Sir Kirani reaffirms nonpartisan role ahead of Grenada election

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Oct. 26, 2026 - Grenada’s Olympic champion Sir Kirani James has addressed political speculation surrounding a social-media photograph, reaffirming his duty to represent the country without partisanship.

Grenada’s Olympic champion issued the clarification on his Facebook page after the image appeared to raise questions about whether he had endorsed a party or political figures ahead of the country’s general election.

“This photo does not confirm nor deny my support for a political party, just as this statement does not confirm nor deny that either,” Sir Kirani said.

He did not identify a party or politician in the statement, explain the circumstances surrounding the photograph or disclose his voting preference.

Sir Kirani acknowledged that his standing as an internationally recognised athlete gives his actions considerable public influence.

“I do understand the unique position I am in and the influence that it can carry,” he said.

He drew a distinction between any private political views he may hold and his responsibility as a national representative.

“My duty as an international representative has always been to represent all of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in a nonpartisan way,” Sir Kirani said.

“The passion and pride to do so is not determined by who is in political office, but by the support and love of the Grenadian people.”

James became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist when he won the men’s 400 metres at the 2012 London Games. He added silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and was recently installed as the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees’ first Sports Ambassador.

His statement comes as Grenada prepares for a general election on Thursday, November 5.

Sir Kirani used the attention surrounding the photograph to encourage eligible citizens to participate in the election and carefully consider their choices.

“To be able to vote in free and fair elections is an extreme privilege,” he said. “Treat it with the reverence and seriousness that it deserves, and understand that it is a civic duty for those of us who are in a position to vote.”

He urged voters to make decisions based on “a blend of your individual and collective morals and ideals.”

“The power is and always will belong with you, the people,” Sir Kirani said.

Sir Kirani James’ CANOC ambassador role to extend beyond ceremony

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Oct. 26, 2026 - Sir Kirani James will mentor athletes, address national Olympic committees and promote sporting and academic achievement across the Caribbean in an active role as the region’s first CANOC Sports Ambassador.

Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) President Keith Joseph says Sir Kirani James’ appointment as the organisation’s first Sports Ambassador was designed to give young Caribbean athletes a regional role model, not to create another ceremonial position.

The CANOC President rejected any suggestion that the position would be largely ceremonial.

“No, no, no,” Joseph said on Saturday’s TalkSports programme with Michael Bascombe when asked

about the scope of the appointment.

“Part of our engagement of the ambassador is to facilitate his being able to go to different fora, to speak with athletes, to be an example to athletes of what they can be.”

Sir Kirani was officially installed as CANOC’s inaugural Sports Ambassador during the organisation’s workshop in Curaçao on October 17.

Joseph said Sir Kirani could also attend assemblies of national Olympic committees, encourage young people to participate in sport, and challenge the perception that athletic involvement conflicts with academic achievement.

CANOC has also given the Grenadian the latitude to identify events and discussions at which he believes he can make a useful contribution.

Joseph said the position was established because prominent athletes can influence how children view themselves and their possibilities.

“We need people that our young people can look up to,” he said.

Joseph said Sir Kirani’s address in Curaçao reinforced CANOC’s decision. He noted that the former Olympic and world 400-metre champion repeatedly reflected on his upbringing and the people who supported his development.

“It appears as though throughout his career, he maintained a link with his roots,” Joseph said. “He was always aware that whatever he was achieving was intended not just for him, but for those who gave rise to what he would become.”

James became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist when he won the 400m at the 2012 London Games. He later secured silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, adding to the world title he won in Daegu in 2011.

Joseph argued that Caribbean sporting organisations had not done enough to preserve and promote the stories of regional athletes or explain the wider contribution sport has made to Caribbean identity.

“Kirani can do that for us,” he said.

Joseph described James as the strongest available choice because of his accomplishments, humility, and understanding of his wider regional influence. He said no objection was raised when the appointment was proposed.

CANOC could eventually appoint additional ambassadors. Joseph disclosed that the organisation had attempted to appoint a female athlete alongside James but had not completed the arrangement.

“We will also remember the importance of gender equity in this exercise,” he said.

Joseph did not announce a timetable or the first set of regional assignments for Sir Kirani.

CANOC chief questions Caribbean influence in world sport

by Michael Bascombe

KINGSTOWN, Oct. 25, 2026 - Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) President Keith Joseph has criticised Caribbean sports organisations for failing to convert representation within international federations into meaningful regional influence.

Asked on Saturday’s TalkSports programme with Michael Bascombe whether regional organisations were adapting quickly enough to the increasingly complex demands of international sport, Joseph replied: “No, not by a long shot.”

“We are afraid to talk because perhaps we are afraid to analyse,” he said. “We get the analysis more from our sports journalists, who are criticised for being analytical, than they deserve.”

Joseph argued that some national federations judged their international relationships mainly by the funding, equipment, or other assistance they secured rather than by their contribution to policy and decision-making.

He said Caribbean delegates attending international meetings should study agendas in advance, assess the implications for their countries, and develop shared regional responses.

“What are our Caribbean members of FIFA doing?” Joseph asked. “Are they just waiting for CONCACAF to take a lead for them, or are they themselves individually studying what this means for all of us?”

