#BTEditorial – When will work on the National Stadium begin?

The facts are undeniable. Kensington Oval is home to one sport – cricket. The National Stadium was home to three sports – athletics, football and cycling. In 2006, FIFA condemned the stadium as unfit for purpose. The five stands were closed to the public in April 2015 after pieces of debris fell from the roofs. To date, all we have had from politicians is talk of a new stadium. Yet there is none.

Each time an athlete does well, the topic comes to the fore. Each time our national football team is defeated, it is raised again. As for cycling, we have heard little about the sport nationally in recent times. The fallout from the lack of a proper sporting facility at Waterford, St Michael is there for all who want to see, to see.

When news of an upgrade to Kensington Oval broke this week, many were irate, not only about the debt the country will incur but about the fact that there is still no National Stadium. Prime Minister Mia Mottley signed a US$25 million (BDS$50 million) loan with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to upgrade and maintain the Oval in Guyana earlier this week.

It was further reported that the funds would be used for the rehabilitation and maintenance of sports infrastructure required for the hosting of the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup next June.

This means that work will start shortly since June is just seven months away. That also means that it is very likely that work will start on the Oval before the much-talked-about work is done at Waterford.

In September 2022, Minister of Sports Charles Griffith promised groundbreaking for the stadium would be this year.“We are expecting that in 2023, if all things go according to plan, you should see us breaking ground for a new stadium. So, that is if all goes according to plan,” the minister said.

We are now eight weeks away from the end of the year, and still nothing. PM Mottley joined the chorus earlier this year as well. In a BGIS-issued statement, she said that the government will soon break ground for the construction of a new national stadium at Waterford, thanks to $40 million in grant funding from the People’s Republic of China.

While many argue that a new stadium is not key to our country’s athletic glory, we challenge those with that view to name one outstanding national athlete who did not compete at the National Stadium in their junior years. Sportsmen and sportswomen need competition. As it stands now, there are seven track and field clubs with over 350 athletes who train and are still waiting for this promised new stadium and track. These are the facts.

The unavailability of the stadium and track for practice has seen Barbados falling behind its neighbours, not only in running but also in hurdles, high jump, long jump, and throws. We have celebrated a world champion in hurdles but it seems that it will be some time before we can celebrate again. Experts have said that hurdles require good conditions underfoot. Training on uneven grass surfaces cannot enhance a hurdler’s performance as that specific race requires significant rhythm.

Our national athletes have been expected to make qualification standards on less than favourable track conditions. We are thankful that the local athletic association took the decision in 2022 and 2023 to send our better senior athletes to Trinidad and Tobago to compete. Not having a national stadium has also robbed track and field spectators, including proud parents, of seeing our best athletes compete at nationals.

It was revealed this week that the track at UWI’s Usain Bolt Sports Complex will be closed until further notice. Track & Field administrators are concerned that the closure will derail the 2024 season. Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championship (BSSAC) and National Primary Schools Athletic Championship (NAPSAC) officials are perplexed as to how they will stage the annual sporting meets and how individual school sports for thousands of children will occur.

But football remains a casualty as well. One of the more memorable performances in local football occurred at the very National Stadium that is now unusable when Barbados shocked the world in July 2000 by defeating the superior-ranked Costa Rica team 2-1 and were well on their way to competing in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. The pride felt that night has not been matched since. Despite Barbados now being the whipping boy of the Caribbean as far as football goes, many recall that time when the Bajan Rockets, led by coach Horace “Tobacco” Beckles were relevant.

Apart from national soccer moments, the National Stadium during the 1990s and 2000s was the place to be on a Sunday night for the best of the best clashes. Members of the community crammed the stands. Matchups like Notre Dame, with Adrian Hall dominating the midfield, going up against a Gall Hill team with defence stalwarts like Terry Sealy and his brother Eyre in goal, were among the many fixtures not to be missed. That sense of community when seeing the northern teams such as Youth Milan and Cosmos come to town against the likes of Weymouth Wales and Dover Paradise is as much a part of a missing element in today’s society.

The fact that the National Stadium was the training ground for our national teams back then, on real grass, was a tremendous plus for football squads who now have to play on artificial turf at Wildey.

Three sports are hurting on community, national and international levels due to the absence of a proper facility at Waterford. Lovers of these sports are missing the excitement that comes with spectating. When will the cries of the athletes, footballers and cyclists be heard? When can Bajans expect to see competitive sport at the National Stadium again? When will work finally start?