The organisers of the seventh JN Jamaica International Invitational meet, held on May 1 at the National Stadium, must be given credit.

Despite wrangling about sponsorship and questions surrounding the safety of the National Stadium in the lead-up to the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association- (JAAA-) organised event, the meet went well. In fact, those who attended seem to think it was the best ever.

Spectators turned out like never before. An estimated 30,000 people were there, creating a jam-packed picture and atmosphere that triggered memories of the annual Boys and Girls Championships final day.

Track and field experts agree that the performances were, for the most part, of a high standard. They were led, of course, by the phenomenal Mr Usain Bolt’s 19.56 in the 200m, but others such as Ms Kenia Sinclair, Carmelita Jeter, Novelene Williams-Mills and Chaunte Howard all posted world-leading marks. Jamaicans were also happy to see quality performances from Mrs Veronica Campbell-Brown in the women’s 200m and the redoubtable American Mr Tyson Gay in the unaccustomed 400m.

All indications are that people went home satisfied.

The JAAA have not yet said whether they made a profit from the three-hour meet, which was preceded by an entertainment package with some of the nation’s top dancehall and reggae stars. But preliminary reports are positive.

Of interest to this newspaper is the debate about the stadium facility.

Major Desmon Brown, general manager of Independence Park Limited, which controls the National Stadium, reportedly expressed satisfaction that the facility was given the “all-clear” by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) two days ahead of the meet.

“Thank God the issues with the mayor didn’t cause any problems,” Major Brown told the Observer.

Readers will recall that back in March, the mayor of Kingston made headlines by suggesting the National Stadium was unsafe following “evidence of cracks in the slabs and beams”.

Follow-up expert assessments have suggested that the stadium, which was a source of great national pride when it first opened 44 years ago, remains structurally safe despite the misgivings of the mayor. It is said to require only “cosmetic repairs”.

What is not in question though is that Jamaica now needs a modern and much larger national stadium in close proximity to the capital to service the needs of a growing sports sector.

For that reason, this newspaper feels greatly encouraged by news that the Government is in fact eying the building of just such a facility.

“We are looking at a new stadium; we are looking at a new facility in the Caymanas area,” Sport Minister Ms Olivia Grange told this newspaper in late March.

We are told that such a project would cost some US$300 million but that the minister was optimistic that a partner could be found.

We shouldn’t fool ourselves. Given the current economic climate, any large-scale investment by Government on sporting infrastructure in the near future would be politically difficult if not impossible. But at the same time a new stadium is needed and cannot be put off forever.

The groundwork and planning need to begin now so that when conditions become more favourable there will be little or no lag. And for those who will continue to insist that such an investment will be a waste of money, we will repeat what we have often said in this space: That sport in Jamaica can become a huge money spinner, provided political will and administrative know-how are twinned with the provision of good facilities.