The Board will be chaired by Dr. the Honourable Michael Fennell with Mr. David Shirley as Deputy Chairman.
The other members are: Mrs. Annmarie Heron, Assistant Commissioner of Police Terrence Bent, Lieutenant Colonel Eldon Morgan, Ms. Stefani Dewar, Mr. Lenford Salmon, Mr. Carlton Dennis, Ms. Audrey Chin, Mr. Edward Barnes, Dr. Peter Charles, Ms. Shaneek Clacken and Major Desmon Brown.
The Board will serve for a period of two years with effect from 16 January 2023. Independence Park Limited operates, promotes, and manages sports facilities including the National Stadium Complex and Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.
The state of the ring has been an issue with some of Jamaica’s top throwers for some time now with national record holder and world championship silver medallist Fedrick Dacres being an outspoken critic.
He fired his latest salvo on the weekend when he withdrew from the Isaac Henry Invitational in protest over the state of the ring.
“I am extremely disappointed and it is very annoying to know that we come to compete and they do not have a suitable throwing surface inside our National Stadium. As throwers, we cannot glide inside the circle as there is no friction there, and I can’t believe this is how they are treating us as throwers,” said Dacres, who also threatened to withdraw from Jamaica’s national championships in June if the concerns regarding the throwing ring were not addressed.
However, according to the General Manager of Independence Park Limited Major Desmon Brown, if he gets what he needs soon, construction of a new ring would begin by Thursday this week.
“We have been in discussions with the sport’s governing body. We depend on them to help with the technical issues,” he said explaining that the JAAA is to have dialogue with the top throws coaches locally for them to provide the expertise needed with an eye on getting work started within the coming days.
“We would like to start work on Thursday.”
Ian Forbes, a member of the JAAA’s executive tasked with getting the ring replaced, confirmed that there were discussions with IPL but revealed that the executive raised the matter at a meeting two weeks ago.
Forbes said he was mandated to enlist the support of the island’s premier throws coaches – Julian Robinson, Marlon Gayle and Orville Byfield – who would draft recommendations and specifications for the new throwing ring.
That document could be ready as early as Tuesday.
If that turns out to be the case, then Forbes is likely to give IPL the green light to begin to remedy what has long been a sore issue for Jamaica’s best throwers.
