Individual athletes wishing to use the main running track of the National Sports Centre can do so by arrangement if they are members of the Bermuda Track and Field Association, says NSC Chairman Sean Tucker.Otherwise access to the National Sports Centre’s running track has been closed off to the general public.A statement last week by the Ministry of Youth, Families and Sport, reported by this newspaper, said that use of the main running track is now restricted to members of the Bermuda Track and Field Association.The Ministry explained then that since preparing the track for the Carifta Games, NSC trustees had decided to restrict access to the facility and limit it to professional athletes and people training for organised competitions.Members of the general public were later allowed early morning access to the North Field facility, following an outcry.Athlete Mark Rickard, a BTFA member, told The Royal Gazette that there was in fact no access to the running track when he showed up to train on Wednesday because the gates were padlocked.“During Carifta, we were prevented from using it which was fine,” said Mr Rickard.“Thereafter it was closed to members of the public anyway. Nobody seemed to have access to it.”Mr Rickard said he has been running for some 30 years and competes on a regular basis. His next competition is an overseas one in November and he was hoping to do some speedwork at the NSC track.“I was thinking I would take my (BTFA) membership card and I would be able to get in, but it’s padlocked.”Using the perimeter track at the North Field is not an option for his training because it is concrete and not measured, he said.Mr Rickard said he called NSC Manager Cliff Wade who curtly told him that our report was wrong.Yesterday Mr Wade refused to clarify and referred The Royal Gazette to Sean Tucker Chairman of the NSC’s Board of Trustees who was happy to provide clarification when contacted.“The policy is organised groups who are affiliated with the Track and Field Association are allowed to use the track right now,” said Mr Tucker.“What we are trying to do is restrict and organise access because prior to now its been a free for all.”He said he had been talking to the BTFA about putting in place a policy to allow individual members access to the facility.The facility had been vandalised in the past and athletes with legitimate training requirements could not always access it when they needed to, he said.“The other problem is that it’s a construction site and we have to control that. Because of that we have to keep the gates locked.”Asked what kind of vandalism had occurred at the field he said that it had been cut with a knife in different places and spray painted in parts.He noted that the site covers 27 acres, and had multiple entrances which makes it difficult to monitor.“The idea that someone can just come in to use the only certified track in the Island without any control is something we are trying to get away from.”Individual members of the BTFA, like Mr Rickard should contact the BTFA if they wanted to gain access to the running track, he said.“We would be happy to provide access.”