THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE IAAF/COCA Cola World Junior Championships in Kingston was a great success and I join in congratulating the organisers.
On Sunday, however, I was one of over 10,000 spectators who just couldn't get into the stadium, I had my tickets but needed one other ticket for a guest only to be told that tickets were sold out! So I promptly sold the ones I had to some eternally grateful track fans and returned home to watch it on TV (Home is in Montego Bay by the way).
I wasn't disappointed as I had seen the activities the day before and had mingled with our guests from overseas, but the time has come to seriously look at the capacity of our stadium.
When the National Stadium was built at Independence it probably was sufficient for the crowds of the day. Now, the population has almost doubled, and with improvements in transportation and infrastructure, travelling from all corners of the island to Kingston is no longer that big a deal. A 36,000 national stadium is too small (probably ideal for Montego Bay right now) but Kingston needs a 60 to 70,000-seat facility.
We can consider another level of stands above the bleachers area as the most cost-effective way to do this and I know we have the architects and engineers to pull it off. The IAAF would have seen 50,000 screaming, hysterical partying Jamaicans instead of just 36,000 and the record for attendance at a World Junior Games would never be in doubt!
I am etc,
RUDY ROBINSON
rudyrob@cwjamaica.com
21 Market Street
Montego Bay
Via Go-Jamaica
