04/09/2026
PRESS RELEASE
FROM THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SPORTS COMMISSION
A Strong Summer. Greater Possibilities Ahead
By Jarrett Forbes, Director of Sports/ CEO of the TCI Sports Commission
This has been an incredibly active, if not historic, summer for sport in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
National teams across multiple disciplines, basketball, football, athletics, cricket, aquatics, darts, sailing and wakeboarding, represented our country. We competed at major events including the Commonwealth Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games, alongside a number of regional championships and other international competitions.
At home, summer sport programmes across several islands (GDT, SXC, NXC, PLS), engaged hundreds of children, more than 200 young people registered for the fifth season of the Police Action League, and more than 150 young basketball players participated in the inaugural Trevor Ariza Skills Clinic and Impact Weekend. We also opened new funding opportunities for athletes and national sport federations through the Athlete Development Fund and Sport Support Programme.
There were some very encouraging performances along the way. Our senior men’s basketball team returned to international competition after 22 years and finished with a 3–1 record, fielding one of the youngest teams in the competition. Across several sports, 16- and 17-year-old athletes competed against experienced senior competitors. We saw athletes advance to finals at major Games, while some of our newer disciplines gained valuable international experience.
When you consider the age of many of these athletes, there is plenty to be encouraged about.
As we reflect on such an active period, however, I simply want to say thank you!
To our national sport federations, thank you for your commitment to developing your sports, preparing national teams and creating opportunities for our athletes to compete.
To our coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers, thank you for giving your time and expertise to sport and to the development of our athletes.
To our parents and families, thank you for the sacrifices you make and the support you provide throughout the journey.
To Corporate TCI, thank you for investing in our athletes, programmes and national teams. Your partnership will continue to be important as we work to create greater opportunities for our athletes.
To the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, thank you for the continued investment in sport and for supporting the programmes, facilities, organisations and athletes that represent our country.
To my team at the Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission, thank you for your commitment to serving our sporting community and supporting the athletes, federations and programmes entrusted to us.
And to our athletes, thank you for representing the Turks and Caicos Islands with pride. Every competition provides another opportunity to test yourself, gain experience and better understand what is required at the next level.
Earlier this summer, we brought many of these stakeholders together for our National Athlete and Sport Ecosystem Symposium. A major part of that discussion centred on developing clearer athlete pathways and better connecting the different parts of sport in the Turks and Caicos Islands and what we have seen this summer should give us confidence in what is possible.
We have talented young athletes. We have national sport federations committed to developing their sports. We have coaches and volunteers willing to serve, families making sacrifices, government investing, and a private sector increasingly willing to support sport.
The next step is to connect these efforts even better.
That means working together to build clearer pathways within each sport, strengthening coaching and technical capacity, expanding development opportunities and creating the conditions for talented athletes to progress from participation to national representation and, ultimately, high-performance competition.
There is still a great deal of work ahead, but there is also a great deal to build upon, and this summer gave us a good indication of both.
Now let’s continue to build on this momentum as we work together to continue moving sport forward in the TCI.
Up next the Turks and Caicos Islands School Sport (TCISS) seasons.
See you there!
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