The second staging of the Racers Grand Prix Meet, which is set to take place in just over a week’s time at the National Stadium, will attract a number of top names in the world of track and field.

Many of these athletes are Olympic champions from the games held last year in Rio de Janeiro and as such the organisers of the event are taking no risks with security.Speaking at a briefing at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Tuesday, head of security and Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor outlined the protocol surrounding the treatment of the international stars during their time on the island.“We are not taking anything for granted, so all our athletes who are coming in for the event will be picked up at the port they are coming in, either at Kingston or in Montego Bay, and taken to the location where they will be housed. At that location they will have 24-hour security right up until when they leave the island after the meet,” he informed during a press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus on Tuesday.With the current international climate being a fragile one in terms of security and in light of the recent suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester, England, all the stops are being pulled out to ensure athlete’s safety.“During the training sessions, from the location that they are staying to the facility that they train, they will get security coverage to and from, and you know, of course, on the day of the meet they will have that because JCF will be out in their numbers supported by Atlas Security and Securipro, so we will have top-level right through, entering the island and after,” said the senior cop.In addition to their training sessions, some of the athletes will have other engagements and there, too, maximum protection will be the order of the day, McGregor insisted.“Any other sundry events, they will have this type of protection, because like Mo Farah and Wayde van Niekerk, those stellar athletes, they have other engagements that they will be involved in. I think two of them will have a clinic where they will be meeting with some coaches and some athletes, so we will give them security throughout that process as well,” McGregor noted.The second staging of the Racers Grand Prix will be a farewell event for the legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. He will run his final competitive race in Jamaica, the 100m, likely to feature other Jamaican athletes such as Nesta Carter and Michael Frater, as well as other athletes from the Caribbean region. This race is set to close the show at 10:15 pm.– Dwayne Richards