In the mid-sixties, when it was called the Inter- Campus Games, three campuses existed: Mona, St Augustine and the newly established Cave Hill. This year, Global Campus and Five Islands are part of The UWI family, and their presence lent an extra edge to the competitions.
When the games were first envisaged, the idea was to provide an event that would do far more than engage competitive rivalry. It was seen as a way to build regional bonds, and deepen understanding of the different cultural environments from which students and staff originated.
Much of what is taken for granted in these technologically advanced times simply did not exist then. Social media, ubiquitous purveyors of instant friends, have redefined relationships and created lifestyle experiences that could not have been foreseen all those decades ago.
Yet, despite the often contradictory consequences of technology, the fundamentals of human behaviour continue to be relatively unchanged.
The UWI had looked to the Olympic Games, which had been resurrected 130 years ago, as a model to guide its philosophical core. It was one of the reasons why a symbolic torch was passed through the campuses before lending its flame to light up the proceedings in May.
The goals of the Olympic Games surpass the simple celebration of athletic prowess. According to its mission statement, the Olympics are meant to encourage and support the promotion of ethics and good governance in sport; to support the education of youth through sport; to ensure that the spirit of fair play prevails and violence is avoided; and to encourage and support the organisation, development, and co- ordination of sport and sports competitions, among other things. These are the ideals that are aligned to the spirit of The UWI Games.
To be an Olympian is one of the finest accomplishments any person can achieve. In the Caribbean, more than 4,000 athletes have won medals over time. In the context of size alone, it is a phenomenal achievement. A short list of just 10 of them testifies to the presence of excellence: Usain Bolt, Merlene Ottey, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Kirani James, Julien Alfred, Anthony Nesty, Hasely Crawford, Ato Boldon, and Keshorn Walcott.
An undeniable sense of pride and a feeling of belonging fill the Caribbean spirit under the glow of these athletes’ beacons. This is what the UWI Games aspired to in its infancy.
As a regional university, the idea had always been to build a collective identity that supports the development of a strong community. Through different pathways, some intentional, some by happenstance, that quest has been fruitful.
In the early days, when the campuses did not offer a full range of faculties, it was the norm for students to have to travel and live at the campuses where their degree programmes were offered. It was one of the most powerful enablers of Caribbean integration, because it allowed students to interact with their West Indian neighbours with the kind of intimacy that comes with day-to-day life. If all other efforts failed to bring about that kind of federation, this really worked.
When you listen to alumni reflect on those days and how it altered their perspectives about what it means to be a West Indian, and how it shaped their world vision, you know how profound that has been to developing a Caribbean civilisation and identity. This is one area where the notions of individualism and national sovereignty give way to the shared feeling of belonging to a region that is a magnificent place to call home.
The UWI Games have grown in a manner that demonstrates that the quest for excellence burns just as brightly outside of the academic halls. The 2026 edition included more than 575 student athletes from the five campuses in 10 sporting disciplines. They were supported by more than 300 souls volunteering their time and energy to ensure the smooth passage of the events over the seven venues.
Apart from those who enlisted themselves in official and unofficial capacities, there were many others who attended to support their campus teams, regardless of where they called home.
Israel Latran is a Trinidadian student studying Law at the Cave Hill campus. He was hanging out with Tyesha Peniston and Zenol Gaynos, both from St Vincent, watching the football match between Cave Hill and Five Islands. The three of them were vocally supporting Cave Hill, who won. Tyesha told me that adapting to Barbados was interesting, because Barbados had “more than home, but was less homey”.
Jake Taylor, the incoming Guild President for Five Islands in Antigua, was perhaps the loudest, most garrulous supporter of his team. He’s doing an MBA, and with his hyper energy and thirst to try out new things, he wanted a list of Trinidadian foods so he could make sure to sample them before he left, he is certain to make a name for himself.
Malikea Bramble, captain of The UWI St Augustine netball team, gives the Athlete’s Oath at the opening ceremony of UWI Games 2026 on Friday, May 22.
Alahna Hazelwood, a nursing student from Antigua, was demure. She and Jahzara Donovan both play volleyball, and they were both surprised that they had beaten the St Augustine team. They’d never been to Trinidad before, but they seemed a little timid to explore or to try the cuisine. I asked students what Trini dishes they had tried or planned to try. Inevitably, doubles, chicken roti, and bake and shark came up. Pelau was considered, but as most people said their own cuisine involved some sort of rice “cook-up” they didn’t feel particularly curious about the T&T version.
Interestingly, many of the students had never been to Trinidad, and most had never left their homelands, except for going to external campuses. It is one of the perks of being part of the UWI Games.
Devonte Shaw, a third-year student doing Economics and Accounting at Mona, was getting an earful from Alicia Richards as they watched Mona trounce Five Islands at netball. You couldn’t say it was a heated exchange, because Devonte didn’t stand a chance against the quick-witted Alicia, who turned out to be the Assistant Manager of the Mona team. The conversation was about gender disparities and inequities. Alicia used to play football and rugby, and in fact, the first time she came to Trinidad was as an athlete for the Games in 2015.
She had a lot to say about the changes she’s seen and changes she’d like to see ahead, but she was convinced that the games provide a grand opportunity for students to learn more about themselves as athletes and West Indians.
Understanding a little more about the processes that the athletes go through to prepare for the games, it was clear that there were no shortcuts. It was about long bouts of training, and rigorous calibration of minds and bodies with discipline and commitment.
Ten different categories were on display, each requiring a specific skill set. Apart from the general attention to physical fitness, there had to be special focus on those demands from each category. Fit athletes meet the first tier of the challenge, but it goes much further. There is a large body of research and analysis that goes into the benefits of sport for human development. The way it enriches the mind and influences thought processes is one of the many reasons the university continues to support and encourage the event.
Sport teaches team building. That is not as simple as it seems because it means learning to live harmoniously with teammates of often wildly different personalities and outlooks.
Of the 10 sporting competitions, six were team sports: cricket, football, basketball, hockey, volleyball, and netball. The other four, lawn and table tennis, swimming, and the highly anticipated track and field events, still demanded that participants work with each other as they prepared.
In the end, with Mona taking the win with 136 points, and St Augustine tallying 114, Cave Hill 108, Five Islands 44, and Global Campus mustering 22, the champion of the event was the spirit that shone at every turn.
At the closing ceremony, St Augustine Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine was clear that this was what mattered most as she congratulated the athletes.
“You have pushed yourselves beyond what you might have imagined before, and now you know that you can break the barriers that can sometimes hold you back. This is how you unlock your true potential, and this is not confined to sport. It applies to everything in your life, what you will encounter in this volatile world we inhabit.
“As you accomplished, you lifted our spirits to the realm where we believed in ourselves and our capacity to achieve extraordinary things.
“Life will always throw you the unexpected, it takes courage and confidence to manoeuvre your way past it. More than the medals and the scores, we celebrate the spirit in which you competed.
“Indeed, sport has always been one of the ways we have confronted the self-doubt and negativity that colonialism has burdened us with. We hear often that sport develops the individual,” she said, citing characteristics of courage, fairness, reliability and decency as the ones found on the field of sport.
She reminded the audience that it is in the games where we cannot afford to play games.
“Play sport, but don’t play games.”
