When the Guyana National Stadium at Providence was announced as the venue for the 2007 National School’s Championships, fans were elated by the positive initiative and predicted that the championships could turn out to be the best ever.
The fact that many records were shattered and that there were countless upsets and many dominant performances supports the contention that there might have been an improvement in the level of competition this year.
However, the many disasters which took place behind the scenes may have prevented this year’s championships from being adjudged the “best ever”.
One cause for concern, possibly even outrage, was the fact that an exceedingly high number of athletes collapsed on the field during the championships.
At first, the assumption was drawn that the athletes might not have been accustomed to the surface of the new facility.
But further investigations revealed that most of these athletes were either hungry or dehydrated.
The medical personnel from the Red Cross worked feverishly as athletes fainted either during or after some races.
It was even more embarrassing when officials had to be pleading to their district representatives for food to help revive their athletes.
Sources told Stabroek sport that the quality of breakfast and dinner provided was substandard and was not enough to sustain the athletes’ efforts many of whom gave their all in the hope of attaining national records.
In addition, some of the athletes skipped lunch in the fear of sustaining abdominal cramps (stitches) prior to their events.
There were many other hindrances to the championship.
By night fall on Friday, events were still not completed and the lighting at the Stadium was poor.
The ground staff tried to set up `flood-lights’ around the ground, but those lights only illuminated the out-field.
The 5000m male open was one such race that was contested in almost complete darkness and in the final 100 metres of the event, Carlon Halley and Dennis Horatio were involved in a fierce sprint to finish which may have involved some illegal contact.
However, the track officials could not intervene since they could not clearly see what transpired due to poor light.
A few minutes before that race, blackout struck the event for the second night in a row.
Apparently, the organizers were totally unprepared for such a calamity and were unsure whether to call off the remaining events with the spectatators, athletes, and track officials becoming extremely impatient after having to wait for more than 90 minutes.
After electricity was restored to the venue, the officials decided to run the teachers relay, but by then half of the spectators had left the venue some furiously complaining that they did not get their five hundred dollars worth.
The organizers also failed to provide quality establishments for the spectators to acquire meals with vendors occupying the designated area.
But the worst of all was the deplorable state of the restroom facilities at the Stadium which earlier this year hosted the 2007 Cricket World Cup the biggest event ever hosted by this region.