There appears to be some confusion surrounding the announcement of the 21-member Commonwealth Games contingent which will represent Barbados this summer in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) released the squad just before midday yesterday with the notable exclusion of jumper Akela Jones, who recently returned to high level competition, attained the qualifying standard for the women’s long jump and subsequently won the event at the National Championships on June 21.
When contacted by the Weekend Nation yesterday evening, Athletics Association of Barbados (AAB) president Noel Lynch said he was unable to comment on the squad due to the ratification meeting which was still to be held.
Lynch said: “Right now, we are ratifying matters so I don’t have a comment.”
Right squad
However, immediately after, BOA general manager Glyne Clarke insisted that the squad issued to the media will be the one representing the island from July 23 to August 2.
“That (ratification) meeting was held and a team which was ratified by the AAB was sent, so as far as the BOA is concerned, we received a team that is ratified and confirmed by the AAB, and that is the team we are going with. That is our official team.”
Defending 400-metre champion Sada Williams headlines the squad and she is joined by other experienced campaigners, including 2023 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games silver medallist Kyle Gale and CARIFTA gold medallist Rasheeme Griffith. Swimmers Adara Stoddard and Luis Sebastien Weekes are returning for their second consecutive Games.
Conversely, there are some
Commonwealth Games debutants in the form of world athletics Under-20 silver medallist Kishawna Niles, weightlifter Daniel Griffith and paraswimmer Antwahn Boyce-Vaughan.
Glowing praise
President of the Commonwealth Sport Barbados, Sandra Osborne, spoke glowingly of this side, which is much smaller than the 65-member contingent which was taken to Birmingham, England in 2022.
“Our squad represents a powerful blend of veteran expertise and fresh talent, and we are particularly proud that these Games mark a historic milestone for Barbados with the inclusion of our first para-athlete,” she said in the BOA’s release.
“Although the 2026 Games have been scaled down compared to previous years, Commonwealth Sport Barbados remains especially keen to participate and is fully committed to supporting our athletes as they prepare to excel in Scotland.
We eagerly anticipate seeing their performance and determination on the world stage.”
Chef de mission Shelley-Ann Griffith echoed her sentiments. “We are keen to participate in the upcoming Games and fly Barbados’ flag with pride. Our priority right now is ensuring that the management and medical teams have everything in place to support the squad. We want to make sure our athletes can focus entirely on their events and perform to the best of their abilities.”
Squad:
Athletics – Sada Williams, Adeyah Brewster, Maya Rollins, Kishawna Niles, Kelia Bentham, Kuron Griffith, Desean Boyce, Kyle Gale, Rasheeme Griffith, Julian Forde.
Gymnastics – Erin Pinder.
Judo – Deann Walton.
Para-Swimming – Antwahn Boyce-Vaughan.
Swimming – Adara Stoddard, Jaiya Simmons, Toria Alleyne, Christien Kelly, Victor Ashby, Joshua Ross, Luis Sebastian Weekes.
Weightlifting – Daniel Griffith.
Officials: Shelley-Ann Griffith (chef de mission), Paula Jarvis (team manager), Dr Carl Ward (chief medical officer), Phyllis Burnett (physiotherapist) Sharon Coppin (massage therapist), Rondell Griffith (massage therapist).
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