It has taken a long time, but like all Jamaican sports lovers we welcome news that the resurfaced running track at the National Stadium has finally been certified by World Athletics.

Readers will recall that the track was upgraded in March 2025 ahead of Grand Slam Track, the first leg of which Jamaica hosted.

We were reminded in our sports pages earlier this week that until its recent certification the National Stadium track was no longer eligible to host World Athletics-sanctioned international competitions or have senior and junior world records ratified.

According to Sports Minister Ms Olivia Grange in her sectoral presentation to Parliament on Tuesday, “The Class One facility certification means that the record setting times that can now be run on our modern track will be fully recognised.”

Crucially, we heard more from Ms Grange about the long-overdue, much-talked-about, and very necessary modernisation of the National Stadium and wider Independence Park.

Given the absolute devastation and economic setbacks caused by Hurricane Melissa, we aren’t so naïve to fail to appreciate that some plans and promises may not come to pass.

Nonetheless, according to the minister, feasibility study and concept design for the upgraded stadium have been completed and “now we’re into the detailed design stage” of what she describes as “a once in a lifetime redevelopment”.

Seating capacity is to be increased to 37, 500 with “roof coverage and shade for every seat”, modern VIP facilities, hospitality lounges, fan zones, and first-rate media facilities.

We hear of a new, flexible, multi-sport hall as well as a throws area to be developed close to the Stadium East facility, which will also be modernised.

Ms Grange says, “the new facilities will be Green Guide compliant, as well as FIFA compliant and World Athletics compliant”.

And while no timelines for construction were given in her latest presentation, the minister was reported in January by the State-run Jamaica Information Service (JIS) as saying “construction is expected to commence in July 2027”.

In any case, the modernised facility will have to be completed before the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which Ms Grange reminds us is to be co-hosted by Jamaica, alongside United States, Mexico and Costa Rica.

The minister also spoke of a previously announced initiative regarding the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium at Florence Hall just outside Falmouth.

According to her, there are advanced “discussions around a partnership to redevelop and re-imagine the Trelawny Stadium through the investment of US$550 million into the expansion and redesign of the facilities. The proposal supports the Government’s objective for the Trelawny Stadium to be re-developed based on a solid economic foundation through the establishment of a world-class facility, which meets the regulatory requirements of international sports associations”.

Physical infrastructure apart, Ms Grange told Parliament of “the establishment of the National Sports Advisory Council “…(to) provide advice to the minister on policy and harmonisation of the sports industry [and] promote sport development actions…”

We are left to assume it’s a revival of the advisory council puzzlingly frozen in 2016. That’s a rebirth which Opposition spokesman on sports Mr Wavell Hinds and other stakeholders have repeatedly urged.

From this newspaper’s perspective any initiative that promotes knowledge-based participation in governance of sports is welcome.