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Montego Bay to host CARIFTA?
Tourist, Sporting execs say MoBay could host 40-year-old games
BY PAUL A REID Observer West writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, September 23, 2010
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
The recently-opened Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine could host next April's 40th staging of the prestigious CARIFTA Games, the region's largest annual track and field meet held in the region.
Organisers were left scrambling to find a suitable venue after St Kitts who were to host the event, withdrew, and Jamaica — who last hosted the meet 15 years ago — has been touted as a possible replacement.
MCCOOK... it would be ideal for one hotel to host all the athletes and team officials
CUMMINGS... the organisers are serious they would have to "get on their bicycles and start riding fast"
MCCOOK... it would be ideal for one hotel to host all the athletes and team officials
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But one of the obstacles in the way of hosting the event is appropriate accommodation for approximately 600 athletes and officials from the 26 affiliated countries .
"We would love it if we got a call from a hotelier there in western Jamaica telling us they have accommodation for us" said Neville 'Teddy' McCook, president of the powerful North America Central America and Caribbean track and field association (NACAC) on Tuesdsay.
While he said they had "been in dialogue with various entities" about the meet, the former Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association's (JAAA) president and current International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) delegate confirmed that "we have been looking around (western Jamaica) for accommodation."
There are several smaller properties in the region, however McCook said it would be ideal for one hotel to host all the athletes and team officials.
The withdrawal of St Kitts earlier this year and the long wait to name a replacement had caused concerns in track and field circles in the region.
McCook told the Observer West they would wait until the end of the month to make a decision but Wayne Cummings, president of the Jamaica Hotels and Tourist Association (JHTA) said if the organisers are serious they would have to "get on their bicycles and start rising fast."
Cummings told the Observer West that while there are several properties in western Jamaica that could accommodate the athletes, many of them would have advanced bookings already.
Unless the business from the CARIFTA Games was lucrative enough for these properties to shift their business elsewhere, there might be a problem.
Among the larger properties in the region are the 1000 plus rooms Grand Palladium Hotel at Point, Hanover; Riu Montego Bay and Secrets which were both over 700 rooms each; Star Fish in Trelawny which has over 400 rooms and Holiday Inn in Montego Bay which also has 400 rooms.
Montego Bay to host CARIFTA?
Tourist, Sporting execs say MoBay could host 40-year-old games
BY PAUL A REID Observer West writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, September 23, 2010
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
The recently-opened Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine could host next April's 40th staging of the prestigious CARIFTA Games, the region's largest annual track and field meet held in the region.
Organisers were left scrambling to find a suitable venue after St Kitts who were to host the event, withdrew, and Jamaica — who last hosted the meet 15 years ago — has been touted as a possible replacement.
MCCOOK... it would be ideal for one hotel to host all the athletes and team officials
CUMMINGS... the organisers are serious they would have to "get on their bicycles and start riding fast"
MCCOOK... it would be ideal for one hotel to host all the athletes and team officials 1/2 But one of the obstacles in the way of hosting the event is appropriate accommodation for approximately 600 athletes and officials from the 26 affiliated countries .
"We would love it if we got a call from a hotelier there in western Jamaica telling us they have accommodation for us" said Neville 'Teddy' McCook, president of the powerful North America Central America and Caribbean track and field association (NACAC) on Tuesdsay.
While he said they had "been in dialogue with various entities" about the meet, the former Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association's (JAAA) president and current International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) delegate confirmed that "we have been looking around (western Jamaica) for accommodation."
There are several smaller properties in the region, however McCook said it would be ideal for one hotel to host all the athletes and team officials.
The withdrawal of St Kitts earlier this year and the long wait to name a replacement had caused concerns in track and field circles in the region.
McCook told the Observer West they would wait until the end of the month to make a decision but Wayne Cummings, president of the Jamaica Hotels and Tourist Association (JHTA) said if the organisers are serious they would have to "get on their bicycles and start rising fast."
Cummings told the Observer West that while there are several properties in western Jamaica that could accommodate the athletes, many of them would have advanced bookings already.
Unless the business from the CARIFTA Games was lucrative enough for these properties to shift their business elsewhere, there might be a problem.
Among the larger properties in the region are the 1000 plus rooms Grand Palladium Hotel at Point, Hanover; Riu Montego Bay and Secrets which were both over 700 rooms each; Star Fish in Trelawny which has over 400 rooms and Holiday Inn in Montego Bay which also has 400 rooms.