Turks and Caicos Islands National Track & Field athletes are on the move again, competing at the NACAC Open Championships in Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas from August 19-21, 2022. The Championships hosts North American, Central American, and Caribbean teams fighting for the top spots.

On the first day of the meet, former 400m National Record holder Angelo Garland competed in the 400m, finishing with the 9th fastest cumulative time (49.52) from the two heats, narrowly missing the finals.

Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye, also competed on the inception of the meet, jumping in the Long Jump qualifying round with a successful result. He vies for a podium finish in the final on August 21, 2022. Otuonye is the current National Record Holder for Long Jump with a personal best of 8.03m.

Otuonye will also be competing in the 4x100m relay alongside Aleiando Durham, Angelo Garland and Courtney Missick on Sunday August 21, 2022.

The Turks and Caicos Islands participated in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 in Birmingham, England which took place from July 28-August 8. They returned to the islands on Thursday, August 11^th to a hearty welcome from the TCI Sports Commission and Commonwealth Games Association executive members. Despite the team not garnering medals, history was made with athletes breaking a national record, recorded new personal bests and season’s bests, and newly made finals.

We were represented in three sporting disciplines: Cycling, Athletics (Track & Field) and Swimming (Aquatics).

Here’s a quick highlight of key accomplishments achieved by athletes at the Commonwealth Games:

• Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye making it to the finals for the second time in a row and placing 8^th in the Men’s Long Jump. He recorded a season’s best of 7.80m. 
• The Men’s 4x100m relay team shattering the National Record, achieving a time of 41.17.
• Rohan Shearer swimming towards a number of new personal bests including winning his heat in the 100m Freestyle at 56.78.
• Yanique Haye-Smith making history, as the first woman from the Turks and Caicos Islands to make it to the finals at the Commonwealth Games, in the Women’s 400m hurdles. She finished with a time of 58.20. 

Upon arrival at the airport, the team was enthusiastic and made remarks about how they felt coming out of the games. President of the Commonwealth Games Association (CWA), Godfrey Been welcomed the athletes and remarked on their performance by saying “We did a wonderful and tremendous job over there at the Commonwealth Games..this Commonwealth Games, you [athletes] put all of that [public doubts] to rest…Track athletes, you performed to the highest.”   

Rosalie Ingham, General Secretary of the TCAAA, expressed gratitude to her management team who assisted her throughout the games. She also thanked everyone for making the CWG 2022 experience possible. With bouts of passion, she shared how proud everyone was of the athletes despite not returning with the medals they were anticipating. “We made it to finals in 2 events (Men’s Long Jump & Women’s 400m Hurdles), we did well in Swimming and we showed up and performed in cycling.”

Edith Skippings, President of TCAAA congratulated each athlete who competed in games and special congratulations to Mrs. Yanique Haye-Smith on her accomplishment of being the first female athlete in the Turks and Caicos to make the finals in the CWG.  Further comments from Skippings, “We are looking for support from the public, from the government and from the corporate public of Turks and Caicos because much work and preparation still needs to be done in all the disciplines to move sports forward here in the Turks and Caicos.” 

Mr. Randy Ford, Head Coach for the games shared gratitude to the Turks and Caicos for their support and vicariously living the experience with the team. Mr. Ford stated, “I am personally inspired by the performance of all our athletes and as such I’d like to continue the journey…We broke a national record and I think if we continue doing that and just aim for a better performance each time, we will get there and we will rub shoulders with the best in the world as we saw earlier this week and last week.” 

“To all my athletes out there who are watching and listening, it can only get better if you put the sacrifice and time in and put some passion with it.”

Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye, the Athlete’s Representative, stated that he has been to a total of three Commonwealth Games and believes it is an experience where athletes from different sports come together revealing camaraderie amongst all teammates representing their country in each chosen sport. He expressed that the plethora of athletes he was introduced to built a community for TCI at the games. Despite the trials each individual athlete endured, the Commonwealth Games were very successful according to Otuonye, believing each person exceeded his or her expectations.

“I had my own expectations coming in, by a miracle making the finals and I ended up making the Top 8” Otuounye said proudly. The Long Jump National Record holder digressed and said “Sometimes in sports you just need a chance, you go to the big stage and you see what happens. That’s what we're trying to emulate for everyone. 

