Vieux Fort National Stadium
Encyclopedia
George Odlum
National Stadium is a 9,000 capacity football stadium in Vieux Fort, St Lucia.
The stadium was handed over to the Government and people of St Lucia, represented by Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony and Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports, Honourable Mario Michel
, in July 2002. Its construction was financed by the People's Republic of China
. It was given its current name in 2007.
. The stadium is approximately 45 minutes away from the capital, Castries.
Over the course of the next two years, COVEC built the stadium superstructure on part of the site, with two spectator stands, a grass field, a rubberized track, lights and large parking areas. Coming in at a total cost of EC$55 million, the stadium was the most modern in the Caribbean at the time of its construction. One of the first events at the stadium, then simply known as the St Lucia National Stadium, was the multi-discipline Windward Islands Secondary School Games.
Modern as it is in terms of layout, seating, fixtures and amenities, the stadium was not equipped with an IAAF-certified competition surface. By 2009, such a surface would prove necessary if the St Lucia Athletics Association were to prove successful in its bid to host the XXXVIII CARIFTA Games
, a regional track and field championship featuring hundreds of athletes from over 20 territories. Prime Minister Honourable Stephenson King
pledged Government’s support.
By this time, St Lucia had broken off diplomatic relations with mainland China, in favour of links with the People's Republic of China on Taiwan
. Starting in late 2008, the St Lucia Government scrapped the old running surface, and along with Taiwan, began work rehabilitating the facility, which had suffered through substantial disuse and neglect. The major addition was the installation of an IAAF-certified Mondo
track. Total expenditure on the Stadium came to over EC$10 million.
Of that amount, though, more than EC$5 million was spent on support systems and infrastructure. The Government of St Lucia never managed to fix the electronic scoreboard, but work was done to install a new photo finish apparatus, repair damaged seating, upgrade the lighting, drainage and plumbing, fix the roof and purchase new equipment. Purchased in collaboration with the Taiwanese, much of the equipment came from major American manufacturer UCS
.
– a former national athlete himself – worked closely with local contractors and of course Mondo, IAAF Official Supplier since 1987, to bring the facility fully up to international standard. Permanent Secretary Donavan Williams headed the team that was charged with delivering the XXXVIII CARIFTA Games in Easter 2009, when the Caribbean would descend upon St Lucia.
St Lucia delivered. Adjustments had to be made to the programme to account for transportation from the main tourism belt in the island’s north, but competition-wise, many considered this the best edition ever of the Caribbean’s junior track and field showcase. 15 records were broken or equalled, one in the throws, three in the middle and long distance events. Grenada’s Kirani James
broke Usain Bolt’s
400m record, and won the Austin Sealy award for most outstanding athlete.
Neville 'Teddy' McCook, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), was impressed by St Lucia’s National Stadium. During a visit to St Lucia in September 2008, he said "This is an excellent facility. I see nothing in the region that compares in terms of availability of rooms and the way you can use those rooms. This is an important stadium with available rooms for medical, media, accommodation, that's excellent."
As described by Donavan Williams, the refurbished facility includes "a warm up facility, two High Jump areas, four Triple Jump and Long Jump runways, two Pole Vault runways, one Discus Throw circle, two Shot Put circles and two Javelin Throw runways." Previously, there had been a warmup area beneath the stands, but this was replaced in the refurbishment. The stadium boasts a regulation football pitch and a 400m all-weather Mondo track.
The Ministries of Sports and Health, along with the St Lucia Athletics Association and the board of St Jude, agreed that for the duration of the hospital’s stay in the stadium, although the facility will not be available for competition, the track and field installations could be used for training. For much of the 2010 season, therefore, athletics meets were held at venues as disparate as the Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries or the mini-stadium in Soufriere.
George Odlum
George William Odlum was a Saint Lucian left-wing politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Born in Castries, Odlum studied at Bristol University and Oxford University in the United Kingdom before returning to Saint Lucia as Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Trade...
National Stadium is a 9,000 capacity football stadium in Vieux Fort, St Lucia.
The stadium was handed over to the Government and people of St Lucia, represented by Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony and Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports, Honourable Mario Michel
Mario Michel
Mario F. Michel is a lawyer and politician in Saint Lucia.Michel studied Economics and History at the University of the West Indies in Cave Hill, Barbados. He then went on to study at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago...
, in July 2002. Its construction was financed by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It was given its current name in 2007.
Location
The stadium is located on a wide plain in St Urbain, at the foot of Morne Beausejour in the southern community of Vieux Fort. It is approximately five minutes away from the main population centre in the south of St Lucia, and virtually a stone’s throw from the Hewanorra International AirportHewanorra International Airport
Hewanorra International Airport , near Vieux Fort Quarter, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, is the larger of the country's two airports and is managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority ....
. The stadium is approximately 45 minutes away from the capital, Castries.
Development & History
The National Stadium was one of several projects negotiated by then Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, George Odlum. Preparatory work on the site was undertaken over several months by the Government of St Lucia at a cost of Three Million Eastern Caribbean Dollars (EC$3 million), just over US$1 million. In September 2000, the site was handed over to a Chinese construction company, the China National Overseas Engineering Corporation(COVEC).Over the course of the next two years, COVEC built the stadium superstructure on part of the site, with two spectator stands, a grass field, a rubberized track, lights and large parking areas. Coming in at a total cost of EC$55 million, the stadium was the most modern in the Caribbean at the time of its construction. One of the first events at the stadium, then simply known as the St Lucia National Stadium, was the multi-discipline Windward Islands Secondary School Games.
