| Independence Park | |
|---|---|
| The Office | |
| Full name | Independence Park |
| Location | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Built | 1962 |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Capacity | 35,000 |
| Field dimensions | unknown |
| Tenants | |
| Jamaica Football Team Jamaica Rugby League (sometimes) 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games |
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Independence Park is a sports and cultural complex[1] in Kingston, Jamaica built for the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It houses a variety of sports facilities. A statue of Bob Marley marks the entrance to the site.[1]
External links in the sections below are to aerial views at Wikimapia.
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The National Stadium is primarily used for football (being the home field of the Jamaica Football Federation) but is also considered the apex of Athletic competition in the West Indies being home to Jamaica's national athletic team for the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games.
It was built for the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games, for which it was the main stadium hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, track and field and cycling events. It was also home to the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It holds 35,000 people.[2]
Facilities include:
A statue of Olympic gold medallist Don Quarrie guards the entrance to the stadium.[1]
Other statues in the complex include those of Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley and Merlene Ottey.[3]
The pools were built to host the aquatic events of the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games. The main swimming pool was modified to accommodate the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games which required that distances be in yards as opposed to metres. It currently seats 8,500.
The National Arena was built to host the Weightlifting and Wrestling events events of the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games it holds 3,000 people and was opened in 1963.
It is now used for a wide range of activities including sports tournaments (netball, table tennis, etc.), trade exhibitions, flower shows, the National Festival song and costume competitions[4] and state funerals.[5]
The National Indoor Arena was built adjacent to the National Arena to host the 2003 IFNA Netball World Championships. It holds 6,000 people and opened in 2002.
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