Bahamas to install new track for World Relays

Nassau (Bahamas): The Bahamas government plans to install a new track at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium for the inaugural 2014 World Relays.

The World Relays are set for May 24-25 here but the track at the stadium is not Class 1 certified which is required to host such an event. There are more than 200 member federations of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and quite a number of them will be represented at the world relays. A total of eight World Championship spots in the sprint and mile relays, in each gender, will be up for grabs as it was recently confirmed that the top eight will qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing. National Sports Authority (NSA) general manager Jeffrey Beckles said that Italian company Mondo has already begun the process of refurbishing the track. "Mondo and its team began the process and we’re very pleased that the work has started. Our new objective is to be able to deliver the track on time so that we can have it finished in time for a test event in April and then of course the big relays will be here in May," he said. Sports Minister Daniel Johnson admitted that some errors were made in the initial installation of the track but he is hopeful that the work, i.e. already underway, will be completed in time and up to IAAF Class I standard. “You should have the inspectors, the IAAF and the engineers on site, on each occasion, during the process of installation so that it can be done properly with international guidelines,” said the minister. Athletes will compete in the 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and 4x1,500m relay events over two days of competition at the inaugural World Relays.