ROAD TOWN, TORTOLA, June 6, 2026 - President
of the Association of National Olympic Committees of the OECS (ANOCES), Ephraim
Penn, says the organisation has an ambitious programme of regional sporting
events planned for the remainder of 2026 as it continues to strengthen sporting
opportunities and collaboration across the Eastern Caribbean.
Speaking on Saturday's edition of
the TalkSports programme, Penn outlined a calendar featuring five
major championships across four sports, while highlighting the return of one of
the region's most significant athletics competitions.
"We have the rebirth of the
OECS Track and Field Championship, now called the ANOCES Track and Field
Championship," Penn announced.
The championship will be hosted
in St Kitts and Nevis from July 4-5 and marks the return of a competition that
has played an important role in the development of track and field throughout
the sub-region.
Penn said the athletics
championships will be followed by the ANOCES Beach Volleyball Championship,
also in St Kitts and Nevis, from July 10-12.
The regional sporting calendar
will then continue with the OECS Swimming Championship in St Lucia from
November 6-8, an event that has received financial support from ANOCES, before
concluding with the ANOCES Table Tennis Championship in St Lucia from December
6-8.
The ANOCES President said the
organisation has been encouraged by the success of recent initiatives,
particularly the regional 3x3 basketball programme, and by the level of
commitment being shown by member territories.
"All of our countries have
committed to compete at the OECS Track and Field Championship, including those
without National Olympic Committees, Montserrat and Anguilla, which is great,
as all our athletes are going to get a chance again to showcase their
talent," Penn said.
He revealed that the Track and
Field Championship will also serve as a platform to honour two individuals
whose contributions have had a lasting impact on sport in the OECS.
Among those to be recognised is
the late Alphonso Bridgewater, the long-serving President of the St Kitts and
Nevis Olympic Committee and former President of ANOCES, who died in 2024 after
decades of distinguished service to sport administration in the region.
ANOCES will also honour Rey
O'Neal, a co-founder of both the British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee and
the British Virgin Islands Athletics Association, whose dedication to
preserving the history of Caribbean athletics has earned widespread respect throughout
the sporting community.
Penn announced that O'Neal's
book, The History of Track and Field in the OECS, will be officially
launched during the championships in St Kitts and Nevis.
"We're going to recognise
the contribution of Mr Rey O'Neal to the development of track and field in our
sub-region by launching his book, The History of Track and Field in the OECS,"
Penn said.
"And every island, every
country will be surprised as to what is in that book. This is a labour of love,
and we're going to unveil that at the OECS Track and Field Championship in St
Kitts."
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