Modern as it is in terms of layout, seating, fixtures and amenities, the stadium was not equipped with an IAAF-certified competition surface. By 2009, such a surface would prove necessary if the St Lucia Athletics Association were to prove successful in its bid to host the XXXVIII CARIFTA Games
CARIFTA Games
For the CARIFTA swimming meet, please see: CARIFTA Swimming Championships.The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association . The games was first held in 1972 and consists of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles,...
, a regional track and field championship featuring hundreds of athletes from over 20 territories. Prime Minister Honourable Stephenson King
Stephenson King
Stephenson Toby King was the sixth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He represents the constituency of Castries North for the United Workers Party in the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia. King won the elections in 2006, unseating the incumbent Minister of Agriculture Ignatius Jean...
pledged Government’s support.
By this time, St Lucia had broken off diplomatic relations with mainland China, in favour of links with the People's Republic of China on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Starting in late 2008, the St Lucia Government scrapped the old running surface, and along with Taiwan, began work rehabilitating the facility, which had suffered through substantial disuse and neglect. The major addition was the installation of an IAAF-certified Mondo
Mondo
Mondo , may also refer to:-Currency:* Mondo , the possible name of a worldwide established currency-Culture and entertainment:Fictional characters* Mondo , a comic book character...
track. Total expenditure on the Stadium came to over EC$10 million.
Of that amount, though, more than EC$5 million was spent on support systems and infrastructure. The Government of St Lucia never managed to fix the electronic scoreboard, but work was done to install a new photo finish apparatus, repair damaged seating, upgrade the lighting, drainage and plumbing, fix the roof and purchase new equipment. Purchased in collaboration with the Taiwanese, much of the equipment came from major American manufacturer UCS
UCS
UCS may refer to:* Cisco Unified Computing System, a computer data center management system composed of computing hardware, virtualization software, switching fabric, and management software developed by Cisco...
.
CARIFTA 2009
Minister of Youth, Sports, Social Transformation and Public Service, Honourable Lenard MontouteLenard Montoute
Born June 30 1962, Lenard Spider Montoute is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Gros Islet for the United Workers Party . He is currently Minister for Social Transformation, Public Service, Human Resource Development and Youth and Sports.Montoute won the seat from Gros...
– a former national athlete himself – worked closely with local contractors and of course Mondo, IAAF Official Supplier since 1987, to bring the facility fully up to international standard. Permanent Secretary Donavan Williams headed the team that was charged with delivering the XXXVIII CARIFTA Games in Easter 2009, when the Caribbean would descend upon St Lucia.
St Lucia delivered. Adjustments had to be made to the programme to account for transportation from the main tourism belt in the island’s north, but competition-wise, many considered this the best edition ever of the Caribbean’s junior track and field showcase. 15 records were broken or equalled, one in the throws, three in the middle and long distance events. Grenada’s Kirani James
Kirani James
Kirani James is a Grenadian sprinter who specializes in the 200 and 400 metres. He is the reigning 400 metres world champion.Prodigious from a young age, he ran the fastest 400 m times ever by a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old...
broke Usain Bolt’s
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
400m record, and won the Austin Sealy award for most outstanding athlete.
Neville 'Teddy' McCook, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), was impressed by St Lucia’s National Stadium. During a visit to St Lucia in September 2008, he said "This is an excellent facility. I see nothing in the region that compares in terms of availability of rooms and the way you can use those rooms. This is an important stadium with available rooms for medical, media, accommodation, that's excellent."
Amenities and fittings
The National Stadium contains two spectator stands seating a total of eight thousand (8,000) persons. When handed over in 2002, the stated intention was that two other stands to accommodate a further seven thousand (7,000) persons would be constructed in due course by the St Lucian Government. The stadium was also intended to be the centerpiece of a stadium complex that would include accommodation as well as indoor facilities for court sports, meetings and so on.As described by Donavan Williams, the refurbished facility includes "a warm up facility, two High Jump areas, four Triple Jump and Long Jump runways, two Pole Vault runways, one Discus Throw circle, two Shot Put circles and two Javelin Throw runways." Previously, there had been a warmup area beneath the stands, but this was replaced in the refurbishment. The stadium boasts a regulation football pitch and a 400m all-weather Mondo track.
St Jude Hospital
In September 2009, a fire destroyed portions of St Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort, a few miles from the stadium. The Government of St Lucia moved the bulk of the hospital’s operations to the stadium, where the large, flexible rooms beneath the stands turned out to be ideal for transformation into the main medical facility for the south of the island. In April 2010, Prime Minister King said that his Government would be rebuilding St Jude on a site close to the stadium.The Ministries of Sports and Health, along with the St Lucia Athletics Association and the board of St Jude, agreed that for the duration of the hospital’s stay in the stadium, although the facility will not be available for competition, the track and field installations could be used for training. For much of the 2010 season, therefore, athletics meets were held at venues as disparate as the Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries or the mini-stadium in Soufriere.