BYDGOSZCZ, Poland (CMC):

Young Caribbean athletes attending the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships (WJC) from July 8 to 13 can look forward to improved facilities at the Zawisa Stadium.

The venue hosted the very first IAAF World Youth Championships nine years ago, an edition which will be remembered as the springboard to international fame for world champions Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, Yelena Isinbayeva, Jana Pittman and Ladji Doucouré.

Organisers have announced that the stadium design has changed completely with the most noticeable feature being the reconstruction of three tribunes of seats, which increases the capacity to 23,000.

Glass wall

Only the 'A' VIP spectators' seats are the same as they used to be with the addition of a glass wall at its back to protect from the wind.

The completely new roof construction has been built over the tribune B, under which there are conference rooms, biological renewal rooms and warehouses.

A brand new nine-lane track has also been laid and an additional video screen has been located opposite the already existing one. The stadium will also be equipped with new sound and monitoring systems.

Bydgoszcz, located some 270km west of the Polish capital of Warsaw, is expected to be the season highlight for athletes between the age of 17 and 19 from around the world.

Following a memorable edition held in Beijing, China in 2006, the Championships return to Europe for the sixth time in the history of this World Athletics Series event.