Grand Slam Track’s inaugural meet in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday was “poorly-attended,” though it is “far to early to offer any sort of grand pronouncements,” according to Jonathan Gault of LETS RUN. The racing, “for the most part, was good.” The meet offered “significant star power and some incredible head-to-head matches with the unprecedented prize money creating far greater stakes than your typical April meet.” However, the main grandstands never reached 50% capacity on any of the three days -- to say nothing of the turns and back straight, which remained “almost completely empty.” There was also “limited parking” available on-site, with “many fans having to park remotely and take shuttle buses.” Additionally, the meet was “not marketed well locally.” And while the crowds who did show up “created a good atmosphere,” particularly for the sprints, there is “no way to spin all of those empty seats as a success.” The question moving forward is “whether the presence of athletes like Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and races like the men’s 1500 and women’s 400 are enough to push Grand Slam Track into the mainstream.” Those athletes and races “were terrific,” but most Diamond Leagues “feature a couple of massive stars and one or two incredible races as well.” GST “needs to offer something more to fans if it is to break through in markets -- like the USA -- where the Diamond League has failed to penetrate” (LETS RUN, 4/6).
RUNNING ON EMPTY: In London, Thom Gibbs wrote that Kingston’s National Stadium was “worryingly empty” on Friday’s opening night, noting that while launching the new league in Jamaica is “a laudable way to recognise the country’s contribution to the sport,” crowds at professional meets there are “generally small.” He noted by Sunday “at least the covered grandstand looked fuller than the first two days,” although the back-straight bleachers still “brought back unpleasant memories of Tokyo’s crowdless Olympics.” It is “tough to see that situation changing much over the next three events, all in the United States, where only college athletics reliably attracts big crowds” (London TELEGRAPH, 4/7). REUTERS’ Amy Tennery noted that while “few places in the world can rival Jamaica in its love for track,” for the third consecutive day, “large swathes of the bleachers sat empty, drawing critics online as images of empty seats circulated on social media” (REUTERS, 4/6).
FREE SEATS: In Jamaica, Gregory Bryce reported that since the Grand Slam Track event at the National Stadium has “failed to bring out the numbers” of spectators expected at the 35,000-seat stadium at Independence Park, “organisers have announced there will be free admission to bleachers seats for the remaining days of the competition” (Jamaica GLEANER, 4/5).
