Sports Minister Olivia Grange is pushing back at claims questioning the certification of the National Stadium.

This came about as the Kingston venue was missing from an August 2026 World Athletics global list for Class 1 track certification. Opposition Spokesperson on Labour and Sports, Wavell Hinds, is turning up the heat on his government counterpart, demanding Minister Grange produce the World Athletics certificate for the National Stadium track.

This omission, he argued, directly contradicts Grange’s statement in Parliament on June 30, 2026, during her sectoral debate contribution, when she claimed the track had been certified and that the certification was “in hand”

However, Minister Grange defended the facility’s status, as she seeks to set the record straight. In her Sectoral Debate speech in June this year, Minister Grange announced that the National Stadium track has received Class One Facility Certification from World Athletics, meaning that records and qualifying performances achieved on the track will now be officially recognised.

In a statement yesterday, the Minister is seeking to reassure the nation that the new black, green and gold track at the National Stadium is “not only certified, but certified as a Class One facility by World Athletics.”

She emphasised test measurements comply with requirements and admin updates often lag behind official announcements. Meanwhile, FIFA officials are visiting the island to inspect the National Stadium and Sabina Park for Jamaica’s co-hosting of the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica, with matches planned for the National Stadium.