At age 38, Collins is ranked as the fastest 60-metre sprinter in the world today, He came to fame when he broke the 10-second 100-metre barrier at the 2002 Commonwealth Games followed by becoming World Champion in 2003.
While the Silver Jubilee Stadium was presented as a gift to the nation by the Government and people of the Republic of China on Taiwan in 2008, many thought the stadium would have been named in his honour. Instead, a pavilion was given his name, and many expressed the view that it was a political snub.
The renaming of the athletics stadium was announced Friday, 3rd April, when Deputy Prime Minister Shawn Richards, speaking in his capacity as the minister of sports, said the renaming would take place on Sunday, 5th April, during the CARIFTA Games now underway at the stadium
Reports indicate that Collins will journey from Europe for the occasion, at which time the stadium will be renamed the Kim Collins National Athletic Stadium.
According to a release from the Team Unity government, it is the first step in fulfilling a “pledge to give national icons, sports men and women and entertainers their due, and this renaming is the beginning of delivery on that commitment”.
Today, Kim Collins is a well-known international athlete who is respected the world over.