Security tight for 10,000 Gibson McCook fans as tickets go on sale
Published:Tuesday | February 22, 2022 | 12:09 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
CHAIRMAN OF the organising committee for the 45th renewal Gibson McCook Relays, Rainford Wilks, said security will be very tight for this year’s staging at the National Stadium on Saturday.
The championships will be held under strict government protocols and guidelines as only 10,000 fully vaccinated persons will be allowed to attend the event.
“Security is always good, and this year will be no different because of the strict protocols that we are operating under,” said Wilks.
“We have three arms of security. There is the police, there is private security inside the stadium, and there is private security for the perimeters. We have been using the same providers for the last several years and they know the job very well,” he said.
Wilks underscored that no vendors would be allowed inside the National Stadium and, therefore, he was urging patrons attending the meet to ensure that they are properly hydrated before entering the championships.
“Vendors will not be allowed inside the stadium because we cannot guarantee meeting the Ministry of Health standards for safety in the pandemic and, therefore, vendors will be around the perimeters of the stadium, and patrons will be asked to purchase their refreshments on their way in,” Wilks said.
“All-day refreshment will not be there inside the stadium because this is one of the compromises that we had to make in order to meet the requirement for safety inside the stadium,” he said.
Despite those challenges, Wilks is expecting a full take-up of the tickets, which go on sale today.
The tickets for the famous relay event will be on sale on the event’s website, http://www.gibsonmccookrelays.com.
Tickets will be sold in two tiers inside the grandstand, with seats parallel to the finish line going for $4,600. Everywhere else inside the grandstand, tickets cost $3,500, and entrance to the bleachers will cost $600.
“It (tickets) will be available at the Gibson McCooks Relays website, and the link will be there for persons to go and apply for tickets,” Wilks said.
“Patrons will then go through the process where persons will be asked to upload their vaccination certificates, and it will then go through the process of verification, and within no more than 24-hours an approval will be there for them to purchase their tickets,” he said.
“We are expecting an exciting championships because there have been significant athletics activities in the weekly meets that have been taking place with some quality performances,” Wilks said.
“However, we won’t have the usual individual races ,but this is one of the first times that many of these teams will come together, so it should be really exciting. It has been an exciting meet all its life, and we won’t expect any difference this year,” he said.
The Gibson McCook Relays will be an all-final event this year.