The 17th staging of the Wesley Powell Heart Institute of the Caribbean Track & Field Meet takes place today at Excelsior High School in Kingston.

The meet which begins at 8:30 am is one of the earliest in the track and field calendar each season and is used by most coaches as a testing ground for a number of their athletes.

The nine-lane grass track on which the athletes will run will see them compete in running shoes as spikes will only be allowed for field events. The stance is being taken by the event organisers based on recent research.

“Researchers out of the USA have identified training on grass as one of several reasons why Jamaicans run so fast,” Meet Manger David Riley informed.

“This is interesting information for the Organising Committee and the track and field community in Jamaica, especially as new investments are being considered by various institutions with heavy participation in the sport,” he said.

Veteran Sports Broadcaster Lance Whittaker delivered the keynote address at the launch held at the school. He spoke about “Track and Field, the TV Show, Doha and beyond.”

During his presentation he addressed the issue of the recent changes in the sport and the need for athletes, coaches and spectators to not just be aware of the changes, but to embrace them. He went on to speak about the recent announcements by World Athletics regarding the events in the Diamond League and the formation of the Athletes’ Union by multiple gold-medallist Christian Taylor of the USA.

The Wesley Powell Track and Field Meet will have 76 events for high school and collegiate athletes in events including 150m, 300m, 600m, 1000m, 3000m, 5000m, 4x300m relay, long jump, high jump, discus, shot put, javelin, and pole vault.

Some of the schools expected to be at the meet are Kingston College, Wolmer’s Boys’ and Girls’, St Jago High, and Jamaica College.

Excelsior High School has the only nine-lane 400m track in Jamaica which was laid before the track at the National Stadium in 1961.