He said the region should be prepared to present collective proposals reflecting Caribbean needs instead of responding after decisions had already been shaped by larger and more influential blocs.

Joseph also questioned the Caribbean’s influence within the Olympic system. Although National Olympic Committees form a central part of the Olympic Movement, voting at IOC Sessions is conducted by individual IOC members rather than by each recognised national committee.

He said securing a Caribbean representative on an international executive should be treated as the beginning of the work, rather than the final achievement.

“Having one representative on the executive is not an impact,” Joseph said. “It may be that we gain recognition finally, but what do we do with that recognition?”

He called for regional representatives to report more consistently to Caribbean administrators, explain developments at international meetings, and seek guidance before positions are taken.

Joseph said CANOC’s growing engagement with African and Asian Olympic bodies was intended to build cooperation around shared history, expertise, and development needs.

Presidents of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the Olympic Council of Asia attended CANOC’s recent General Assembly in Curaçao. The organisations have identified coach exchanges, joint training, and shared technical experience as possible areas of cooperation.

Joseph said the Caribbean’s African, Indian, and Chinese heritage should provide a basis for stronger sporting and institutional ties.

“We may be able to understand that we have more in common than differentiates us,” he said.

Joseph was re-elected on October 18 to lead CANOC for the 2026–2030 term. He did not identify individual Caribbean federations or Olympic committees in his criticism.

“We’re not doing enough of that by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.

CANOC, UWI pursue Grenada campus for sport and agriculture

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Oct. 25, 2026 - The Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) are in discussions with the Government of Grenada about a specialised campus that combines agriculture, sports education, and regional high-performance training.

CANOC President Keith Joseph disclosed on Saturday’s TalkSports programme with Michael Bascombe, that the proposal includes academic work in agriculture, with particular attention to cocoa, alongside the education and preparation of high-performance athletes.

The plan also envisages primary and secondary education programmes focused on sport and long-term athlete development.

Joseph said discussions began last year and included meetings with the Grenada Cabinet. He expects the process to continue after the November 5 general election.

“We believe that within the Eastern Caribbean, we have enough expertise, we have enough resources to facilitate the development of a high-performance centre that not only serves the Eastern Caribbean but can extend to servicing the Caribbean,” Joseph said.

The initiative has previously been identified as the Hope Estate Project. CANOC and UWI signed a cooperation agreement in 2023 covering sports education, research, athlete engagement, and the proposed development of a multi-sport high-performance centre in Grenada.

Joseph said Grenada’s sporting history and public support across several disciplines made the country a strong candidate for a regional facility.

While Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are more frequently identified with sustained international sporting success, Joseph argued that Grenada had consistently embraced athletes and teams across a broader range of sports.

He cited Sir Kirani James’ recent installation as CANOC’s first Sports Ambassador as an example of the island’s influence beyond its population size.

Joseph said James reflected during the ceremony on his progression from primary and secondary school competitions to the CARIFTA Games, World Championships, and Olympic Games. According to Joseph, the three-time Olympic medallist also spoke about carrying the expectations of Grenada and the wider Caribbean whenever he competed internationally.

The proposed centre, Joseph said, should form part of a broader shift in how Caribbean governments view sport.

“We’re trying to impress upon our respective governments that sport must not be considered an adjunct that you put at the end of a rather long ministerial portfolio,” he said.

Instead, Joseph argued, sport should be treated as “one of the major pillars of economic development and genuine development” across the region.

Joseph was re-elected CANOC president for the 2026–2030 term at the organisation’s 24th General Assembly in Curaçao on October 18.

CANOC chief warns Caribbean sport risks being left behind

by Michael Bascombe

KINGSTOWN, Oct. 25, 2026 - Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees President Keith Joseph has called for a regional reassessment of the Olympic system, warning that Caribbean sport could be left behind as international governing bodies change their operating models.

Joseph, speaking on Saturday’s TalkSports programme with Michael Bascombe, questioned whether the region’s national federations and Olympic committees were adequately preparing for changes in international sport.

“Personally, I believe that the Olympic model needs change,” Joseph said. “I think it has exhausted its usefulness.”

He said Caribbean Olympic committees should be developing research-based proposals to present to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), where he believes the region is underrepresented.

“What are our Olympic committees doing in order to bring to the table of the International Olympic Committee, where we are already underrepresented, to change the model that we are using?” Joseph asked.

The CANOC president cited FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s public approach to proposed changes in football as an indication of the broader discussions taking place within international federations.

Joseph said Caribbean administrators must continuously examine the region’s role within that changing environment instead of waiting for reforms to be determined by more influential sporting blocs.

“If we don’t do it now as a Caribbean grouping, we will get left behind in much the same way that our governments have gotten left behind in terms of international development strategies and their application to the benefit of our peoples,” he said.

Joseph’s comments came days after he was re-elected to lead CANOC for the 2026–2030 term at the organisation’s 24th General Assembly in Curaçao.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines administrator heads a seven-member executive committee whose stated priorities include regional cooperation, governance, and expanded opportunities for Caribbean athletes and sporting organisations.