Regional & International Competitions Guide

The Dominic Amateur Athletics Association is member of the International Association of Athletics Federations and is the governing body for Track and Field and Road Racing events in the commonwealth of Dominica. The DAAA enters athletes into different regional and international championship events, while for multisport Games – CAC, Pan Am Commonwealth and Olympics – the Dominica Olympic Committee is the responsible authority.

Competitions Target Groups
Youth Competitions: Under 15 Athletes
​•  CAC Age Group Championships – 8 athletes -2 boys 2 girls in 11-12; 2 boys 2 girls in 13-14
• Leeward Islands Youth Championships – 35 athletes
• CUT Games – 40 athletes

Junior Competitions: Under 18 & Under 20 Athletes (An Under 15 athlete who meet the standards can also qualify)
• CARIFTA Games (13-17 & 18-19)
• Caribbean & Central American Junior Championships
• Pan American Junior Championships
• Olympic Youth Games (16-17 aged athletes in the year of competition only)
• Commonwealth Youth Games (16-17 aged athletes in the year of competition only)
• IAAF World Youth Championships (U-18 athletes, primarily 16-17. An athlete cannot be turning 18 in the year of competition)
• IAAF World Junior Championships – U-20; An athlete cannot be turning 20 in the year of competition.

Senior Competitions
•        Central American & Caribbean Championships
•        Central American & Caribbean Games
•        IAAF World Championships
•        NACAC Under 23 Championships
•        OECS Invitational Sr. Championships
•        Commonwealth Games
•        Pan American Games
•        Olympic Games

The Dominica Amateur Athletics Association is the only entity that can enter an athlete in a Championships competition—O.E.C.S Invitational, CAC Age Group, CAC Jr. or CAC Sr. Championships, CARIFTA Games, NACAC Under 23, Pan Am Jr. Championships, IAAF World Youth; IAAF World Jr. or IAAF World Sr. Competition. On the recommendation of the DAAA, the Dominica Olympic Committee enters athletes in the CAC Games, Pan Am Games, Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Youth Games, Olympic Games and Olympic Youth Games. 

Road Racing ​

The DAAA has a 2km/5km road race series, which comprises of 3 races     targeting under – 9, 11,13 and 15 year old boys and girls 2km run. All athletes above 15 years old can run the 5km competition/s:
The Road races are meant to build our athletes’ aerobic base during the period of no competition on the track (off-season). Regionally the DAAA has participated in these races:
• October Petit-Bou International 10km Guadeloupe annually
• October St. Vincent & the Grenadines OECS 4×1 mile road relay

CARIFTA Games
Dominica first participation at the CARIFTA Games was in 1983 Martinique (French West Indies). The CARIFTA Games are held every year during the Easter Holiday and caters to two age groups – Under 18 years and Under 20 years. This competition, which is normally held in a different Caribbean country on a rotational basis each year, gives young athletes an opportunity to compete against top competitors in the region. It also affords them exposure to university and college athletic Coaches who scout for talent to recruit for their institutions. It also gives the opportunity to network and share experiences with athletes from other countries. This competition is the first major step in competing at an international level and the experience gained is immeasurable.

CAC Age Group Championships
The Caribbean and Central American Age Group Championships are held every two years and is used as an identification tool for emerging talent. This competition caters to male and female athletes 11-12 and 13-14 in the year of competition. Each team can be comprised of no more than eight athletes – 2 boys 2 girls in each age group. Athletes in the 11-12 age group, compete in five events while athletes in the 13-14 age group compete in seven events. The performance in each event is given a score with the athlete accumulating the highest points total in each age group being declared the winner.

CAC Junior A & B Championships
The Central American and Caribbean Jr. Championships is a competition held every two years. Like the CARIFTA Games, it caters to Under 18 and Under 20 athletes.

CAC Championships
The Central American and Caribbean Sr. Championships are held on alternate years. This event rotates among countries within the Central American and Caribbean region every two years and gives competitors from Dominica exposure to top athletes in the Central American region in addition to the Caribbean. The qualifying standards are set in accordance with the level of competition at the CAC Sr. Championships. Qualifying standards for the CAC Jr. and Sr. Championships as well as the CARIFTA Games, are set by the Dominica Amateur Athletics Association.

CAC Games
The Central American and Caribbean Games are held within the region during the summer every four years. It is the first exposure for the territory’s athletes to a multisport competition. This competition is held 2-years after the Olympic Games and falls in the same year of as the Commonwealth Games. Athletes 17 years and older who meet the qualifying standards are eligible to represent the country in this competition.

IAAF World Championships
The IAAF World Outdoor Championships are held every two years at different locations around the world, under the auspices of the IAAF. The IAAF sets the qualifying standard for this Championship.

IAAF World Junior Championships
The IAAF World Jr. Championships in Athletics takes place every two years in the same year as the IAAF World Championships. This competition caters to athletes who are aged 18 and 19 years in the year of competition, but athletes 16 years and older who meet the IAAF qualifying standards can compete. Athletes wishing to participate should, in addition to meeting the qualifying standard, have competed in either the CARIFTA Games or the CAC Junior Championships.

IAAF World Youth Championships
The IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics takes place every two years. This competition caters to athletes who are aged 16 and 17 years in the year of competition. Athletes under 16 are not eligible to compete. Athletes wishing to participate should, in addition to meeting the IAAF qualifying standard, have competed in either the CARIFTA Games or the CAC Junior Championships.

Pan Am Junior Championships
The Pan Am Jr. Championships is a bi-annual track and field competition for all nations in the Americas. The competition targets Under 20 athletes.

Pan Am Games

The Pan American Games is a multi-sport event between competitors from all nations in the Americas, held every four years in the year before the summer Olympic Games. The games were last held in Guadalajara, Mexico in October 2011, followed by the 2015 Games in Toronto, Canada.

NACAC U23 Championships
The NACAC U23 Championships is a Bi-Annual event held for the NACAC region athletes. The competition gives the selected athletes who are not yet at the World Championships or Olympic level and for the DAAA, who are too old for Carifta, an opportunity to compete internationally and gain much needed experience to prepare for the next level of international competition. The age criteria are 20, 21 and 22 years old.

Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games are held every four years and is under the umbrella of the Dominica Olympic Committee. The competition is open to athletes from all eligible Commonwealth countries who compete for honors in their respective sports.

Commonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are held every four years in odd number years. This competition targets Under 18 athletes. There is quota system in place and this is under the umbrella of the Dominica Olympic Committee. 

Olympic Games
The Olympic Games – the highest competition level in sports – is a multi-sport event between competitors from all 204 nations in the world that have National Olympic Committees and is held every four years. Athletes 16 years old and upwards who make qualifying standards can compete in the games. This event falls under the umbrella of the Dominica Olympic Committee.

Youth Olympic Games
The Youth Olympic Games were introduced in 2010 and is a multi-sport event between competitors from all 204 nations in the world that have National Olympic Committees. The competition format is different, with athletes being grouped into an A, B and C final. Besides competition, the focus is on education and culture. The Youth Olympic Games target athletes who are between 16 and 17 years old in the year of competition. There is a quota on the number of athletes who participate. This event falls under the umbrella of the Dominica Olympic Committee.

Public Speaking

Our athletes are also our ambassadors and must be able to represent themselves and their team/association/country in the media. While there are general sessions planned, particularly athletes making Junior National Teams are required to go through training sessions in public speaking.

Psychological Counseling
While our athletes are physically prepared for competition, psychologically, they may not be. Athletes on Junior and Senior National teams in particular, will have access to counseling services to help them deal with the pressures of competition and expectation.