Inverness athletics track could be banned from hosting competitions
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INVERNESS could be in danger of not being able to host athletics competitions in the future after it is claimed the city’s track is at risk of being deemed not fit for purpose.
Inverness Harriers claim that the athletics track at Queen’s Park Stadium could soon be ruled as unfit to host competitions.
Their claims come after the club paid running track specialists Labosport to carry out an investigation on the running track which marks its 40th anniversary this year.
The survey found that areas of the track at Queen’s Park Stadium are down to the minimum levels of thickness and shock absorbency acceptable to UK Athletics.
As a result, the facility is in danger of being refused the UKA TrackMark certificate necessary for hosting competitions.
The Labosport report has recommended a full resurfacing of the eight lane facility at an estimated cost of almost £400,000.
If the costs aren’t met, club officials fear Queen’s Park Stadium will no longer be allowed to host competitions.
The venue has already experienced problems during the winter season. It included the cancellation of 22 club training sessions due to flooding by accumulated rainwater. Recently, the summer season's first track and field meeting had to be abandoned after less than an hour. Athletes had travelled from Aberdeen and Caithness but officials had to halt proceedings due to safety concerns.
Inverness Harriers president Charlie Forbes says it is vital repairs are carried out at the venue to safeguard the future of the sport in the north.
He said: “This facility is absolutely vital to athletics.
“Not only in Inverness, but across the Highlands, and at all levels from kids just coming into the sport right up to full internationalists like Megan Keith, who we all hope will become the first athlete from the North to compete in the Olympics.
“This track isn’t simply important - the sport in the North couldn’t exist without it and will be right back in the dark ages if it were to fail to get certification next year or at some later stage.
“It’s as critical as that and as a club we became so concerned about its clearly visible deterioration that, working with operators High Life Highland, we felt we had no alternative but to pay for this survey.
“We are already disadvantaged enough in the Highlands, which is one of very few areas in Scotland without and indoor training facility. Funding the necessary works won’t be easy, but getting this done is existential to the sport of athletics in the Highlands."
The Queens Park, which was opened in 1984 and has been the springboard for generations of top performing athletes as well as a vital community facility, is the only all-weather running track in the Highlands, with the next nearest in Aberdeen. Apart from its role as the home of the Inverness club, the track is also the only Highland venue for a wide variety of championship, league, open and disability athletics competitions.
In addition to its central role as a general training and competitive venue, at elite level the Queens Park has played a vital role in the careers, among others, of eight Commonwealth Games and nine Great Britain athletes produced by the club.
High Life Highland says that it is exploring several options for the future of the venue.
A spokeswoman said: "High Life Highland is working with The Highland Council to consider several options available, with regards to the cyclical maintenance and the long-term refurbishment or replacement of the track surface. We have written to the Inverness Harriers regarding this and explained that these options require further exploration with UK Athletics and Labosport, so that a sustainable proposal can be agreed for consideration."