“We have the talent, we have the people, and we have the athletes. What we need is support.”

Cyclist Sean Rodgers, shared that prior to the games he had plans on retiring but after the support that was given from the CWA and the public he decided to compete for another year. He further commented “I want to say to all the athletes whether you get a medal or not, giving your best is a victory in itself…competing with world-class athletes was a victory and thanks all who made it possible.”

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Photos from the Commonwealth Games Team Arrival

Hosting a number of power-house speakers, The Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission launched the first Long-Term Athlete Development Symposium in the TCI, under the patronage of Hon. Rachel Taylor from June 17-18, 2022

The symposium hosted sessions catering specifically to coaches and sport administrators who lead the various sporting federations in the country, aiming to create a consensus on how we can produce high performing athletes who progress to the podium. The environmental, social and psychological aspects were highlighted by the speakers, also drawing conversations to how well functioning federations are run. Sessions were  also held for parents and athletes to understand what it takes to become a great athlete.

One of the facilitators was Dave Farmer, the Former Director of the National Olympic Academy of Barbados and FINA Coach certification instructor within the Caribbean and Americas. He is instrumental in developing and implementing programmes for athletes, coaches and sport managers within the Caribbean.

The Premier shared that “Sports is one of the best avenues to develop lasting relationships and if you’re communicating, collaborating and connecting it means you’re not fighting. The focus here is long term development , and so I am pleased that my government is investing heavily in sports. I know we’re not there yet and I know the level of investment is not where it could be at this moment but certainly we are committed to making sure that Turks and Caicos Islands continue to focus on development of our youth through sports.”

The second facilitator Dr. Colin Higgs, is a Professor of Human Kinetics at the Emeritus School and a national consultant in developing coaching programmes in Canada and the Caribbean. He is also a consultant to more than 55 national sport federations in Canada. The knowledge and strategic opportunities delivered in the 2-day event, have surpassed expectations as expressed by federation Executive members and coaches and have begun a paradigm shift towards sport excellence.

The symposium drew on discussion points like return on investment, aligning sectors, a vision for sport in tci, Caribbean realities, pathways to success, the role of sport leadership and talent identification.

The Minister of Sport, Hon. Rachel Taylor shared “I see sports as a means by which we generate happiness, an ordained antidote to counter the social, psychological, political and economic ills that are often exacerbated by our human tendencies and geographical circumstances. As Minister with a responsibility for sports development, youth empowerment, social protection, education and employment, I am well positioned and intent on developing needful strategies and structures to support the successful implementation of the right mechanisms to ensure that the people of this blessed and beautiful archipelago are holistically empowered and provided with opportunities to enrich their lives and contribute to the economic development of our beloved country. This symposium is strategically designed to build our institutional capacity and provide knowledge to enhance our educational and technical frameworks particularly as it relates to long-term athlete development and sustainable programming. This symposium will also provide us with opportunities to garner the support as well as empower our key stakeholders to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the critical roles and responsibilities that we each have been charged with to support the Sports Commission and the Government in sports development across these beautiful islands.”

The Director of Sports Jarrett Forbes also shared , “The Turks and Caicos Islands is a small country and in the world of sports some may argue that being small is a disadvantage, however if we are intentional and strategic in our approach to sports, I am confident that we can achieve tremendous success. We are here today to change the trajectory of professional athletes who have slipped through the cracks. We are here to repair those cracks, and to build a sports system in the TCI which will help our athletes reach their full potential.”

All the sessions led to the great reveal of the Athlete Development Fund (ADF) created by the TCI Sports Commission . The Athlete Development Fund (ADF) is designed to support the development of Turks and Caicos Islands athletes. Funding will be provided to eligible organisations for programming that supports Long-Term Athlete Development with a special emphasis on High performance Development. The TCI Sports Commission has already invested $75,000 towards the fund, leading the charge. The ADF will also be used to strengthen our Athlete Assistance Programme.

To contribute to the fund, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Photos from the symposium

To relive the sessions, stream them on our Facebook page

Athlete Development Fund Reveal