The resurfacing of the running track at the National Stadium will be complete by January, the National Sports Centre board announced this week.

Originally set to open this fall, the unforeseen delay is due to the clean-up of debris and residue from two previous unsatisfactory installations.

Vice-chair of the board of trustees of the sports centre, Charlie Marshall said yesterday the cleaning and preparation of the base were key to a successful installation.

"We are going the extra mile to do the job right,'' he added. "We regret that the stadium closure has had an impact on Bermuda's sporting activities, but the additional time will produce a better installation.'' Mr. Marshall added: "This prudent approach will ensure that our young athletes have the opportunity to develop their potential in an international calibre facility.'' The new track meets International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) standards and will be used for training and competition.

International events will be held in the new stadium.

The surface is identical to tracks used for the 1899 Goodwill Games in New York and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria. The Commonwealth 100 metres record of 9.93 seconds, held by Linford Christie, was set at those games.

DD Martin Surfacing of Baltimore, Maryland was awarded the $650,000 contract for the resurfacing in May and had to remove previous surfacing.

DD Martin cleaned and prepared the concrete base and installed the new surface, all under the monitoring and testing of the board's prime consultant, Johnston Sport Architecture.

Weather has been a factor in the installation as the surface must be installed on a dry base, and the opening includes allowances for weather related delays.

The final date of the reopening will be announced later.