Planning for the western Jamaica leg of the nation's tribute to the athletes who took part in the recent World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany, is on track.

A planning meeting was held on Saturday at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, the site where a fun day and concert will be held on Sunday, October 4.

The celebrations for the athletes will be held from October 2-4, and a National Planning Committee, chaired by the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange, has been formed to organise several events slated for Kingston and the western end of the island.

These include a golden reception at Jamaica House, a national thanksgiving service at the Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church and the fun day and concert at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium.

According to artistic director for the celebrations, Trevor Nairne, the Trelawny event will provide a rare opportunity for the athletes to interact with thousands of ticketed guests from across western Jamaica.

Varied attractions

He said the event, which will run from 2 p.m.-10 p.m., will feature vending and display stalls, games, attractions and performances for children and adults.

The concert, which begins at 7 p.m., will be headlined by local artistes.

Whereas admittance to the event will be free, for crowd-control purposes, patrons will be required to have a ticket for entry. Arrangements are now being made to identify several distributors across western Jamaica.

Jamaican athletes won a total of 13 medals, including seven gold, four silver and two bronze, at the World Championships. Jamaica placed second behind the United States in the medal haul.

- JIS