S'pore may not host 2013 SEA Games as building of Sports Hub may be delayed
SINGAPORE : Singapore may not host the 2013 SEA Games as planned.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian
Balakrishnan said this is because the completion of the Sports Hub may
be not ready in time.
The S$1.87-billion Sports Hub, which is slated to be the main venue for
the biennial games, has suffered repeated delays due to the global
economic downturn.
While progress has been made to kick-start the project, it may not be completed in time for the 2013 SEA Games.
Dr Balakrishnan said a decision will be made soon on whether to
continue with hosting the 2013 SEA Games, or to pass it up and host it
in the future, the earliest of which is the 2015 SEA Games.
He also gave the assurance that the Sports Hub project will not be cancelled.
He said: "If we had insisted on rushing through the project in the
early part of this year, interest rates would have been exorbitant... I
don't want to spend more than a cent than necessary. And I'd rather be
cautious and deliberate, move forward but not be rushed into making
hasty decisions or making decisions that would cost the taxpayers more
in the long run."
Dr Balakrishnan was speaking at the launch of the Youth Olympic
Games' Culture and Education Programme pictograms, which represent the
seven activities of the programme.
The Sports Hub, a public-private partnership project, was awarded to
the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium last January and is to be built on
a 35-hectare site in Kallang, featuring world class facilities,
including a 55,000 National Stadium with a retractable roof.
- CNA /ls