News Releases

UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon 2020 Cancelled

For Release Upon Receipt - September 25, 2020

St. Augustine


It would have been a marvelous sight to behold 1,700 persons on the Priority Bus Route this October. However, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St. Augustine Campus regrets to inform the general public that the UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon's 2020 edition has been canceled, in light of the pandemic. 

Speaking on the cancellation, Professor Funso Aiyejina - Head of the St. Augustine Academy of Sport said, "We understand the disappointment that the participants may feel having put many hours of training towards this event, but cancelling this year’s Half-Marathon and 4 x 5K relay is necessary to protect all involved. The health and safety of all our stakeholders remain our number one priority. We are hopeful that 2021 would present a much safer scenario than the one being faced now for us to return for the 17th edition of the race." 

Professor Aiyejina also expressed sincere gratitude to presenting sponsor, First Citizens for their partnership and contributions to the success of the race over the years. He added that the organizing committee will use this downtime to brainstorm and plan for a bigger and better return next year.

The annual UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon is a longstanding national sporting event, that has attracted accomplished athletes from different parts of the globe. In 2019, race experienced some positive achievements, which included the event recording its highest number of participants ever, with over 1,550 persons registered hours before the deadline. For the past two years, the race has seen the successful addition of a 4 x 5K relay race component, as well as a tyre relay. 

For further information, please contact the The UWI St. Augustine Academy of Sport at 868-662-2002 ext 83808.

 

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About The UWI 

For more than 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students across five campuses: Cave Hill in Barbados; Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda; Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago; and an Open Campus. Times Higher Education has ranked The UWI among the top 1,258 universities in world for 2019, and the 40 best universities in its Latin America Rankings for 2018 and 2019. The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists.  

As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); The UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. For more, visit www.uwi.edu

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of “The”) 

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