![Minister of Sport, Dr Frank Anthony (second left) and Aubrey Hutson (second right) share a moment with the certification of the track in the presence of Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sport Steve Ninvalle (extreme left) and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sport, Alfred King (extreme right). [iNews' Photo]](https://i0.wp.com/www.inewsguyana.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_5438.jpg)
[iNews’ Photo]
Minister of Sport, Dr Anthony and President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson visited the track today, Thursday, September 04.
Dr Anthony expressed satisfaction that the track has officially been deemed a class two track by the IAAF.
“This now would be the first certified facility that we have in Guyana for athletics so while it looks like a simple thing it is really a big deal.
“We are extremely pleased because now allows our athletes to race on a surface and if they break any records it will be accepted and I think that’s a remarkable stride… prior to that many of our athletes would have to go to other certified facilities, now you can be right here so I see it as a good thing for competition,” The Sport Minister said.
Meanwhile, Hutson highlighted that the track which is similar to the very track Jamaican World Sprinter, Usain Bolt broke the world record on in the 2008 Olympics, will contribute significantly to AAG’s developmental process of the sport.
“The AAG is on a constant drive to improve athletics and in collaboration with the minister and the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport we are really heartened that we have got a certified track.
“We are hoping that through our development we will be able to bring track and field out here and get the kind of results that we are looking for so that we can really and truly perform and compete internationally,” Hutson mentioned.
However, Dr Anthony noted that an official opening date of the track is not yet set in stone.
“We still have a number of things that we have to do at the track, so for now once we complete these Northern Stands and have them all painted and the rooms below ready and the VIP area then we will do a soft launch but we will have to see how our contractors are working.
“In fact we were on schedule…but we had to fire the contractor who was working on the VIP building because of slow progress and that has delayed us,” Dr Anthony said.
The Sport Minister also hinted that more stands will be built as money is allocated in future budgets while a warm-up track is also on the cards in the near future.
