Grenada names teams for Commonwealth and CAC Games amid scheduling clash

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, July 15, 2026 - Olympic champion Kirani James is set to make his first appearance at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games after being named among Grenada’s representatives for the 2026 edition in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The Grenada Olympic Committee (GOC) officially announced the country’s teams on Wednesday for the CAC Games and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

James will contest the men’s 400 metres in Santo Domingo, where he will be joined on the athletics team by Anderson Peters, Lindon Victor, Nazzio John, Joshem Sylvester, Kelsie Muriel Ross, and Suerena Alexander. Grenada will also be represented in swimming by Gabrielle Hayson and Jacob Collymore, while Thorina Mitchell, Renisha Stafford, Jonel Phillip, and Darron Oxford will compete in beach volleyball.

The CAC Games will run from July 24 to August 8, overlapping almost entirely with the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for July 23 to August 2.

Grenada’s Commonwealth Games athletics contingent includes Peters, Victor, Sylvester, Jamara Patterson, Michael Francois, and Shaquane Toussaint. Swimmers Tilly Collymore and Zackary Gresham, cyclist Red Walters, and para-athlete Nickel Walters complete the country’s competing delegation.

The scheduling conflict has raised concerns throughout the Caribbean, with several athletes and national Olympic committees eligible to participate in both championships.

Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) President Keith Joseph described the situation as a “conundrum” for regional members that maintain affiliations with both Commonwealth Sport and Centro Caribe Sports.

Joseph said the clash had forced members to wrestle with divided loyalties while potentially weakening participation, attendance, and the overall marketability of both events.

“CANOC regrets the clash of dates that has brought us to a stage where torn loyalties threaten the viability of both events,” he said.

Joseph called for greater international dialogue, planning, and coordination when scheduling future multi-sport competitions.

The conflict is particularly significant as Centro Caribe Sports celebrates the centenary of the inaugural CAC Games, staged in Mexico City in 1926. The Commonwealth Games movement is expected to mark its centenary when India hosts the 2030 Games in Amdavad.