By Neto Baptiste
The absence of a discus cage has ruled out any possibility of the event forming part of this year’s National Track & Field Championships slated for June 25 and 26 at the YASCO Sports Complex.
This was revealed by one member of the Antigua and Barbuda Athletics Association (ABAA) and former athlete, Ted Daley, who said that the hammer throw will also be affected despite the two not being popular events at the annual meet.
“We also need a cage for the hammer and discus, because without that cage it becomes dangerous for us to really stage those events. So, if we get that along with some hurdles then we’ll be happy because you know, right now, the world is going through some supply chain issues. When you order 100 hurdles for Antigua and somebody in Europe or North America orders 10,000 hurdles, you know who is going to be looked at first. That’s’ what the situation is, but we will have those in place for next season,” he said.
Other field events, like the high-jump, shot-put, javelin and others will, however, be contested during the two-day championships.
Daley said the body is actively engaging its partners in an effort to raise the funding required to purchase the equipment.
“The majority would probably come from World Athletics and the athletics association is reaching out to corporate Antigua and the entire citizenry of Antigua and Barbuda to assist. We will be having some fundraising efforts and so on and we are also expecting that government and the NOC will contribute,” he said.
YASCO, the country’s lone track and field facility, will undergo a transformation over the course of the next week as the association gets set to host its marquee event.