Opposition spokesman on sport Wavell Hinds says despite recent issues caused by the National Stadium’s lighting, the Ministry of Sport still has an opportunity to act to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Jamaica’s FIFA World Cup qualifying match against the Dominican Republic, which was to kick off from the venue at 6:30 pm today, will start three hours earlier because of faulty lighting.

Concacaf inspected the National Stadium last week ahead of the game and found that the lighting did not meet its minimum requirement.

“A stadium that will be used for night matches must be equipped with a floodlighting system that meets the minimum requirement level of 1,000 vertical EV LUX,” Concacaf’s official stadium guidelines for 2024-2025 says. “Additionally, the uniformity gradient of light on the field of play should be of 1.4:1.”

Independence Park (operators of the National Stadium) installed equipment valued at $15 million to improve the lights’ brightness but the body told the
Jamaica Observer that Concacaf had made its decision before such upgrade, which it says now brings it up to par.

Could this have been prevented?

The issue regarding poor lighting at the National Stadium became public knowledge when Jamaica Premier League (JPL) club Cavalier was fined US$10,000 (about $J1.5 million) by Concacaf for hosting a match in those conditions in the Caribbean Cup.

Harbour View, another JPL club that competed in the Caribbean Cup last year, were also subject to lighting issues. Although they were given approval to play, they were asked about the lighting during the game and club officials said it was at the same level during inspection. They were however not fined.

Persons, including Hinds, also complained about the lighting during the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) in March.

Hinds tweeted his concerns on X (formerly Twitter).

“International Girls’/Boys’ Champs 2024 is up and running,” Hinds tweeted on March 20. “The stadium rental fee is approximately $13 million. But the bank of lights by the finish line has only 14 of the 144 bulbs functioning. Unfortunately, the place is in darkness. Minister [Olivia] “Babsy” Grange, what is happening? Unacceptable!”

But Grange defended the quality of lighting, dismissing Hinds’ comments as “very divisive, very underappreciative.”

“What he failed to point out was that there was a bank of lights, not on the tower because those lights were obsolete, but we compensated for that by providing other lights,” Grange said in the Observer on April 1. “I can confirm that we have installed LED lights on tower four and some additional LED lamps on the canopy. The lighting levels inside the stadium, whilst not at their optimal level, are within acceptable standards, especially at the finish line. We’ve had no complaints from the meet director, no complaints whatsoever.”

Although Hinds’ concerns proved to be merited, he says as a Jamaican, he does not care about whether he was right but rather about ensuring there are no future issues.

“The light issue has been an outstanding matter for a few months now,” Hinds told the Observer on Wednesday. “It is no secret to the minister of sports, the Honourable Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, and it is no secret to the Ministry of Sport and the different sporting agencies that support it — SDF [Sports Development Foundation], and of course, Independence Park, that manages the National Stadium.

“I think that it is high time that the Ministry of Sport and the minister of sport take some definitive action to upgrade the stadium to international standards, whether it be football or track and field, or any other sport for that matter, so that our athletes, our footballers, our fans, Jamaica as a whole, can benefit from an asset that we have had for the better part of 60 years. So, I’m just hoping that we can address the matter urgently.

“There’s no need for anyone to rejoice at this point in time. It hurts Jamaica and it is an embarrassment to us, if you ask me. We should address it urgently. The minister has the portfolio to do so, and I’m sure that if she raised the matter with the prime minister, they should see it fit to make sure that Jamaica’s name is protected, and that our Reggae Boyz are given the best platform to perform, and that our fans are given the best opportunity to support our Reggae Boyz so that we can again realise our dream by reaching the 2026 World Cup.”

The Observer sought a response from Grange but calls to her went unanswered.

She, however, told the Observer in March that her ministry is expecting funding from the finance ministry in what she said were “coming weeks”. This, she said, meant upgrades to the National Stadium would start next year, allowing the venue to be fully operational at international standards in 2028.

But Grange has also been quoted various times in recent years about optimism about renovations beginning on the stadium. However, various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, were cited as causing setbacks.

Grange has also been similarly criticised for delays to the resurfacing of the running track at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James, after promises made regarding upgrades there.

Grange also faced backlash late last year for the Government’s decision not to bid for games in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, now being hosted by the West Indies and the USA. She said the decision followed a cost analysis which showed that upgrades needed to Sabina Park in Kingston would require $450 million.

Grange said there are over 40 national sporting associations needing a portion of its annual budget, which presents a challenge to catering to all the sporting needs of the country.