THE CARIBBEAN NETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS return this year from August 20 to 26 after being dormant for more than ten years but it looks like the Bajan Gems will not be dazzling in St Lucia.
Barbados Netball Association president Nisha Craigwell, who is also vice-president of the Caribbean Netball Association, broke the disappointing news just hours after it was officially announced that the Gems had qualified for next year’s Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.
“It is a question of finance as at this stage we have no money to attend the senior tournament in St Lucia. We were in a race against time to qualify for Commonwealth and some of our sponsors like the Barbados Olympic Association, the National Sports Council and the Arts and Sports were very generous in assisting us to take part in the three tournaments to raise our ranking and qualify,” she said.
“The timing of the regional tournament would not have helped as the cut-off date for the readjusted rankings was July 1. I had already sensitised the Caribbean Netball Association that it was highly probable that the Gems would not have taken part in the regional tournament. (KB)
Please read the full story in today’s Sunday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.
