NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS – The number of major track and field meets being hosted at the Nevis Athletic Stadium (Mondo Track) has increased significantly, a testament to the foresight of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM)-led Nevis Island Administration’s (NIA) investment in the facility.
This is according to the Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley.
“I think when we invested in that facility there were a lot of criticisms, and in a democracy that is expected, but I think that when we look now and see that St. Kitts, their track is out of commission and they are willing to come over and do events here in Nevis, it speaks to the wisdom of the investment that we would have made.
“We remember the criticisms about the location, about our spending on that facility. But we spent the money, it is IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) certified, and the results are now being seen that it can provide a facility where our athletes from across the Federation can benefit and I think that is as it should be,” he said.
With the Kim Collins Athletics Stadium in St. Kitts undergoing renovation, the track association on St. Kitts, SKN Athletics, has been utilizing the Mondo track for many of its major events. SKN Athletics recently announced that Nevis will be co-hosting one of the biggest track and field events on the calendar- the TDC Interschool Championships- in March of this year.
The Association has also hosted some of the CARIFTA qualifiers at the Mondo Track.
“Consider for a moment had that investment not been made, that we would currently not have any facility in the entire country, where our student athletes and other athletes couldn’t even qualify to go to CARIFTA this year,” Premier Brantley pointed out.
“We know that we have some additional investments to make there and we are doing so over time, but I believe if we wanted any clear evidence of the value and the foresight of that investment, we are seeing it now.”
The Honourable Troy Liburd, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports in the NIA, also welcomed the partnership with SKN Athletics and the opportunity to assist with hosting these events.
With regard to co-hosting the 2024 TDC Interschool Championships he said, “It will be a logistical challenge to move all of the schools over from St. Kitts here to Nevis to participate. When our schools go over to participate in the Inter-high normally it’s just our two high schools, on St. Kitts you have six high schools so of course that’s a lot more people to be moved.”
He said however that stakeholders on Nevis have a proven track record of being capable of hosting large sporting events.
“We are no strangers to hosting athletic track meets here on Nevis. We’ve been hosting all throughout the years and of course our Inter-Primary is also a very big meet that we have been successfully hosting for many, many years. Of course I think the team is up to the challenge.”
The Sports Minister expressed his desire to see hosting of the national event rotated between St. Kitts and Nevis in the future.
He said the aim is to continue modernizing track and field to ensure meets are of a very high standard in order to advance the development of local athletes for participation in regional and international athletic competitions.
The TDC Interschool Championships takes place March 14 to 17, 2024. Field events will be held at the Kim Collins Athletic Stadium on March 14 and 15 while the racing action moves to the Nevis Athletic Stadium (Mondo Track) on March 16 and 17.