By David Di Somma
It has been confirmed today that Christchurch's QE2 Stadium, the scene of some of New Zealand's greatest track and field moments, is to demolished.
The pool will remain in the meantime, but the stands and track will soon be history.
Ever since the February 22, 2011 quake, QE2 has been a wasteland, but before then Athletics New Zealand had big plans for it, including major international events.
“It was shaping up to be the jewel in the crown, that's not the case anymore,” says Annette Purvis of Athletics New Zealand.
Now what is certain is demolition; dismantling the stands and ripping up the badly damaged track will start soon, and take around 18 weeks.
The stadium was built especially for the 1974 Commonwealth Games, and two races at that time clearly stand out.
“The Dick Tayler race - and the Filbert Bayi, John Walker race - these are things we need to remember,” says Ms Purvis.
And some of those golden moments are now part in a fundraiser launched today for the New Zealand Spinal Trust; pieces of the track, together with autographed photos, have been framed and put on TradeMe.
“There are some pretty reasonable prices being mentioned, around $10,000 for some of these pieces,” says Ben Luca of New Zealand Spinal Trust.
Looking to the future, the proposed new sports complex will not include an all-weather running track and until a decision is made on where that will be, Canterbury Athletics is essentially homeless.
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