Close to 4,000 athletes will assemble at the National Stadium next week to compete in the five zonal meets of the National Primary Schools’ Athletic Championship (NAPSAC).
Eighteen primary schools will participate in the Obadele Thompson Zone (formerly zone one), next Monday, February 28, while 16 will do battle in the Patsy Callender Zone (formerly zone five) on Tuesday, March 1.
It will be the turn of the Andrea Blackett Zone (formerly two) on Wednesday, March 2, when the 18 schools compete. The following day, Thursday, March 3, the 16 schools in the Anton Norris Zone (formerly three), will have their moment.
The meets will end on Friday, March 4, with the athletes from the 16 schools in the James Wedderburn Zone (formerly four) competing. All government primary schools will participate in this year’s championships.??
Each competition will begin at 9:45 a.m. daily, with a brief opening ceremony, to be followed by the start of the events promptly at 10:00 a.m. The athletes who the zones have been named after or their representatives are also expected to be present.
Tickets for adults to attend the zone meets will cost $10 and are available from CS Pharmacy, Broad Street; Cave Shepherd, Broad Street; the Barbados Union of Teachers, "Merryhill", Welches; Esso Service Station, Black Rock; and Esso Service Station, Tweedside, all in St. Michael; and Emerald City Supermarket, Six Roads, St. Philip.
Chairman of the NAPSAC Organising Committee, Vaman Harbin, said the zonal meets "are usually exciting" and he expected this year to be no different. "I am looking forward to a lot of records being broken and new marks being set. I, therefore, want to encourage parents and people in the community to support their schools and come out and cheer on the young athletes," Mr. Harbin stated.??