3 weeks ago
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Minister of Sports Olivia Grange said the unpredictability of the weather remains a major concern as they face a race against time to have the National Stadium running track resurfaced and ready for the March 25-29 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs).
With just over five weeks before the start of the five-day high schools athletics showpiece, there have been calls for the resurfacing of the track to be postponed until after Champs but Grange told The Gleaner on Wednesday that they have concerns about the time at their disposal, and they are looking at the best way to approach the matter.
“We are concerned about the timeline and that is what we are working through ... because we cannot run the risk of not having the running surface in good condition for Champs,” she said.
For the track to be laid, the surface has to be completely dry, and Grange said the uncertainty of the weather is a major factor in their decision.
“We cannot predict the weather and these are the concerns we have. So just work with us,” she commented .
Sabina Park and the suitability of the lights for night cricket is another area of concern for the sports minister. Recently it was announced that the Jamaica Scorpions would play day-night matches but their March 5-8 game at Sabina Park, which had been set as a day/night match with a pink ball, will now be a day encounter as the current lighting level at the historic cricket venue has been deemed unfit to host night matches by Cricket West Indies.
Although the Jamaica Cricket Association is hoping the lights will be ready for Australia’s tour of the Caribbean in July, Grange pointed out that the issue is more than just replacing the lights.
“I won’t be able to say much but I can say that we are moving as fast as we can to address both the resurfacing of the running track at the National Stadium and improving the lights at Sabina Park. Each time you solve a problem, you find that there are other issues coming up,” Grange said.
She said the preliminary stage for the National Stadium renovation is under way, and that the nation will have a new facility to celebrate by the end of the year.
“The stadium is a very old facility. So as you fix one thing another thing goes because it is old. We have tried our best over time to hold it together and to do the best we can and that is why we have made the determination that we are going to rebuild the facility,” Grange said. “We have already signed the contract for the feasibility and the preliminary work to be done. We hope to break ground later this year.”
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