The condition of discus circle at the Hasley Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain was put under the microscope as a lawsuit by former national discus thrower Quincy Wilson, over an injury he sustained at the National Open Senior Championships in 2019, went on trial on Tuesday.
The virtual trial of the case brought against the National Association of Athletics Administrators of T&T (NAAATT) began before Justice Nadia Kangaloo yesterday morning and was completed before 6 pm.
The only witness besides himself, called by Wilson to prove his claim that the NAAATT was negligent in failing to address slipping issues on the circle before the event, was decorated Paralympian Akeem Stewart.
Stewart testified that he was present at the event and noticed that surface was slippery due to rain and what appeared to be paint.
"I made up my mind that I was not going to take part if it did not dry out," Stewart said, as he noted that he did not need to participate as he had already qualified for his next major international event.
Stewart noted that while practicing he had seen three of his friends slip and fall on the circle and even advised one identified as Clarence Hannibal to use his jogging shoes as opposed to the shoes with less grip used for competitions.
Stewart, who won the silver medal in the discus throw at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, also stated that from his observations, the circle did not meet the condition of ones used in international competitions.
"The surface we have here is very different to what is out there...It suppose to have a sandpaper finish while the Hasley Crawford Stadium had a concrete finish close to tiles," Stewart said.
In his evidence, Wilson claimed to have similar concerns as Stewart and stated that he reported it to the event's organisers.
"I told them and they said that they did not have a cloth to wipe the circle," Wilson said.
While cross-examining Wilson, the NAAATT's lawyer Tyrone Marcus noted that Wilson was the only one of the six competitors who slipped and fell while making their throws.
He also stated that before his fall during his last throw, Wilson threw the longest distance of the day and topped the competition.
Marcus' cross-examination mainly centred around the extent of his injury and its effect on his causal job as a insect vector officer at the Port-of-Spain City Corporation and his private poultry depot business as he (Wilson) is claiming compensation over his loss of earnings.
Marcus also challenged Wilson's claim that he would be eligible for elite athlete funding from the Ministry of Sport if he was not injured, describing it speculative.
Testifying on behalf of the NAAATT, its former general secretary and chairman of its events committee Allan Baboolal admitted that he had received complaints from several athletes and a coach about the surface of the circle months before the event.
He claimed that the committee did not have a written complaints policy and all were given to him orally.
Baboolal admitted that he had a conversation with the organisation's contractor Keith Jerry to have it addressed and he (Jerry) advised that the circle had to excavated and resurfaced.
Baboolal claimed that such remedial work could have been in breach of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) regulations and Jerry suggested applying a Eco Grip primer instead.
However, when pressed on the IAAF rules by Wilson's lawyer Matthew Gayle, Baboolal admitted that the remedial work was not possible as the facility belonged to the government of T&T and not the NAAATT.
He also repeatedly maintained that the NAAATT was not reckless in its method of addressing the concerns.
In his evidence, Jerry admitted that the use of the primer was necessary in the circumstances as he had two days in which to rectify the situation and reconstructing the circle would have taken up to a week.
When confronted with the instructions for use of the primer product, Jerry admitted that at the time he was not aware that the manufacturer warned against using the product on surfaces that are continuously exposed to water.
"That was my best choice at that point in time and situation...I tried to make it usable as best as possible," Jerry said, as he repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Kangaloo is expected to deliver her judgement in the case on a date to be fixed after the parties file their written submission.
Wilson was also represented by Jason Jones, while Renuka Ramdass appeared alongside Marcus for the NAAATT.
About the case
In a lawsuit, Wilson is claiming that association was responsible for the injury he sustained when he slipped and fell in the discus circle at the Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, while performing his final throw on July 28, 2019.
He alleges that the association's employees painted/or covered the discus circle with a wrong substance causing it to be slippery and they also failed to properly inspect the circle before allowing athletes to use it.
The 30-year-old eight-time national senior champion, who holds the national record of 59.65 metres, suffered a meniscus tear to his right knee in the fall.
Wilson, who still managed to win the event with a previous score, only discovered the injury when he went for random drug testing after the event.
Wilson's lawyers are contending that in addition to severe physical pain, he has suffered extreme mental anguish from the injury.
They also claimed that the injury affected Wilson's job prospects as he had recently applied and passed an interview to join the Prison Service and was waiting for a physical examination and medical when he was injured.
If he is eventually successful, Wilson is seeking compensation for his loss of income and for private rehabilitative treatment, which he requires to fully recover.
Wilson is also seeking compensation for his loss of opportunity to compete professionally and obtain sponsorship opportunities.