Bermuda Tourism Authority and USA Track & Field (USATF) Welcome the First-Ever USATF Bermuda Games April 9, 2022
Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) today announced a partnership with USA Track & Field (USATF), and the Bermuda National Athletics Association to bring the best track and field athletes from around the world to compete in the first annual USATF Bermuda Games on April 9, 2022. The event will be broadcast live, in a two-hour special by NBC Sports that will simulcast throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.
“Having recently announced an easing of Bermuda’s COVID protocols effective March 7, BTA is pleased to welcome our first big event to the island, April 9,” said Charles H. Jeffers II, CEO, Bermuda Tourism. “Hundreds of athletes and fans are expected to travel to Bermuda from around the world to participate in this world-class competition, in addition to millions of viewers from around the world who will tune in for the live two-hour international broadcast on NBC showcasing Bermuda as the world-class sports destination it is.”
USATF Bermuda Games will be a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Label event – the highest level outside of the World Athletics Diamond League. This Gold Label event, welcoming athletes from around the world, is a new addition to the prestigious World Athletics Tour. The event will be held at the newly resurfaced Bermuda National Sports Centre, a premier sporting facility with the Atlantic Ocean and Bermuda’s northern shores as its backdrop.
“We are very excited to bring the USATF Bermuda Games to this spectacular new locale on the World Athletics Tour,” said Max Siegel, CEO of USATF. “Expanding to venues in the NACAC region is important to the growth of our sport, and we look forward to impressive marks on this fast, newly surfaced track.”
“This global event will serve as the first stop on the newly created USATF Journey to Gold Tour, a robust indoor and outdoor domestic circuit that shines a spotlight globally on our athletes, brand, sport and culture,” added Siegel. "The 2022 Tour will also feature the USATF Golden Games at the Mt Sac Relays on April 16 and USATF NYC Grand Prix on June 12, in addition to our regularly scheduled outdoor events, including the Nike Prefontaine Classic on May 28 and the 2022 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships taking place from June 24 -26.”
USATF also will engage with youth across the island with its “RunJumpThrow” program, a hands-on learning program that gets kids excited about physical activity by introducing them to the basic running, jumping, and throwing skills through track & field. The event will take place at Flora Duffy Stadium on Friday, April 8 from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
USATF has teamed up with The Hershey Company to create RunJumpThrow. The program offers a selection of twenty learning stations for organizers to choose from, including dynamic warm-up, running form and technique, standing broad jump, softball throw, and one-legged hop. Designed to be a turnkey curriculum that is easily adaptable for any group, RunJumpThrow is a noncompetitive program that can be conducted as a field day event lasting 2-4 hours, or as a six-week program.
At just 21 square miles, the small island of Bermuda has been the setting for a sizeable moment in track history. Usain Bolt set his junior world record in Bermuda, catapulting him from schoolboy to Olympic legend. Bermuda’s sports fans will have quite a few reasons to cheer, confirmed athletes to date include, Team USA Olympic medalists Athing Mu, Noah Lyles, Grant Holloway and sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson who will be joined by Bermuda’s own track and field breakout stars Jah’Nai Perinchief, and Caitlyn Bobb, with other global track stars to be revealed in the coming weeks. The Bermudian athletics tradition continues to build with Perinchief, current world leader in the triple jump, taking the baton from Bermuda’s 4x Olympian and World Champion Brian Wellman.
The USATF Bermuda Games is the first international meet in the World Athletics Tour Gold level series. Another generation of champions will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and be inspired through The USATF Bermuda Games. Track and Field is a sport that is accessible to a wide demographic of young people and provides unprecedented opportunities for college scholarships. The Fastest Kid on the Island Race will bring young people across the island, ages 8-17 for a once in a lifetime opportunity to race in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, witness the world’s best in action, and be inspired to reach their greatest heights.
Hazel Clark, BTA Director of Global Sales and Business Development, who is a 6 x American National Champion, 3 x US Olympian and USATF member said, “I am delighted to have found a meaningful way to connect my two passions - Bermuda and USATF. We look forward to introducing members of the USA Track and Field team and the global track and field community
to our island. We’re honoured that USATF has chosen Bermuda for this premier athletics event that deepens our destination’s sports credibility. It is a testament to our island’s robust infrastructure, world class facilities and the on-island resources to bring this Gold Label event to life.”
“We are excited to be the main sponsor for the first-ever USATF Bermuda Games,” said Natasha Scotland Courcy, SVP, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Athene Life Re. “We take immense pride in our role in helping to bring this prestigious event to Bermuda to showcase world class talent and to support Bermuda’s local track athletes, including the exposure that the youth will have on an elite stage.”
“The Bermuda National Athletic Association is proud to partner with BTA and USATF to hold a competition of this magnitude on our shores,” said, Dr. Freddie Evans, President of the BNAA. “Hosting a meet of this caliber will pay long-term dividends for the local track and field community as it will energize and inspire our athletes to reach for great achievements. Bermuda’s beauty, hospitality and athletic enthusiasm will be on full display at the Flora Duffy National Stadium. BNAA is excited to help facilitate the delivery of the “Fastest Kid on de Rock” race, a special addition to this outstanding meet.”
Organisers look forward to welcoming thousands of spectators to cheer the participants to World Class performances while providing local youth with exposure and inspiration through the Athene Fastest Kid on the Rock race. Sponsors and community members are encouraged to contact the Bermuda Tourism Authority to learn about partnership and corporate hospitality opportunities.
Tickets are available now at bdatix.bm.
BERMUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY // The Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) is an independent, non-government, entity and the official destination marketing organization for the island country. The Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) promotes Bermuda globally as a world-class destination for leisure and group travel and tourism investment. For more information visit: https://www.gotobermuda.com/bta.
LOCAL CONTACT //
Zina Edwards Malcolm [email protected]
