KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC-Jamaica, a powerhouse in world athletics, is considering the possibility of hosting a diamond league event, Sports Minister Natalie Neita-Headley has announced
Neita-Headley has confirmed that Jamaica has already indicated its interest to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
However, while hotel accommodation and stadium facility in general may be adequate, the sports minister said some work needs to be done to ensure the country is ready to host an event of such international stature.
“I have been to Diamond League events where the stadium wasn’t bigger than ours, but certainly was far better equipped than ours” the Jamaican sports Minister said in an interview on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme.
“We have had proposals on how we could retrofit and we have had discussions with the team out of Brussels, which hosts the number one Diamond League event in the world, and we have indicated to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) our interest in staging such an event here in Jamaica,”.
The Samsung Diamond League is an annual series of track and field meetings started in 2010.
It was designed to replace the IAAF Golden League, which was held annually since 1998.
“We have been, prior to the Olympics (in London), looking clearly at how we could stage world class events here” said Neita-Headley.
“That would bring not only the sporting champions from across the world here, but also capitalise on the broadcast rights”.
Jamaica’s interest in hosting a diamond league event comes at a time when the country’s athletes have been dominating sprint events around the world.
