$77M resurfaced Leonora Track reopens

After several delays owing to weather conditions, the synthetic material at the National Track and Field Facility (NTFC) at Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD) has been resurfaced, re-marked, and is ready for competition.
The resurfacing was completed by BSW Regupol, the same German company that had previously laid the track back in 2014.

In making the official announcement of the track’s reopening at the venue on Wednesday morning, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, reminded that the $77M price tag for the resurfacing was one that could have been avoided.
Ramson Jr. informed, “It’s a significant sum that we spent towards the resurfacing of the synthetic track here at Leonora, but what’s also important is that Guyana could’ve gotten this for free. We were under warranty up until 2019, and because of just the overall mismanagement of the facility and not relying on taking the opportunities that were available to us at the time…”

The Sport Minister added, “The previous administration did not seize the opportunity to have this re-laid, which we would’ve gotten it for free. Now, the Guyanese people, the country, had to pay $77M to resurface this.”
Looking at the impact that the track’s absence has had on sport over the months, Ramson touched on the importance of the facility, which is still the only sanctioned synthetic track in the country.
“We know the importance of having this resurfacing happen because we had to postpone one of our premier international meets earlier this year, or during the middle of this year, because of the condition that the track was in, that it did not meet the international standards,” Ramson jr. indicated.
He went on to state, “Now that this is done, we will not face that challenge for many years to come.”
According to the minister, the track will be opened to the public as soon as tomorrow, and will be in full operation for the hosting of the National Schools’ Track and Field Championships next month.