No new stadium, no World Championships – Lord Coe

IF JAMAICA is to be in the running to host the World Athletics Championships in the future, World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe says that the renovation of the National Stadium has to be completed.

Coe was speaking at Sunday’s press conference on the final day of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where Jamaica finished third with 10 medals (two gold, seven silver and one bronze).

The renovation for the project was supposed to have started last year but encountered delays.

In her sectoral debate presentation last month, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, said the renovations were part of the Jamaica 60th legacy project but did not give a timeline as to its start.

Coe said that discussions with Grange have shown Jamaica’s intent in brining the championships here in the future.

“She was talking to me about the programme that sits behind the refurbishing of the National Stadium and when and if that is achieved, that will be a world-class facility and I am sure that Jamacia is ambitious enough to want to stage our events,” Coe said.

Jamaica hosted the World Junior Championships in 2002, where multiple world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt won the 200m title and was at the time, the youngest world junior champion at 15 years and 332 days.

While not giving a direct timeline as to when Jamaica or the Caribbean could be in line to host a World Championships, Coe said that the infrastructure will be the guiding factor in how long the region would have to wait.

“Even discussions about the World Relays have been (tabled). It’s about facilities, it is about operation mobility and all those things and I hope that will be discussed in years to come,” Coe said.

The 2022 World Championships was held, for the time, in the United States and for just the second time in North America. Canada hosted the 2001 edition in Edmonton, Canada.