St Kitts and Nevis has officially withdrawn its bid to host the 2027 CARIFTA Games.
The decision was confirmed on Wednesday by Minister of Sports Samal Duggins following discussions between the government, the St Kitts and Nevis Athletics Association and the St Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee.
Duggins said the parties agreed that 2027 was not the right time for the Federation to host the event.
“We believe that, along with the different institutions, particularly the Olympic Committee, that next year would not be the most ideal time for us to host it,” he said.
The minister added that the government has asked for its interest in hosting the Games to be deferred to a later date, although no timeline was disclosed.
During the 2026 CARIFTA Games in Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago were identified as the only prospective hosts after no formal bids were submitted ahead of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Congress.
Both countries were subsequently asked to provide government or sponsor guarantees before a host could be selected.
NACAC President Mike Sands said the strengthened requirements were introduced to protect national athletics associations from incurring significant financial losses when hosting the Games.
The financial assurances carried added significance for St Kitts and Nevis, which previously hosted the CARIFTA Games in 2008 and 2015.
The 2015 event was followed by financial challenges, prompting NACAC to implement stricter hosting requirements for future editions.
The withdrawal now leaves Trinidad and Tobago as the only publicly known country to have expressed an interest in hosting the 2027 CARIFTA Games.
The Trinidadian Government would need to provide assurance for funding totalling around US$1million.
Trinidad and Tobago last hosted the CARIFTA Games in 2025 where the country won 25 medals, nine of which were gold.
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