West Prepares for Athletes

Planning for the Western Jamaica leg of the nation’s tribute to the athletes who took part in the recent International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships, in Berlin, Germany, is on track.
On Saturday, September 19, a planning meeting was held at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, the site where a Fun Day and Concert will be held on Sunday, October 4.
The celebrations for the athletes will be held from October 2 to 4, and a National Planning Committee, chaired by the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Hon. Olivia Grange, has been formed to plan several events, slated for Kingston and the western end of the island. These include a Golden Reception at Jamaica House Kingston, a National Thanksgiving Service at the Portmore Seventh Day Adventist Church St. Catherine, and the Fun Day and Concert at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium.
According to the Artistic Director for the celebrations, Trevor Nairne, the Trelawny event would provide a rare opportunity for the athletes to interact with thousands of ticketed guests from across western Jamaica.
He explained that the event is intended to be like a fair, featuring vending and display stalls, games, attractions and performances for children and adults, starting at 2:00 p.m. and going until 10:00 p.m.
The concert, which begins at approximately 7:00 p.m. will feature local artistes and brief speeches by sports and Government representatives.
Admittance to the event will be free, but for crowd control purposes, patrons will be required to have a ticket for entry. Arrangements are now being made to identify several distribution points across western Jamaica, from where tickets to the event will be issued.
Jamaican athletes were very successful at the World Games, winning a total of 13 medals – seven gold, four silver and 2 bronze, and placing second behind the United States in the medal haul.
Sprinter, Usain Bolt was the highlight of the meet, breaking his own world records in the 100 metres, by clocking 9.58 seconds, and in the 200 metres, in a time of 19.19 seconds. He also won a third gold medal in the Men’s 4 x 100 metres relay.