By JULIE ASH
International netball president Sheryl Dawson has quashed rumours that the world championships are being moved to Australia because Jamaica's new stadium will not be completed in time.
For the past month there has been speculation as to whether the new complex in Kingston will be finished in time for the world championships in July.
It is understood construction workers walked off the job this year and there was concern that the stadium was a long way behind schedule.
But Dawson, from Mt Maunganui, has kept in contact with Netball Jamaica, and says the stadium is ahead of schedule and will be completed in the next month.
"I got an email from Molly Rhone [president of Netball Jamaica] who said everything was going according to plan.
"At the moment they are working on the seating and they hope to have a trial run with a match on June 15."
If the stadium cannot be completed in time it will throw the event into chaos.
Teams from 24 countries have booked to go to Jamaica, and moving the tournament to Australia would be disastrous.
"I have the heard the rumours, but I have also heard from people that have been over there and seen the complex, and I am confident that, all in all, everything is on song," Dawson said.
The new stadium is in the Independence Park Complex in Kingston. Construction began in November last year.
The site already has outdoor courts and an indoor court.
The new stadium connects to the old venue and adds another two courts.
The 10-day world championships start on July 10.
The Silver Ferns go into the tournament ranked second behind Australia.
England are third and Jamaica fourth.
Netball: Jamaica is the place
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