Stadium gets facelift for Jones visit
The National Sports Council today released a detailed itinerary of next week’s historic visit by world champion sprinter Marion Jones. As expected, it’s a strenuous schedule that may even tax the strength of an Olympic gold medallist. During her four days in Belize Jones will be feted by municipal authorities in Belize City, Dangriga, Punta Gorda, Belmopan and Orange Walk. She’ll talk to local athletes, powwow with sports administrators, sign autographs and answer questions from the press. The high point of the visit will come on Wednesday night at the National Stadium when she will be conferred with the Order of Belize, an award last bestowed on none other than Fidel Castro. Along with the planning, the Sports Council has also been working to get the country’s notoriously shabby sporting facilities in some kind of acceptable shape.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
The fastest woman in the world maybe coming to Belize, but she?s not the only making preparations. The National Sports Council is knee deep in a massive clean-up and rebuilding effort to get the National stadium ready for her arrival
Clara Cuellar, Executive Dir., Nat’l Sports Council
“The design for the plumbing was already there, we just had to update it because we have been doing background work knowing we have to improve National Stadium. We?re doing the roof already and if your go out there you will see that is happening. The wonderful news is the lighting of the stadium. What is known as the back entrance, the muddy hole that nobody uses, will be a public entrance fully lit. The road is being upgraded, City Council is fully in charge of that aspect of the road, the filling, the cutting, clearing, the cleaning.”
“The lighting at the back by the ticket booths an upgraded of what used to be a swamp when you go in will not be there, so that is wonderful. We have not had water on that stadium and we?ve always had to use the portable toilets. That will all change.”
What will also change is the deplorable state of the restrooms, concession stands and locker rooms.
Ann-Marie Williams
“It?s all good, but why wait until a Marion Jones visit to have such great improvements??
Clara Cuellar
“It?s not a wait quite frankly. I think one needs to start understanding how one puts the different units together to maximize the opportunity as an organisation. For example in a private sector, waiting until the Olympics come to make sure the copyright laws are in place to protect. There are moments for movements in any organisation development, which presents itself as an opportunity to grow and we would be negligible, we would be incompetent, if we did not seize that moment.”
And that moment is one for Belize’s history books. Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
The Belize Times has reported that the National Stadium will be renamed in honour of Marion Jones. It is also rumoured that plans are afoot to acquire the synthetic track which formed part of the stadium’s original design.
