Stona, Ricketts nominated for CANOC Sports Awards

Olympic men's discus champion Roje Stona and women's triple jump silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts are the only Jamaicans nominated for the inaugural Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Sports Awards on October 19. The awards ceremony will be held in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Stona and Ricketts have earned their nominations based on their performances throughout the year and notably at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Commonwealth Games Association Godfrey Been said the first edition of the CANOC Sports Awards represents a platform to strengthen the ties within the region through sports.

"It is an honour for the Turks and Caicos Islands to host the inaugural CANOC Sports Awards. This event not only celebrates the remarkable achievements of our region's athletes and sports leaders, but also strengthens the bond of unity that sports fosters across the Caribbean."

He continued, "We are proud to play a pivotal role in recognising the excellence that transcends our sporting communities and showcases the Caribbean on the global sporting stage."

Stona has been nominated in the men's category for the Caribbean Personality of the Year award.

He will be joined by five-time Cuban Olympic gold-medallist wrester Mijain Lopez Nunez, British Virgin Islands (BVI) 400m hurdler Kyron McMaster, Grenada's decathlon athlete Lindon Victor, Trinidad and Tobago's Jareem Richards and Puerto Rican wrestler Sebastian Rivera.

In the women's category, Ricketts has been nominated in a list which is headlined by St Lucia's Olympic 100m gold medallist Julien Alfred, of Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Dominica Republic's Marileidy Paulino and Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Alfred has also been nominated for the Caribbean Breakthrough Award. This is a category for athletes who have won their first medal in a continental or global multi-sport competition.

She joins Olympic triple jump champion Thea LaFond of Dominica, BVI's rising talent Adaejah Hodge, and the the Dominican Republic boxing pair of Junior Alcantara Reyes and Cristian Javier Pinales as nominees.

Also at the event, a special Caribbean Lifetime Achievement Quadrennial Award will be presented to an individual who has rendered exceptional service at the national, regional, or international level.

Other categories at the inaugural event will include the Caribbean Team of the Year, Caribbean Sports Media Award, Caribbean Distinguished Service Award and the Caribbean National Olympic Committee of the Year.