The Hon. Minster of Sports pledged that the Sugathadasa Sports Complex that is currently under renovation will be ready for the athletes by the end of February 2017. He expressed these views during his official site visit to the complex on the 18th of October.
The Sugathadasa Stadium over the years was neglected despite it being the hub for many of the sporting disciplines in the country. The artificial running track was marked unsafe due to the deteriorating conditions of the matting.
Currently, the renovation process is in place for the playing grounds and work is set to be completed by the end of December 2016. The Hon. Minister expressed his views on the progress of the playing field,
“Work on the playing grounds is in progress and is set to be completed by the end of December 2016. This grounds will be available for football and rugby matches shortly after completion”
Construction work is being carried out primarily on the playing field as the groundwork is being laid out in order to create a ground with a proper drainage system.
Speaking of the heavily debated running track, he added these words.
“We haven’t still finalized the tender process for the resurfacing of the running track but we are currently in negotiation and by December 20th, the work should begin on that and by February 2017 hopefully we will have a good running track”
Questioned by the media personnel about the allocated budget for the entire development project, the minister pointed out that the entire process can be completed within the 600 million allocated amount.
Photo Album: Sports Minister Inspects Sugathadasa Stadium
The minister also took the time to inspect the neglected sports hotel that was built to benefit the players who come to Colombo for training sessions on a regular basis and added that the facility too will be refurbished and converted to a functioning state.
The Sugathadasa Stadium was the brainchild of the first Minister of Sports, V. A. Sugathadasa and came into existence during the 1960’s later evolving to be the hub for Sri Lanka’s athletes and football players. With the introduction of floodlights to the complex, it soon transformed to be an international venue hosting key international sporting events. The last of event that was held in such grandeur nature was the 2006 South Asian Games.
With the facelift project for the Sugathadasa Stadium in progress, the sporting fraternity hopes that its status will be restored and will once again attract the athletes and provide Sri Lanka with the opportunity of hosting events of international scale.
