The Marion Jones Sports Complex, previously the National Stadium, is a multi-use

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, wh ...

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. It is used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

matches, track and field and cycling. The stadium holds 7,500. It is named after former track athlete of Belizean descent,

Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track and field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 200 ...

History

The National Stadium was established sometime in the 1960s as a venue for horse racing, football and cycling. The

Cross Country Cycling Classic The Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic is a one-day amateur cycling race held in Belize every year during the Easter holidays. It is Belize's biggest cycling event and has begun to be recognized internationally. Format of the race The rac ...

and other such events often finished with laps around the cycle track, originally sand and later asphalt. A famous murder, that of Derek "Itza" Brown, took place on its grounds in 1992. Eventually, the stadium was upgraded to its present condition, with planned expansion and conversion to a domed stadium expected. After her visit to Belize in 2001 at the height of her success following the Sydney Olympics, the stadium was named after Jones. Even with Jones' recent disgrace over steroid allegations there have been no plans to remove her name from the stadium. Football venues in Belize City Athletics (track and field) venues in Belize

Buildings and structures in Belize City {{Belize-sports-venue-stub