ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – The highly anticipated Grenada Invitational will not take place this year due to the state of disrepair of the track at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium. The meet, originally scheduled for April 22nd and then rescheduled for June 10th, has been cancelled altogether for the 2023 track and field season.
The Grenada Invitational had achieved the prestigious status of a World Athletics Continental Gold Meet, but the required repairs could not be completed in time. Despite efforts by the Grenadian government to move the date of the event from April to June, the repairs proved to be too extensive to be completed within such a tight timeframe.
In an official statement, the government of Grenada recognized the potential benefits of hosting a global event such as the Grenada Invitational and pledged to provide the necessary support for the 2024 edition of the event.
“The Government looks forward to continued engagement in order to facilitate greater levels of collaboration for the development of athletics in Grenada and is committed to providing the necessary support towards the 2024 Grenada Invitational. To this end, it gives its reassurance that the track will be relayed, to the standard required, by the commencement of the 2024 track season,” the Government statement said.
The cancellation of the Grenada Invitational is not the only change affecting the 2023 track and field season. The Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai has been cancelled due to facility unavailability, while the Continental Tour Gold Meeting scheduled for Grenada has been cancelled due to delays in the track repairs.
Grenada Invitational organizers have already started planning for the 2024 edition of the meet, which promises to be a world-class event featuring top athletes from around the world. The event will be held in April 2024, which coincides with Grenada’s 50th anniversary of independence, the hosting of the Carifta Games, and the 40th anniversary of Grenada’s debut at the Summer Olympics.