April 4–6, 2025, will go down as historic, with the launch of the Grand Slam Track multi-national track and field invitational meet. Jamaica was chosen as the place for this inaugural staging, and this must be an indication of the value of Brand Jamaica. Every so often, both at the individual and corporate level, a revolutionary idea comes along that changes the landscape of a particular sport—particularly as it relates to remuneration. The case of cricket comes to mind as we recall the Kerry Packer intervention, which can claim partial paternity for the significant increase in cricketing income across all formats.
Since the first staging, there has been the Miami leg of Grand Slam, and we are now awaiting the Philadelphia leg. Noteworthy is the fact that the venue in Miramar, Miami, Florida, is a 5,000-capacity facility. Additionally, the Philadelphia schedule has been reduced to two days instead of three, as was the case in Kingston and Miami. The Kingston venue had a capacity of 30,000, and the Philadelphia capacity is 52,000.
Not a Competitor, but a Complement
It may be best if the stakeholders in the sport of track and field see this innovation as an addition to the landscape, rather than competition to the Diamond League concept. I commend the thought process that led to this event, with the matching of elite athletes across two events. It brings a different and fresh approach to the sport and seeks to enhance the earning potential of a sport which is yet to break into the mainstream of the USA’s sporting landscape.
Leading stakeholders continue to lament the comparatively paltry earnings from track and field, when compared with American football, basketball, tennis, baseball, cricket, volleyball, soccer, and even the just-emerging pickleball. Some of these sports do not even transcend the globe, as is the case with track and field, but they have caught the fancy of the critical sources of cash and have been able to generate huge returns, which redound to the benefit of the athletes.
A Missed Opportunity for Legacy Building
From a national perspective, it is noteworthy that Mr. Michael Johnson and his team chose Jamaica for the launch. However, rather than simply revelling in the fact, there seems to have been little thought given to maximising the legacy from this development. The choice was not accidental but rather based on the huge investment that this nation has made in the development of the sport. Jamaica is understandably dubbed the sprint capital of the world. It is established that this tiny country is the leader as far as sprinting is concerned—certainly in per capita terms. In recent years, a dominance in some field events has been developing, and so Mr. Johnson did his homework in choosing his launch pad, so to speak.
It would have been incumbent on the Jamaican authorities to ensure that the country benefits appropriately from this development. There has been nothing in the public space as to the team which negotiated the various agreements with Grand Slam Track. What was unfortunate was what can only be termed the interference with the Class 1-certified facility at the National Stadium. There was no question as to the fact that the track was certified until July 2026. To have tampered with that status was self-defeating and foolhardy, at the kindest.
Giving Up Sure for Unsure
So we went down a rabbit hole, which resulted in an admittedly beautiful black, gold, and green facility—but one that is not, and apparently will be difficult to get certified. The most recent indication from a senior source is that it may take up to six months before certification is attained. For those who have tracked the certification process over time, it is well known that the process only takes that long when significant adjustments have to be made. In hindsight, we should have negotiated a much more worthwhile legacy, more in keeping with the status of Jamaica in the track and field world.
In essence, we have sacrificed a Class 1-certified facility for an uncertified (and perhaps uncertifiable) track—without so much as a guarantee that the event will return to Jamaica. So, apart from the high honour of being the inaugural venue for this event, what are we really left with? Effectively, we are worse off than where we started. The Grand Slam Track organisers stated that over US$800,000 was spent on supposedly upgrading the National Stadium facility. Far be it from us to tell them how to spend their money, but this comes at a time when Jamaica has a track and field facility wasting away in our second city, Montego Bay.
An Uncertain Future
Conceivably, given the nature of the Grand Slam Track event, it may have been more prudent to negotiate a joint effort in restoring the Catherine Hall facility and stage the Grand Slam in the tourism capital, with a guarantee of return events each year. A full appreciation of our track and field landscape indicates that no event that does not have the rivalry of the Boys’ and Girls’ Championships is going to fill the National Stadium. The Catherine Hall facility, with its approximately 10–12,000 capacity, would have offered a much more intimate atmosphere and an opportunity for restoration, so urgently needed. This would have made for a much more worthwhile negotiating position.
So here we are, almost two months later, with another Grand Slam Track event on the horizon. A National Stadium facility without certification, and no clear indication as to when we can ensure that a record run at the facility can be ratified. What was truly astonishing is that we allowed Rekortan—the company that built the new track—to hand it over effectively incomplete, as it was not certified. In the world of track and field, industry standards dictate that certification serves as the official proof that a job has been properly completed. This was the precedent set by Regupol in 2011, when the stadium track was handed over with certification from the then IAAF—now World Athletics—the ultimate authority on facilities deemed suitable for hosting international events.
A Miscalculation
There can be no doubt that we have missed the boat this time around. It has been embarrassing to hear seasoned track and field officials glibly stating that they have walked on the track and it feels nice. Since when are tracks assessed by walking on them? The testing of a track is an extremely scientific process, with established standards by World Athletics and ranges within which the various levels must fall. This was done with the previous track, and the report was made public by Regupol.
In spite of these facts, we hurtled down the rabbit hole, where we now find ourselves wriggling in an attempt to extricate ourselves—this in a country with more track and field expertise per capita than any other place on the planet. How so?
