Workers laying new track at Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium

SKNIS Photo: Minister of Sports Glenn Phillip (right) surveys work at Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 15, 2013 (SKNIS): Track and field athletes in St. Kitts and Nevis will soon be able to resume training and competing on a surface that is on par with international standards.

Officials from local company Rock and Dirt as well as the Italian company Mondo are busy laying a new rubber surface track at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium to replace the previously installed one that had surprisingly deteriorated significantly after 5 years.

Taschini Vittorio, commonly known as Victor, has been with Mondo for more than 40 years and oversees track installations in North America and the Caribbean. He told SKNIS that there are slight differences between the prior surface and this one.

“The new track is one millimetre thicker than the other one and it is very good rubber,” he said. “It is [faster] which the runners will like a lot. It has the same thickness [like] the [London 2012] Olympic stadium.”

SKNIS Photo: Taschini Vittorio of Mondo and workers

Minister of Sports Honourable Glenn Phillip inspected the ongoing work and expressed pleasure with the progress. He highlighted the benefits of the new surface.

“This new track will provide opportunities for younger athletes and athletes who we have not heard of [as yet] to acquire the training that other persons around the region, around the world are getting,” Minister Phillip stated. “We’re saying that we have to support our own. There is a lot of raw talent out there [whose] skills could be honed as a result of getting a new track and we appeal to persons, especially parents to support their children in whatever positive endeavour as it relates to athletics at this time.”

The minister of sports added that while the warranty for the previous track was about to expire, this new rubber surface has a new warranty period.

SKNIS Photo: Workers laying new track at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium

“This new track [has] a 10 year warranty …,” revealed Minister Phillip, adding that scientists from Mondo are puzzled why the previous surface degraded so quickly. “So what we have done also is that we have changed colour from the old track which was a reddish clayish colour to a blue and grey track. We want to see if what happened to the old track will happen to the new track which we hope it won’t.”

Mr. Vittorio estimated that the new track installation should be complete in two weeks if the weather conditions were to remain favourable. The lane and other relevant markings on the track are scheduled for March 15.

“By the middle of next month everything will be done,” Victor stated.

He was also complimentary of the efforts of the crew from local construction company Rock and Dirt. They are very good workers,” Vittorio concluded.