BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE government has defended its management of the refurbished Kim Collins Athletics Stadium as criticism continues over access to the facility, insisting that athletes are not being locked out and that clear procedures are in place for its use.
Minister of Sports Samal Duggins, who has faced much of the criticism, said the government remains committed to ensuring the stadium is available to athletes. However, he stressed that access must be managed through established policies and guidelines to protect the facility.
“We do have a process that allows for the facility to be utilised but it has to be done under management and we have sometimes people in different quarters of our society who think things should not have rules or regulations," he stated. I want to urge us to just be able to go along the lines of proper sustainable use and management.”
The issue was raised during Duggins' quarterly press conference yesterday (Jul. 15), where Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Valencia Syder, addressed concerns over security, access, and the management of the stadium following its recent refurbishment.
Syder said the ministry discovered several shortcomings in how the facility had been managed in the past, including unauthorised access by individuals who had obtained copies of the stadium's keys.
“For far too long, Kim Collins has been just used by anybody for anything because access was really left open to everybody," she said. "What we discovered was that it was being misused and mismanaged. We discovered somewhere along the line, different persons were able to get keys cut for Kim Collins. So, sometimes we weren’t even aware who was using Kim Collins."
"Recently, we made a decision. We had some issues. Some of the gates weren’t functional. So all the gates now are functional. We changed the locks. So now the facility is completely locked. So it seems like those who were able to use their keys to access the facility, since they were not able to use their keys to access the facility, it has become said that the facility is locked down.
Director of Sports Jeffrey Hazel also outlined the procedure for individuals and organisations seeking to use the stadium or any other sports facility managed by the Department of Sports. “As a matter of fact, this speaks directly to all of the facilities under the supervision of the Department of Sports. So persons wishing to use the facilities must seek permission in writing to the Department of Sports." They can email to sknsports@gov.kn. We usually respond in a quick time, approving most of the time the use of the facilities.
The government's clarification comes amid growing public debate over access to the refurbished stadium, with officials maintaining that the facility remains open for use by athletes and organisations once the established application process is followed.
