Nothing to do but wait
Still no timeline for Montego Bay Sports Complex fix
Published:Sunday | February 20, 2022 | 12:12 AMRobert Bailey - Gleaner Writer
DENZIL WILKS, general manager of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), says he is still in the dark as to when the refurbishing work on the synthetic track at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James will begin.
The track, which is the only synthetic track in the western end of the island, has deteriorated tremendously over the past few years and was taken out of service in 2018 over fears that continued use could result in athletes being seriously injured.
The track was scheduled to be refurbished within the 2021/22 financial year but the work has failed to get off the ground.
Wilks told The Gleaner there have been ongoing discussions with the various government ministries but he was unable to say how advanced these talks are.
“There is a process that is taking place in terms of trying to get this track back up,” said Wilks.
“The process is being led by our Minister of Sport Olivia Grange and SDF is included as part of the process and we are, in fact, providing whatever information that is needed for the Ministry of Finance to make the requisite determination,” he said.
“Naturally, you are talking about significant funding, including the Ministry of Finance in a big way, and SDF is in there from the technical perspective to provide advice on what is needed and to provide the requisite estimate, but I am not at the stage where I can provide a deadline about when the repair work will begin,” Wilks stated.
The unavailability of the track forced the Western Relays to shift to the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport in St Catherine.
But the Western Relays, Wilks explained, aren’t the only victims of the track’s unavailability. According to the SDF general manager, a number of schools have been forced to travel to other parts of the country to train at other facilities.
“The track can’t be used because it is at the stage where it definitely has to be repaired,” Wilks said.
“I know that the schools and the people in western Jamaica are desperate for the track but there is nothing that I can do from the SDF standpoint,” Wilks lamented.