional countries.
The GAA National Junior Championships is the second event and will be held on 18 & 19 March 2017. This event caters for competition among male and female athletes Under 20 years in the year of competition and is used as the main criteria for selection to CARIFTA Games, IAAF World Youth Championships, IAAF World Junior Championships and other meets for that age group.
The GAA National Championships the third will be held on 17 & 18 June 2017 and provides competition for all male and female athletes. The 2017 meet will be held later in the year than usual to accommodate Grenadian senior athletes who attend colleges and universities around the world who have to compete for their colleges and universities at their various Championships. In 2017 and thereafter, the meet will be used as the main criteria for selection to regional and international meets such as: Pan Am Games, CAC Senior Championships, OECS Championships, IAAF World Indoor
Championships, IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games, when applicable.
The revived Whitsuntide Invitation Grenada Games will be held on 3 & 4 June 2017 and thereafter each Whitsuntide and was the premier event of the Caribbean between the 1950’s and 1990’s held here in Grenada. All national athletes are expected to participate in this together with our regional and international federations. The final major event in 2017 will be the OECS Championships which started in 1986 and was first held at Queen’s Park, St. George’s, Grenada. The second was also held in Grenada and thereafter moved around the OECS.
President of the GAA, Charles George said, “We are excited to be hosting these major meets in 2017 as we continue to provide an opportunity for both local and regional athletes to showcase their talent.”
