Approval granted for national athletes to resume training at IPL Complex

Sports Minister Olivia "Babsy" Grange has confirmed that the facilities at Independence Park Limited (IPL) are now available to national athletes for training. The IPL facilities were closed as part of the government's response to the Covid 19 pandemic. The sports ministry also confirmed that MVP Track Club has been granted approval for their athletes to resume training at Stadium East.

Training is to be conducted under strict Ministry of Health protocols which include the wearing of masks by coaches and other support staff and restricting the number of persons using the facility at any one time. Meanwhile, the Sports Minister says where national athletes can be allowed to use IPL facilities without compromising the Health Ministry's requirements, this will be facilitated.

The Sports Minister also confirmed that multiple world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce had sought permission to train inside the main stadium facility and approval was granted. Reports emerged this week that Fraser-Pryce was training inside the National Stadium away from her MVP teammates who continue to train at Stadium East.

It however remains unclear whether Fraser-Pryce has left her long time club as her management team has not responded to phone calls or questions posed by Radio Jamaica Sports. In 2016 Fraser-Pryce briefly left MVP to train under the guidance of Reynaldo Walcott in St Elizabeth but later returned to the Stephen Francis-led MVP Track Club.