…New Amsterdam synthetic track to also be completed by year end
Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr has a discussion with International Consultant Patrick Heinen
For the first time in its almost decade-long existence, the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC), West Coast Demerara (WCD) will soon be equipped with a fully-functioning warm-up track, boosting its international hosting capabilities, after being overlooked in the past for missing such aspects.
Currently, Track and Field Facility International Consultant Patrick Heinen is supervising asphalt laying work at the venue that provides the foundation for the creation of a warm-up track.
The mini-track, which should cover approximately 150 metres, is an essential feature for international standard facilities around the world.
In an invited comment during his visit to the site, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr underscored the importance of building the track.
Another look at the ongoing work at the NTFC
He said, “We’ve long needed a warm-up track and the warm-up track is important, mainly because you have international events here and that’s one of the requirements to host bigger types of international events, which is something that we’re looking to do. You know, President (Irfaan) Ali made an announcement and this is the intention for the country to become a premier destination for world-class events.”
Delving into why Heinen and another specialist from BSW Regupol have been brought to Guyana, the Minister revealed intentions of killing two birds with one stone, by also doing the Synthetic Track at New Amsterdam.
Another look at the ongoing work at the NTFC
“What he [Patrick] does is, he supervises the laying of the asphalt material and the margin of error is 5mm and that’s no easy task. We’re lucky that he’s done this all over the world. So, we have the very best supervising the works that are being done here,” the Sport Minister related to Guyana Times Sport.
“So, after this is completed, and we’re hoping to have this completed today [Saturday], maybe tomorrow, we expect that it’s going to take about 14 days or so before it’s ready for the synthetic material to be laid. Now, another person comes in to lay the synthetic material, because that’s also highly specialised.”
Ramson Jr continued, “In fact, the work for that [New Amsterdam] has been going on earlier in the year and it’s now finishing up. So, the timing of this is very important, but they’re on schedule. Once it’s done, we get the second guy to come in to supervise the laying of the synthetic material both here and in New Amsterdam, one right after the other. So, once the weather is good to us, we should be able to have both tracks completed before the end of the year.”
For now, the West Coast facility will be the only one of Guyana’s three synthetic tracks to be equipped with a warm-up track. The Sport Minister explained why this is so.
“What’s important is that we have facilities throughout the country for training,” the Sport Minister said in responding to this publication’s inquiries. “When it comes to hosting international events, there are certain very important, but also very expensive bits of investment that facilities require to meet those standards and it’s important that eventually they get there, so we have options, but anything that we’re lacking at one facility to host, we must make sure that it’s there [somewhere else]. We don’t want that we spread ourselves so thin on the investment that we’re making because there’re always needs. Which means we need to get a premium facility that is capable of hosting all the big meets.”
Ramson Jr added, “That’s the reason why this is being done here and it’s not currently being done at the other ones, but it will get there. We want to be able to move games and tournaments throughout the country because we know what it does at those locations.”
While the New Amsterdam track is expected to be completed by year end, the track at Linden has long been completed. (Jemima Holmes)
