Outgoing UK commissioner proud of UK role in Stadium redevelopment
Published:Sunday | August 31, 2025 | 12:20 AMJanet Silvera - Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
OUTGOING BRITISH High Commissioner Judith Slater says the United Kingdom has played a pivotal role in Jamaica’s National Stadium redevelopment, with United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) offering to underwrite the project’s loan, a ‘game-changer’ she believes could transform the island’s sporting ambitions.
Slater, who ends her four-year tenure in September, described the project as one of her proudest achievements. She explained that the UK is not paying for the rebuild, which will be a commercial arrangement. However, British architects Ryder and stadium specialist firm CAA Icon were contracted by the Government of Jamaica to conduct the feasibility study and draw up plans for the refurbishment.
The real breakthrough, she said, has been the involvement of the UK’s export credit agency, UKEF, which signed an MOU with Jamaica’s Ministry of Finance.
UKEF has offered to underwrite the loan for the project, working with a commercial bank to make the financing possible.
“It’s a game-changer,” Slater said.
“There’s a beautiful design of what the stadium could look like, and I’d love for Jamaica to one day host a World Championships.”
Built in 1962 to commemorate independence, the National Stadium has been the stage for some of Jamaica’s greatest sporting triumphs. From Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley to Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Veronica Campbell-Brown, generations of athletes have turned Kingston into the sprint capital of the world.
The venue also hosts the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, widely considered the greatest high school track meet on earth, where many of those global icons first made their mark.
Football has also had its moments in the stadium. The Reggae Boyz became the first English-speaking Caribbean team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup in 1998, while the Reggae Girlz have appeared on the world stage twice, in 2019 and 2023.
“The passion Jamaicans bring to sport is remarkable,” Slater reflected. “From track to football, the island consistently punches above its weight. A modern stadium would match that spirit and give athletes a world-class stage at home.”
If successful, the redeveloped stadium could open the door for Jamaica to host global competitions, attracting investment and tourism while cementing its position as a sporting powerhouse.
Slater says she hopes to return to witness such an event.
“I’d love to come back when the stadium is renovated and it’s hosting a really big world championship or athletics meet,” she said. “That’s something I’ll always look forward to.”