Heavy equipment is on site, fencing is up and excavation is underway in Beauséjour, Gros Islet, as construction begins on the long-awaited National Aquatic Centre (NAC).
The facility, set to feature an Olympic-sized 50-metre pool, has already secured its first major event. This week, the Saint Lucia Aquatic Federation (SLAF) confirmed that the island will host the 2027 CARIFTA Aquatic Championships from March 27-31, Easter weekend, just under two years from now. The decision was finalised on Tuesday during the 28th championships in Trinidad and Tobago.
SLAF president Eddie Hazell, who will not seek re-election at the federation’s upcoming congress, will remain on the executive as immediate past president. He aims to play a pivotal role in delivering what could be Saint Lucia’s largest-ever swimming event, with over 500 swimmers, officials, fans and parents from 24 territories expected to attend.
“I’m leaving Trinidad more elated than anything because we won the bid to host the CARIFTA Aquatic Championships in Saint Lucia in 2027,” he said. “And with the construction of our new National Aquatic Centre already underway, it’s going to be a phenomenal thing for Saint Lucia. We are looking forward to it. That’s been a long time coming.”
This isn’t Saint Lucia’s first attempt to host the championships. Since the NAC’s groundbreaking in August 2015, SLAF and the government have submitted two expressions of interest. The modular pool has been on the island since early 2023, awaiting the superstructure’s completion. Initially slated for an April 2021 finish, delays persisted, and SLAF later bid for the 2026 edition. Now, with the 2027 hosting rights secured, Hazell told St Lucia Times that significant work remains.
“We have to make sure we are on our game,” he stressed. “I am pleading, I am begging, in the national interest, that this games due for 2027 must come off, and put Saint Lucia on a real sporting map… It’s all about logistics, it’s all about meeting with our federation, meeting with the authorities, meeting with National Lotteries, the minister, everybody that’s supposed to be involved.”
As hosts, Saint Lucia will field its largest-ever team. The just concluded championships marked the nation’s best performance yet, with 13 medals, including four golds from debutant Sapphire Parks (11-12 age group).
Parks will return in 2027, alongside seasoned swimmers like Antoine Destang, Tristan Dorville and Naima Hazell, just a year ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics. Notably, the 18-and-over division is to be reinstated at the Saint Lucia event, allowing athletes like Karic Charles, Ethan Hazell, Jayhan Odlum-Smith, and Mikaili Charlemagne to extend their CARIFTA careers.
“So what you’re going to see is a lot of our CCCAN – all our 18-year-olds who are based overseas – now have the opportunity to participate in CARIFTA. So Saint Lucia will have one of the largest contingents that ever took part in the games, because of that inclusion. It’s going to be amazing.”
Despite this year’s success, challenges remained. While Parks trained in a 50m pool in Trinidad last December, Destang and Dorville – two of Saint Lucia’s most decorated swimmers – had limited long-course preparation due to racing primarily in short-course yards at the Bolles School in the US. Both will start university this fall, yet Hazell praised their resilience and the team’s historic performance.
“I could not ask for more,” he said. “All I could say [is that] it was a lot of grit.” Swimming long course after training in yards isn’t easy, he conceded, “but they performed.”
With CARIFTA Saint Lucia 2027 less than two years away, Hazell and Sports Minister Kenson Casimir estimate an 18-month construction timeline, weather permitting. If all goes smoothly, the NAC could even host next year’s OECS Swimming Championships – a fitting prelude for an event that began four decades ago in a 15m hotel pool.
