Hinds asks for transparency over National Stadium

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):

Opposition spokesperson on labour and sports, Wavell Hinds, is demanding that Minister Olivia Grange produce the World Athletics certificate for the National Stadium track.

His call comes after the facility was conspicuously absent from the global governing body’s official list of certified Class 1 tracks.

The World Athletics Certification System’s List of Certified Facilities, published on August 7, 2026, names 116 Class 1 venues across the globe, including Trinidad and Tobago’s Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Jamaica’s National Stadium, however, is nowhere to be found.

The omission appears to contradict a statement made by Grange in Parliament on June 30 during her Sectoral Debate presentation, when she said the track had been certified and that the certification was “in hand”.

“The minister told Parliament that the certification was in hand, yet World Athletics’ official list of certified facilities, published as at August 7, does not include Jamaica’s National Stadium,” Hinds stated.

He argued that the discrepancy undermines confidence in a facility vital to the nation’s athletic future and called for immediate transparency.

“If the certification exists, then the minister should have no difficulty producing it and explaining why Jamaica is absent from the official list. This is about giving our athletes and the Jamaican people clarity,” Hinds added.

In his formal challenge, the Opposition spokesperson has demanded that Grange answer three key questions.

The former West Indies batsman-turned-politician wants to know the exact date the track was certified; the certificate number, issue date and validity period, and the reason for Jamaica’s exclusion from World Athletics’ published list if the certification is indeed valid.