It is my distinct pleasure to welcome all residents and visitors to the 41st 2012 Bermuda LIME CARIFTA Games and I warmly welcome all of the athletes from the Caribbean region.
I am very proud to acknowledge that the CARIFTA Games will be hosted in Bermuda for the fourth time, and this prestigious event will take place at the Bermuda National Sports Centre — a truly world-class facility for track and field competition.
The Games are arguably the most important regional junior athletic championships outside of the World Youth or World Junior Championships.
CARIFTA has also produced many of the World Record holders and world track and field champions, all-stars in their own right, since this event was established in 1972.
The long-standing 200 Metre Junior World Record was set by Jamaican Olympic Champion Usain Bolt in Bermuda in 2004.
The games are meant to foster a common spirit of fraternity and mutual co-existence among our islands.
Discipline
They are also designed to highlight the importance of sports in youth development, which serves to build character and discipline, among other qualities.
On behalf of the Government and the people of Bermuda, I wish all of the athletes a most rewarding experience during competition in this marvellous event and I hope that all of our Caribbean community guests will have the opportunity to enjoy our unique cultural traditions during this Easter weekend.