Caribbean Sports Roundup

By NAN Sports Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Aug. 2, 2019: Here are the top stories making Caribbean sports news for the week ending, Aug. 2, 2019:

Caribbean Born Indianapolis Colts Star Gives Back

Caribbean-born Indianapolis Colts Star Pierre Desir is giving back – this time to his former high school in Cottleville, Missouri. Desir who has signed a three-year $22.5 million contract extension with the Colts, is donating $185,000 to transform the FHC fitness center to benefit a new generation of students.

While at FHC, Desir was a star on the football team and named an all-state defensive back. After high school, he went on to play football for Washburn and Lindenwood University. “’We’re blessed to have alumni like Pierre feel we made an impact on his life.  And now that he’s mature… to be able to say I want to give back to the people who made me who I am today,” said FHC Principal Sonny Arnel.

Desir, 28, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti but immigrated along with his family to the United States at the age of 4.

West Indies

The West Indies cricket team is set to face India this weekend at the Central Broward Regional Park in FL. The two sides will clash in their first two Twenty20 internationals openers on August 3rd and 4th at 10:30 a.m. The third T20I will be played in Guyana on August 6th.

The match-up comes as West Indies bowling legend, Curtly Ambrose, said the regional team should have looked past star batsman Chris Gayle for the regional team’s tour against India.

The 39-year-old opening batsman had initially announced plans to retire from international cricket, following the recently concluded ICC World Cup. He, however, changed his stance just ahead of the tournament and indicated he would stay on for the upcoming tour of India as a potential farewell and was included in an ODI squad to face India. Ambrose, however, says he believes the World Cup was the perfect time for the veteran to step aside.

The other matches will be played as follows:

ODI: 1st ODI – Aug 8th – at Providence, Guyana.

2nd ODI – Aug 11th – in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

3rd ODI – Aug 14) in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Test match: First Test from August 22nd at the North Stand in Antigua.

Second Test from August 30th in Kingston, Jamaica.

Tickets for the MyTeam11 ODI Series, co-sponsored by Skoda and Fena, are available for purchase here.

Bolt Stumped

Usain Bolt seems stumped when it comes to predicting “who is the next great Jamaican sprinter?”

In a New York Times interview this week he admitted he “honestly” does not know. “The ladies are doing really well. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is still doing well. Elaine Thompson is doing well. There’s the other one, Briana Williams. She ran close to the world record last month. The guys, I’m not sure who is going to step up,” he stated.”

1952 Jamaican Olympian To Receive ‘Living Legend’ Award

Veteran Jamaican sprinter Byron LaBeach, a distinguished member of Jamaica’s 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, is set to be honored with a ‘Brand Jamaica Living Legend Award.’

LaBeach will be honored at Jamaica’s 57th Independence Black Tie Gala, slated for the Hilton Hotel, Rye Brook, New York on Saturday, August 10, 2019. Emmy and Golden Globe nominated American/Jamaican actress Kerry Washington will also be honored at the event.

LaBeach was an alternate member of the Helsinki golden quartet that included Olympians Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden and Leslie Lanig.  They won gold in the men’s 4x400m final that gave Jamaica a historic victory in the event. He was also a semi-finalist in the 100 meters in the Helsinki Games and later won gold medals for Jamaica at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico City in 1954 with the 4×100 and 4×400 metres relay teams.

The celebrated Olympian who attended St. Georges College in Kingston was also an outstanding varsity athlete at Morgan State University in Maryland from 1950 to 1954, following in the footsteps of his famous Olympian brothers, Lloyd and Sam LaBeach. In 1953, he won a silver medal in the 100 meters and a bronze medal in the 200 meters at the Central American Games.

Recently LaBeach, who resides in the tri-state area was the recipient of an Olympic Pin from president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Christopher Samuda, at a service in Kingston that was attended by family, friends and other Olympians.

LaBeach will be presented the award by another Jamaican Olympian -Devon ‘Oly’ Harris – a founding members of the Jamaica national bobsled team, who competed in the 1988, 1992 and 1998 Winter Olympics.

Part of the proceeds from the Gala will be donated to Food for the Poor, Jamaica (FFP), the largest charity organization in Jamaica and Food For The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. Log on to jamaicaindependencegala.com for more information.

Reggae Girlz

Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz team, which rose to fame at the just concluded Women’s World Cup, are now out of contention to win a medal at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. This came after they went down 2-0 to Colombia on Wednesday. Maria Santos scored a brace for the Colombians in the 58th and 85th minutes. This was Jamaica’s second straight defeat at the tournament as they lost 2-nil to Mexico on Sunday.

Women’s Soccer

The next FIFA Women’s World Cup will involve eight groups of four teams. The FIFA Council this week announced it has unanimously agreed to a proposal to expand the number of teams taking part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32, with effect as of the next edition of the tournament in 2023.

“The astounding success of this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France made it very clear that this is the time to keep the momentum going and take concrete steps to foster the growth of women’s football. I am glad to see this proposal – the first of several − becoming a reality,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.