For nine days, the UWI Games transformed the St. Augustine campus into a vibrant carnival, a center of campus pride, Caribbean rivalry and shared purpose, and by the time the curtain fell on Friday, the event had done more than crown winners: it had revived a regional sporting tradition.
More than 575 athletes and officials, supported by approximately 300 volunteers from 17 countries, converged on Trinidad for the 2026 edition of the Games, which brought together the five UWI campuses across ten disciplines. For many student-athletes, the competition was fierce enough to sting, but there was also a lot of bonding, the kind that went beyond medals, finals and final scores.
That mix of intensity and togetherness was exactly what Maurice Faria, head coach of swimming at UWI St Augustine, saw in the pool. He described a Games that “brought together the five campuses in the Caribbean,” creating “a strong sense of competition” alongside “a great spirit of camaraderie among all involved.”
BACK TO YOU: A St Augustine Campus player returns a shot during a singles tennis match at the UWI Games in St Augustine last week.
Faria said the event was bigger than the results. It showed, he noted, “how valuable initiatives like this can be in promoting and developing sport in the Caribbean.”
At the pool, he had a front-row view of the discipline and sacrifice required of student-athletes who had to juggle training with books, lectures and exams. Faria said he structures training carefully, dividing athletes between gym and swimming work while building sessions around stroke technique, skill-based drills and running for endurance.
Even with the academic crunch, he said the effort stands out.
“One of the strengths I have noticed is the dedication of our swimmers,” he said, adding that they “take great pride in representing their campus.”
That pride was also personal for him. Faria revealed that he has now won the UWI Games in Jamaica and Barbados five times, but this was his first win in Trinidad.
“Getting this win on home soil makes it even more special,” he said, calling it “one of the greatest pleasures and most rewarding experiences” of his coaching career.
While swimming reflected discipline and routine, volleyball reflected the raw side of competition.
Games returns a great move
Oshane Grant, head of the Five Islands delegation and men’s volleyball coach, said the return of the Games to the calendar was “a great move” by the UWI Executive Management Committee. He called the week ‘very exciting’, with ‘intense’ competition between disciplines and a healthy reminder of what university sport can deliver.
Grant believed the Games not only tested athletes but also helped bring the region together.
“It created relationships that will last a lifetime,” he said, adding that the event had “unlocked the UWI DNA in a new generation of Caribbean thinkers.”
Five Islands, one of the newer campuses, took on the challenge of measuring itself against established programs. The campus finished fourth in men’s volleyball and third in women’s volleyball, and Grant said the performance should be taken in context: the sports program is less than a year old. With continued training, he emphasized, “greater things should happen.”
He also raised a practical point that resonated throughout the week, suggesting the Games could benefit from more days or more athletes per campus to help reduce injuries and allow for better recovery.
Yet his overall assessment was clear. The Games were “well organised” and the hosts of Trinidad took good care of the delegation.
The Five Islands experience was shaped by the spirit of the underdog, and one of the men’s volleyball players, Cairon Davis, wore that label with pride. Davis said the campus arrived as newcomers, but not as passengers.
“It was a great experience,” he said. “As a new campus, I think we came in as underdogs, but we showed that we came to play.”
He said the level of competition made the team better and helped strengthen the value of the regional sport.
“This competition is especially needed as a region because we need to unite in the face of what is happening around the world and sport is one way to do this,” he said.
For Davis, the match against UWI Mona had extra meaning, a year after a previous volleyball match in Antigua. He said he especially enjoyed testing himself against a traditionally stronger program and appreciated the post-match feedback from other campuses. That feedback, he said, will help Five Islands tighten its lead for the next Games.
“As the newest campus, I am honored to wear our colors,” he said. “The rivalry was intense but friendly.”
The thoughts of an athlete
In the water, Khadeem Brathwaite of UWI St. Augustine felt the same charge. He described the Games as “energetic, competitive” and filled with “school spirit.” He said the event not only gave student-athletes the opportunity to compete, but also to build unity across the region.
What struck him was the diversity within the rivalry itself. He noted that the campuses are not simply shaped by geography, as athletes from different islands often represent campuses outside their own hometowns, creating a living example of Caribbean integration.
That made the experience even more meaningful.
“It meant a lot to me to represent my campus,” Brathwaite said. He added that he felt responsible not only for himself and his discipline, but for “the entire UWI St. Augustine campus.”
He also pointed to UWI Mona as St Augustine’s main rivals and described the Jamaican campus as formidable for their depth and presence across all disciplines.
“There were so many strong athletes that every event seemed like a battle,” he said.
By Friday evening, the Games had delivered exactly what their theme promised: “Reunited. Reignited. Ready.” The medals and results mattered, but so did the cheers, the friendships, the rivalries and the sense that the region’s young athletes were not just competing against each other, but learning how to build something bigger together.
And there is even more in store for Five Islands. Grant said the campus is already thinking about Barbados in 2028, where the goal will be not just participation, but the championship trophy.
The same will also apply to the other campuses. But after this week in Saint Augustine, one thing is certain: the UWI Games are back in the regional bloodstream.
