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The Southern Caribbean’s Premier Track and Field Meet Airs April 21 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN Caribbean and ESPN Play
ESPN has signed a three-year agreement for rights to the Grenada Invitational, the Southern Caribbean’s premier track and field meet. The deal includes transmission of the one-day annual meet through 2020 in the Caribbean and the United States, and on ESPN digital platforms.
The second edition of the Grenada Invitational will take place at Kirani James Athletic Stadium on Saturday, April 21 and will air live on ESPN from 6-9 p.m. ET. Athletes expected to compete include Olympic medalists from the Caribbean, U.S. and other countries. Sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the Grenada Invitational is one of the first meets of the annual outdoor track and field season.
ESPN aired the inaugural Grenada Invitational last April. The competition featured Olympians and world champions Asafa Powell, Kim Collins, Veronica Campbell-Brown and LaShawn Merritt, among the 165 athletes who competed.
The meet included a ceremony renaming the National Athletic Stadium in honor of Grenada’s 400m Olympian and world champion, Kirani James, who also competed.
“ESPN is committed to bringing local events to the region that are important to Caribbean sports fans,” Scott McGlone, senior director of programming, ESPN International. “We are also thrilled to help bring additional exposure to the Grenada Invitational to even wider audiences through our platforms in the United States and around the world.”
“With a recognized international broadcast partner, our desire to make the Grenada Invitational a premier international track and field meet has been vastly accelerated,” Dexter Mitchell, Chairman of the Local Oraganising Committee of the Grenada Invitational, said. “The benefits to participating athletes, both local and international, the exposure of Grenada as a foremost host of major sporting events and a desirous tourist destination has increased immeasurably with the signing of the agreement.”
About ESPN
ESPN, Inc. is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Based in Bristol, Conn., with approximately 4,000 employees. ESPN Plaza includes nearly 1.2 million square feet in 18 buildings on 123 acres. The company is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Hearst holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.
About The Grenada Invitational
The Grenada Invitational is a one-day annual track and field meet sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) and the Grenada Athletic Association (GAA). The Invitational is an Area Permit Meet (APM) meaning any records, once verified will stand. The mantra of the Grenada Invitational is to bring World Class Athletes to a World Class Facility to compete in a World Class Event.
