Early 2024 the timeline for completing stadium upgrade

By Morissa Lindsay

Government has taken the first step in the revitalization of the dilapidated National Stadium at Waterford with the signing of a document of intent with the People’s Republic of China.

During a press conference held this afternoon at Ilaro Court, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, accompanied by Minister of Sports Charles Griffith and Chinese Ambassador to Barbados, Yan Xiushen, said that while she was unable to disclose the amount, the monetary agreement was a grant and not a loan.

Mottley also noted that this grant money was in recognition of 45 years of strong diplomatic relationships between China and Barbados. She said the stadium project would be done in two phases and should be completed in early 2024. However, the Prime Minister was unable to state how soon work would officially commence given that there are some aspects that need to be finalized urgently within the agreement.

“We had hoped that we could have done this two and a half years ago but regrettably we have plans and God has plans and the Covid pandemic has hurt all of us in a major way and I am happy that this is one of the first initiatives I believe ambassador that your government is engaging with in respect to this type of facility in a post-COVID environment.

“We are happy that we have been able to do this, the ambassador will tell you that I have been very clear that we may have to do it in two phases because I do not want in any way for us not to have the opportunity for our people going to trials for the Olympics in 2024 to be affected. And therefore as far as possible we will try to make sure that we can have access to the track facilities by the beginning of 2024 even if it means that we have to go back and finish additional stands,” Mottley told the media.

While the Government focuses on attending to the stadium as a matter of urgency, Mottley indicated that they had a plan B and intended to put a track at Wildey for national athletes to utilize in the meantime.

According to the Prime Minister, the National Stadium which is located in her St Michael North East constituency had long outlived its usefulness even before the structural problems were identified.
She noted that Barbados has had three iconic areas which are Kensington Oval, the National Stadium and the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex which she stated needs to be maximized.

“One the first iconic grounds is Kensington, the second one has always been the National Stadium but because of the failure for us to maintain, expand, invest over the years, time just took its toll on it and eventually the structural integrity of the Stadium fell into question. And the third one has been Wildey with our friends from China once again establishing the Gymnasium back in the 1980s,” Mottley said.

It is against that background, Mottley said, that they have taken the decision at the national level to make those three iconic facilities more suitable for sports in the 21st century in Barbados in spite of the fact they are in an International Monetary Fund program and that circumstances do not give the government a lot of flexibility.

In addition to the Gymnasium, the Wildey complex has since gone under significant development with many sporting associations and federations building structures that are now their homes including the National Aquatic Centre, the Barbados Tennis Association, the Barbados Football Association, Barbados Hockey Federation and Barbados Skating Association to name a few.

In what was a wide ranging press conference where the Prime Minister touched on varying topics from the importance of sports in fighting non-communicable diseases to businesses playing their part in the development of sports, Mottley added that the Government alone cannot do it all.

In addition, she revealed plans to
include the National Stadium and its surrounding areas including Combermere School, as they seek to develop a multi-purpose facility. Ambassador Xiushen during his remarks thanked Prime Minister Mottley and said his Government was happy to partner with Barbados. morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb