GAPS (Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain) is a programme that provides Para-athletes and coaches with access to skills, knowledge, and resources that aid their personal development and training as they prepare for competition. In addition, the Programme supports the development of inclusive sport pathways that promote positive social change in sport and communities throughout the Commonwealth.

This first camp will be attended by 12 athletes and 12 coaches from five Caribbean Islands: Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago as well as the Falkland Islands. On the penultimate day of the camp the athletes will put their learnings into action when they compete against athletes of the same para sport classification at the Velocity Fest 15 on Saturday 20 April in Kingston Jamaica. 

The launch of GAPS in the Americas and Caribbean region is the latest expansion of the Programme. Originally developed by the CGF and Griffith University the initial GAPS Oceania Programme was created in the lead up to the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Since then, 240 individuals have benefited from this Programme, significantly boosting participation and success at Commonwealth Games. In 2022 GAPS beneficiary Goodness Chiemerie Nwachukwu from Nigeria won Gold when she threw a Para Discus World Record, highlighting the Programme’s transformative potential.

The inaugural Commonwealth Sport GAPS Americas and Caribbean camp is being hosted and delivered by the University of West Indies (UWI) Faculty of Sport in partnership with the Jamaica Paralympic Association and the Jamaica Commonwealth Games Association. The GAPS Americas and Caribbean Programme is funded by UK Sport, expanding their initial support of the GAPS Africa Programme. It is only through these strategic collaborations that GAPS has been able to thrive and expand across other Commonwealth Regions.

President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association and the Jamaica Commonwealth Games Association, Christopher Samuda, commented:

“Hosting the first GAPS America and Caribbean camp for the region here in Jamaica is a tremendous milestone in our relentless pursuit to increase opportunities for, and support available to, para-athletes and coaches in the region.

“The Commonwealth Sports GAPS Programme revolutionises thoughts, changes attitudes positively, and creates mindsets that empower aspirations; it allows para-athletes and coaches to bond, make enduring friendships and challenge themselves to be extraordinary, to make possible the impossible and to become the very embodiment of greatness.

“Our hosting this camp is the result of the hard work, commitment and support of our partners, the Commonwealth Games Federation, UK Sport and UWI. Their drive and passion have been inspirational and our heartfelt thanks to all those involved in this historic experience. We know that this will be the first of many camps.”

UK Sport's initial involvement in GAPS Africa helped increase the number of participating para-athletes at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. UK Sport’s continued involvement provides the opportunity to help drive positive social change and facilitate greater sporting equality across the Americas and Caribbean region. 

The GAPS Programme is the embodiment of Commonwealth Sport’s commitment to help facilitate social change through the power of sport. The expansion of this Programme is a major step forward to promote and assist sports development in the region. Participation in the first GAPS camp hosted at the Mona Campus in Kingston, will ensure that Para-athletes enhance their skills and foster personal and professional athletic growth within an inclusive sporting environment.