Despite an issue which led to a lengthy delay at the recent ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), Independence Park Limited (IPL) General Manager Major Desmon Brown says the running track at the National Stadium doesn’t need to be replaced.

The track was installed by the German company BSW in 2010, after Jamaica’s impressive performance at the World Championships in Berlin’s Olympiastadion the previous year, which had a similar track. It underwent renovations between 2020 and 2021 to maintain its Class 1 certification from World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field.

However, it faced scrutiny on the fourth day of Champs this year. The semi-finals for the 200m for all classes were originally set to start after 1 pm on Friday, March 22 but were delayed until 6:50 pm. The Jamaica Observer was told that the 200m section of the track was cemented the night before and had not yet dried in time. This resulted in a rearrangement of the schedule, with the day finally coming to a close well past 11 pm, marking the longest day in the event’s 113-year history.

ISSA’s Champs Committee Chairman Richard Thompson was frustrated by the situation despite having previously warned IPL about the issue.

“That was totally unexpected, to be honest with you,” he told the Observer. “Even before the championships, we would have done the walkthrough and we would have pointed that particular issue to the management of IPL and gotten their assurances that it would be rectified. It was a bit unfortunate, nothing I’ve ever seen at Champs or any other meet before. But our team made their adjustments and I want to express our thanks to the coaches and athletes who were able to pivot and make the best under the circumstances.”

Brown says IPL has taken ownership for the significant delay and told the Observer that the conditions from the previous days were the cause of the problem.

“There was some wearing that we identified before the vent but we thought it would be okay but we had rain on the Wednesday and rain got into the wear so when the sun came and heated it up, it expanded and it made the track unusable, so we had to make a decision on Thursday to bring in the local reps to do some repairs between midnight and two in the morning,” he said.

“Unfortunately it didn’t dry in time and we worked with the organisers to delay the 200m. It was only at the 200m start and we overcame it eventually but it was an oversight on our part that we miscalculated and we didn’t expect rain and it caused the problem, so we accept responsibility.”

Brown dismissed the idea that a new track would be needed but says they will be more vigilant to avoid issues like these going forward.

“The type of track that we have using now can be repaired in parts,” he said. “The other ones you have to rip up the track and put a new one. The 100m start, the 200m start and the 400m start; it’s where the blocks go into the track and the pressure when they start, that’s what rips the track. So the solution we’re working towards now is setting a programme where we don’t wait until it shows wear, ever so often we do the change and repairs.”

However, Brown says the IPL team deserve grace for the effort they put it.

“I don’t think people understand the work it takes, especially an event like Champs for five days, it’s a real strain on the staff but we managed to keep it going,” he said.