by Arfang Camara
Fixing the athletics track of the Independence Stadium has cost the Government and partners D 25,000,000 out of which, The Gambia Government contributed D 19,000,000 constituting payments to both the local and international contractors, GAMWORKS Agency and MONDO in Italy.
This information was disclosed by the Minister for Youth and Sports, Alieu Kebba Jammeh while commissioning the track covering 6050sq meters last week. He added that as a result of Government’s determined efforts, the Stadium and the Friendship Hostel is slowly but surely reclaiming its lost glory.
“We pride ourselves with a state-of-the-art flood lights, a rehabilitated swimming pool at the Hotel, gradual beautification of the edifice and an installed international standard synthetic running tracks. Currently, we are in consultations to make the scoreboard and the PA systems functional, in the very near future,” he affirmed.
“Therefore, the young people particularly our athletes have reason to be proud of these achievements as the investments are entirely for them. On their behalf, I extend sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the President and his entire Government for once again demonstrating its pro-youth development agenda through this project.”
The Minister also extolled the International Athletics Foundation for contributing US $100,000, as well as the International Associations of Athletics Federation (IAAF) for contributing US $60,000. He also thanked MONDO, the international contractor for manufacturing and laying the tracks, GAMWORKS Agency the local contractor and The Gambia Athletics Association, for making this project possible.
“It is my understanding that some more funds are expected from the IOC [International Olympic Committee] through the GNOC [Gambia National Olympic Committee] and any time those funds are available, we will use them to cover the non-competition areas of the tracks,” he added.
In constructing a solid and sustainable sports development framework for the country, Minister Jammeh said we need a coordinated and coherent community participation in sports, availability of sufficient and standard sports infrastructure and a functioning school sports system. The vision for us, he added is to ensure that these three cardinal components are addressed in a gradual process.
He said it is for this reason that the government continuous to pump millions in revamping the Independence Stadium. “Similarly, it is why the two Ministries of Youth and Sports and Basic and Secondary Education continue to collaborate through a smart partnership to revive school sports. As we recognise the cost involved in this project and note the importance of having such tracks, we implore on all and sundry for the proper use of the tracks so that its longevity can be guaranteed,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, after the inauguration of the track, the traditional Independence Day inter-schools athletics championship was held for the first time at the Stadium in four years. Region One ended Region Two’s monopoly on the trophy by finishing in pole position with 311 points, with the latter coming in second with 305 points. Region Three finished third with 287 points while Region Four came out in fourth with 263 points. Region Five and Sixth finished on 232 and 228 points respectively.