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March 30, 2006 – In a meeting with Regional Development Director of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), Lenford G. Levy, former Olympic medal winners and coaches from the Virgin Islands and Jamaica, Senator Russell held a dinner on Sunday, March 26, 2006, to discuss the upgrading of the territory's educational facilities' running tracks to Class A-1 status. The meeting focused on presentations, as well as a question and answer period to discuss the building of two standardized tracks: one on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix. Additional agenda items included developing programs for athletes that begin at the elementary level and progress through high school and college and establishing a Chief Coach to coordinate activities in the territory certified by IAFF standards at Level 3.
Senator Russell commented, "This meeting has successfully elevated the conversation among key players and participants so that the issue of standardizing the tracks for the territory can be further addressed. I am proud of the support for this issue and look forward to future dialogue on the matter. At the heart of this discussion is a shared commitment to making sure that our Virgin Islands track and field athletes are able to train on the best tracks, with properly standardized facilities, by coaches that are trained and certified consistent with IAAF standards. We have the best interests of our territorial athletes in mind as we move forward with these discussions."
The dinner meeting followed a tour of two track facilities on St. Croix to review standards and conditions. Senator Russell commented, "I consider this a labor of love. With my twenty-five years as President of the Track and Field Federation, I am a strong advocate for athletic training and proper athletic facilities for athletes and coaches. I remain committed to providing leadership toward standardizing the Class status of the local tracks in the territory, and I look forward to further discussion with local and other, Caribbean partners on this effort."
