According to reports, in what is possibly a last ditch effort to find a home for the games NACAC has approached the Turks and Caicos Islands.
NACAC has already approached a number of other potential locations for the games but it appears all have bowed out. Jamaica has cited a conflict with other events, St Kitts and Nevis, who originally agreed to host the games, asked to be excused due to financial shortfalls and other issues, Trinidad and Tobago has been asked too late, and The Bahamas asked for financial guarantees which cannot be given.
The TCI hosted the games in 2007 but the resulting mismanagement at that time could exclude the territory from doing so again.
The land used to build the track the games were held on belonged for the most part to the British West Indies Collegiate High School (BWICHS) a private nonprofit institution also known as the TCI Educational Foundation. When it was decided by the Progressive National Party (PNP) administration to host the games, they needed land on which to build a track.
An agreement was arranged, sponsored by the PNP government, to use the land in question by having the government build the track, assuming ownership of the land on the basis of a formal agreement giving BWICHS the rights to use the facility for their own sports purposes afterward.
Additionally, Provident Ltd, a private corporation, agreed to allow the government to purchase adjacent land, which was needed for the construction of the track and/or facilities.
A state of the art Mondo track was built, employing the services of Herzog Contracting.
However, attendees were seated on bleachers and stands that were rented not purchased. Other contractors provided the public address system, the VIP tent and a host of other amenities. The total cost was reported to be approximately $14 million.
However, post games the formal agreements were never honoured by the PNP government and, after a prolonged period of time, BWICHS and Provident Ltd have maintained their ownership of the land.
In a press statement in July 2010, attorneys for the TCI Education Foundation indicated that the charity was pushing for a resolution of the issue, so the public and government can have access to the use of the track and facilities.
Members of the PNP attempted to disguise their failure to formalize and consummate the arrangement and ignored the fact they were in default. It appears that the TCI government has now had to forfeit their rights to the track and facilities built on the privately owned land. The stands and bleachers and other contractor-owned facilities were all returned to their owners immediately after the games four years ago, leaving only the track in place on the privately owned land.
Due to the financial challenges being faced by the British Interim Government, there would appear to be little incentive to host the CARIFTA games in the TCI this year.
(Contents of this article were obtained from caribbeannewsnow.com)