Western shame! - Regional coaches warn that track and field on the brink of collapse without MoBay track
Published:Thursday | February 4, 2021 | 12:18 AMKavarly Arnold/Gleaner Writer
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The continued absence of the track at the Montego Bay Sports Complex coupled with the displacement caused by the coronavirus pandemic have left several track and field coaches on the western end of the island fearing for the future of the sport in...
The continued absence of the track at the Montego Bay Sports Complex coupled with the displacement caused by the coronavirus pandemic have left several track and field coaches on the western end of the island fearing for the future of the sport in the region.
The absence of a usable synthetic running track at the Catherine Hall facility has already forced the cancellation of the 2021 Milo Western Relays, and there are growing fears that the western corridor, which has produced some of the island’s top athletics talents such as Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell-Brown, will regress in terms of athletics development in the years to come.
Mt Alvernia High School coach Andrew Henry did not mince his words as he laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Government, which he accused of neglecting the region’s track and field progress.
“Let’s be frank. I think the pandemic is being used as an excuse for the renovation not being done. When you see the National Stadium track being renovated right now, (and it has already been renovated on) numerous occasions in comparison to Catherine Hall. Also, would you say that a group of old boys are more powerful than the Government of this country? How it is that KC, JC, and Calabar can all have (synthetic) tracks?” Henry questioned.
Originally installed in 2001, the Montego Bay Sports Complex’s deteriorated into a state of disrepair and was deemed unsafe for use in 2018.
Last month, Minister of Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange made the latest in a series of promises that work would soon begin on what is the only synthetic surface outside of the Corporate Area.
“They need to look at what they are doing to develop the track and field in the region. What the Government is doing is killing the sport in western Jamaica,” added Henry.
MAJOR SETBACK
Rodrick Myles, coach at Rusea’s High School, believes that the region is being made to pay too much for development as not having the track continues to prove a major setback, in financial terms, for many schools.
“Remember, 60 per cent of our medals came from western Jamaica in 2008 and 2009 Olympics and World Championships, respectively, the heights of our glory. The world’s fastest man comes from just 30 miles outside of Montego Bay, and yet we don’t have a track,” Myles said.
“It should not reach this stage. It’s not only Milo Western Relays, but other meets (that have been affected). There are going to be way more setbacks. Financially, remember that most schools depend on their tuck shops. Imagine with COVID and every meet we have to travel to Kingston, which cost us $90,000 for a coaster bus,” he added.
“The (sports) minister has said again that in the next budget, we should have the track. She said it last year, but now she’s saying it is because of COVID, so let’s hope and see. However, there is no explanation to why there should not be a proper state-of-the-art facility in one of the fastest-growing cities in the Caribbean when most of the tourism revenue, which is the main earner for Jamaica, comes through this region.”