Port of Spain, Trinidad, January 4, 2026: Former five-time National Stick Fighting Competition champion, O’Neil Odle successful fought off all combatants to secure the top prize at the inaugural NCC Welcome to the Gayelle competition, hosted by the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (NCC), at the Moruga Multi-Purpose Youth and Sport Facility, Moruga on Saturday, January 3.
Marked by intense competition, several entertainment pieces, and a generous outpouring of public support from more than 200 patrons, the inaugural event surpassed all expectations with more than a dozen entrants from across the nation squaring off for a chance to win the top prize of $10,000.
In the end, O’Neil Odle stood tall as the champion, with Selwyn John placing second, and Terrance Marcano securing the third spot.
Designed to further strengthen the national stick fighting circuit, Welcome to the Gayelle is a single round competition that is being hosted in various communities and features attractive prizes for the participants as well as a variety of entertainment and cultural pieces for the patrons.
Welcome to the Gayelle action continues this Saturday, January 10 at 7 pm at Debe Junction, and on Saturday, January 17 at 7 pm at Constantine Park, Macoya Road, Tunapuna with top prizes of $10,000 on the line at both competitions.
Admission to Welcome to the Gayelle is free and the bouts will be livestreamed on NCC’s YouTube channel, and on the NCC’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
The NCC sincerely thanks last Saturday’s participants and their loyal supporters for their roles in preserving and promoting stick fighting in Moruga, and eagerly looks forward to more top flight competition on January 10 and January 17 at Debe Junction and Constantine Park respectively.
For more information on Welcome to the Gayelle, please contact the NCC via email at info@ncctt.org, or visit online at ncctt.org or via Facebook and Instagram.
