Olympics Begin in London; Caribbean Ready to Make Its Mark

Above: London (Photo: London 2012)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Olympics have begun in London, and the Caribbean is ready to make its mark on the world’s biggest athletic stage.

From Jamaica’s Usain Bolt to Grenada’s Kirani James, the region is set to bring home a big medal haul. The Caribbean’s attention (and the world’s) will likely be focused on the track however, as Yohan Blake and Bolt duke it out for the title of Fastest Man on Earth.

Haiti is also making a bid for a medal, led by triple jumper Samyr Laine (don’t miss the Haiti Olympic Diary which Laine is writing for Caribbean Journal.)

And in this, Jamaica’s 50th year of independence, it is fittingly bringing 50 competitors to London.

The Caribbean’s delegations range from the smallest, Dominica’s two athletes, to Cuba, which has taken 110 athletes to the Games. Jamaica has the largest contingent among CARICOM countries.

See below for the list of Caribbean countries and territories represented in the United Kingdom’s capital, and how many athletes hail from each.

Antigua (4)
Aruba (4)
Bahamas (26)
Barbados (6)
Belize (3)
Bermuda (8)
British Virgin Islands (2)
Cayman (5)
Cuba (110)
Dominica (2)
Dominican Republic (35)
Grenada (10)
Guyana (6)
Haiti (5)
Jamaica (50)
Puerto Rico (25)
St Lucia (4)
St Kitts and Nevis (7)
St Vincent and the Grenadines (3)
Suriname (5)
Trinidad and Tobago (31)
US Virgin Islands (7)