BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - MINISTER of Sports Glenn Phillip has informed that the new Mondo track at the Silver Jubilee Stadium was given free of cost, but the budget for the labour of the local contractor would be absorbed by the government.
Speaking on Freedom FM’s ‘Issues’ programme on Wednesday (Feb.20), Phillip stated that the Sports Department started seeing the deterioration of the track in 2011.
“Part of the problem that we had is that about 2011 we started seeing the degradation of the track; it was deteriorating. We sent samples to Mondo, who was the original installers and manufactures of the old track, and they could not find anything.”
He further explained how the new track was sourced.
“I met the General Manager of Mondo in London and one of the things I told him is that we have some world-class athletes here, that is why St. Kitts could be represented by athletes at the Olympics. And so they need an adequate place to train. We do not need to deprive them of an adequate place to train.”
Phillip gave brief insight into the intricacies of the payment scheme which is being used for this project.
He said the government’s sole cost-related responsibility would be to foot the bill for the local contractor’s labour cost.
He reminded that the process of installing the new and improved dual-coloured track at the Silver Jubilee Stadium is currently in progress.
In strengthening his view that the improved track would help in the development of world-class track and field athletes, Phillip spoke of one whom the Federation has recently produced.
“We have persons not only in school, but we have some who have graduated from school who are capable of competing at the highest level. I am going to give case and point…just recently Jason Rogers ran a 10.06. As a matter of fact, he is in Canada as we speak training for the 2016 Olympics, and so we are trying to prepare our athletes as much as possible because the future is bright.
“Antoine Adams, Kim Collins and others are shining examples for young athletes and I believe they can surpass the expectations of those persons that were before them.”
