Chat-bout.net - Set, go! Gibson Relays brings out the stars

Set, go! Gibson Relays brings out the stars

Despite minor adjustments to ticket prices, organisers of today's Gibson Relays are expecting another huge turnout at the National Stadium, with an extensive security detail lined up for the first real big track and field meet on the local calendar.

Earlier this month, increases of up to $800 were announced on prices of tickets for the meet, but up to yesterday, all indications pointed to another sold-out Gibson Relays crowd and organisers are ensuring that all the necessary security measures are being employed.

Grandstand finish-line tickets are being sold for $2,000, up from $1,200 last year while other grandstand tickets are this year going for $600 more at $1,500, up from $900 last year. Bleachers tickets, which will be available at the venue today, have seen a $100 increase and will be sold for $300.

However, if grandstand ticket sales are anything to go by, that has not stopped track and field enthusiasts from securing their seat inside the National Stadium, with some of the island's top senior and junior athletes expected to be on show.

"Our ticket sales have been going well so far," said Organising Committee chairman Rainford Wilks yesterday. "The full open sale of the grandstand tickets was on Thursday and prior to that, it was mainly people collecting their pre-booked tickets."

"Our chief ticket sales representative has said that it (price increase) has not affected her sales at all so far in terms of the quantity of tickets sold and so on. We would preferably wait until later though to see before we can make a full assessment, but we are very optimistic," Wilks added before pointing to the security and logistics set-up ahead of the meet.

"We have our security committee, which is headed by Captain Maurice Lawrence and Errol Greene and we believe that we have put everything in place in terms of the security for the entire stadium complex," said Wilks.

The meet is being dedicated to Teddy McCook, the founder of the relays, who died on February 11. He was also a leading figure in regional and global track and field as president of the North America, Central America and Caribbean region (NACAC) and a council member of the IAAF.

Jamaica Gleaner

Bookmark us!