The resurfacing of the synthetic track at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC) at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, is complete.
The resurfacing of the track cost G$M77 Million and was done by Regupol BSW, the same company that had initially installed the original track back in 2014.
Yesterday, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., engaged the media at the facility stating that the repairs could have been done free of cost but the previous administration did not take advantage of the warranty which was in effect at the time.
“It’s a significant sum we spent towards the resurfacing of the synthetic track here in Leonora,” said Minster Ramson Jr., adding “but what’s important is that Guyana could have gotten this for free. We were under warranty up to 2019 and because of just the overall mismanagement of the facility and not relying on taking the opportunities that were available to us at the time, the previous administration did not seize the opportunity to have this (track) relaid, which we could have gotten for free. Now, the Guyanese people, the country, had to pay $77 million dollars just to resurface this,” he declared
The facility, which is an integral piece of infrastructure on the sporting landscape of the country, has played host to the Aliann Pompey Invitational over the years since the event’s birth in 2016. However, earlier this year, due to the poor state of the track, the AP Invitational, Guyana’s only international athletic event, had to be cancelled.
To this end, Ramson Jr., noted; “We know the importance of having this resurfacing happen. We had to postpone one of our premier international meets earlier this year, because of the condition the track was in, it did not meet international standards. Now that this is done, we will not face that challenge for many years to come,” he added.
He pointed out that the facility will be open immediately from yesterday.
“The track is now available to everyone, and more importantly, it will be available for the National (Schools) Athletics Championship which is supposed to be around November of this year.”
In addition, a new stand has been constructed at the western end of the track and the ministry is in the process of procuring bucket seats for the stand. The existing stands have also had upgrades while the football pitch, which was noticeably in a horrible state when the Golden Jaguars faced The Bahamas in the CONCACAF Nations League in early September, is undergoing remedial work.
Construction has also begun on an indoor facility in the compound, the first of its kind outside of Region 4. The facility will boast dimensions of around 120x150ft (similar in size to the National Gymnasium and Cliff Anderson Sports Hall). When complete, the facility will be able to host events such as boxing, volleyball, basketball and table tennis among other disciplines.
Meanwhile, Minister Ramson Jr., also revealed that his ministry will be building four more indoor facilities in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine. The lands for the various facilities have already been identified and contracts have been signed.
The National Track and Field Centre was originally built to hold 3000 people and cost approximately G$1.084 billion (US$5.2 million), construction on the facility officially began in December 2010 and the facility was officially declared open in April of 2015.
