Hasely Crawford Stadium to be best in Caribbean.
By: Kwame Williams (Guardian).[/size]
The Hasely Crawford Stadium is to become the mecca of track and field in the Caribbean.So said Ken Doldron, president of the National Amateur Athletics Association (NAAA) yesterday.
Doldron made the bold forecast at a press conference at T&TEC’s Park Street office. He said that when the infrastructural work now being done at the stadium, it will be the best facility for track and field in the Caribbean.
In March, when it was officially announced that T&T would be hosting the Central American and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships, the Ministry of Sport promised the NAAA $6.3million, $4.8 million of which was to go towards the relaying of the stadium’s mondo track. Another $1.5 million was to handle all operational costs of the Games.
Doldron said that although additional expenses have caused the estimated cost of relaying the surface to rise to just over $6 million, it would not prevent the Hasely Crawford Stadium from being ready in time for the meet, nor would it prevent the facility from becoming one of the premier venues for athletics in the Caribbean.
“Everything is going as planned. As a matter of fact, the work is well ahead of schedule at the moment,” Doldron said.
“The old track is already (dug) up and we will be working 24 hours a day for the next three weeks to ensure the job is completed in time. Also the paving work should be completed by this Sunday,” he added.
Doldron, elaborating on the stadium’s refurbishing, said that the pits used for the long and triple jumps were being repositioned, and a state-of-the-art Call Room was being installed to ensure the smooth running of all meetings.
Corporate bodies pitch in for sport
T&TEC made a $10,000 donation to the CAC Juniors meet at the press conference, with Caribbean Paper and Printed Products Limited (CPPPL) pledging US $5,000 in stationary supplies to be used at the Games.
The National Gas Company (NGC) and Guardian Holdings Limited, both presented Doldron with cheques worth $150,000 at the CAC launch, with the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), Petrotrin and Sagicor promising to contribute financially as well.
NAAA launch ‘Run it to win it’
Apart from receiving donations from T&TEC and CPPPL, the NAAA launched its “Run it to win it” program yesterday at T&TEC’s Park Street office.
According to Cheryl Ryan of L&M Promotions, the company contracted to market the CAC Junior Championships in T&T, the program’s aim is to get $20,000 school children to attend the CAC Junior Championships.
In order to achieve this, L&M intends to get corporations to pledge sponsorship of an unspecified amount of tickets for schools throughout T&T.
The students will then have to earn the tickets by competing in what Ryan called mini-races, the distances of which could vary from school to school.
The winners of the mini-races would receive between 10 to 15 tickets, which they can in turn distribute to their friends and family. The students’ parents will also be encouraged to participate, as fathers who compete and win will take home hampers.
