The Cambodian government are set to invest heavily in the future of
national sport after a decision to create an inter-ministerial committee to
manage the construction of an Olympic Park-style facility named the Morodok
Techo National Sports Complex was rubber stamped by Prime Minister Hun Sen
earlier this week.
Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema
has been named as head of the committee and has already signed off for the
establishment of four subcommittees including a technical committee, dispute
resolving committee, construction management committee, and land and building
surveying committee.
A 94-hectare plot earmarked for
the development will require the filling in of part of Boeung Pong Peay lake,
which is located between Phnom Penh Thmey village in Sen Sok district and Tuol
Sangke commune in Russey Keo district near the Ly Yong Phat bridge to the east
of the city.
Thong Khon, the Minister of
Tourism and president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, told the
Post that the complex would be Cambodia’s first modern multipurpose and
international standard sports facility.
Plans designed by local company
Architect Solutions are being held by the NOCC, who will co-operate with the
Phnom Penh Municipality, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the
private sector in developing the complex.
Vath Chamroeun, NOCC
secretary-general and vice president of the construction management and land
and building surveying committees, said about 40 per cent of the site will be
used for construction of stadiums, offices and other buildings, while the
remainder will be covered by grass, trees and gardens.
“Stadium construction will start
at the end of this year,” added Vath Chamroeun.
The government is said to be
bearing the total cost of the project, which has yet to be officially
announced, although the municipality has granted the land. Engineering experts
have estimated an expenditure of between US$100 million and $150 million.
The current plans include six
arenas and a huge weights training gym for up to 1,500 elite athletes. The
43,000-seat main stadium will cover a plot of nine hectares and house a
football pitch and running track.
A multipurpose indoor stadium on
3.6 hectares will seat 15,000 spectators while a swimming centre on a similarly
sized parcel of land will be able to host 6,000 aquatics fanatics.
There is also a proposed
3,700-seat badminton and table tennis hall, a 3,700-seat gymnastics and
traditional sports hall and a 3,000-seate sports hall for basketball, volleyball
and futsal.
Also in the mix are plans for
four six-storey blocks of offices and four eight-storey blocks to accommodate
athletes, which will include 400 rooms and two eating halls.
Finally, a 800-room hotel on 3.2
hectares is in the pipeline.
Sports fans across the Kingdom
are eargerly awaiting the news that Cambodia will host a SEA Games tournament,
with ASEAN members keen to see one of the founding nations finally do so.
With next year’s edition to be
held in Myanmar, Singapore to be hosts in 2015, Kuala Lumpur slated for 2017
and Bandar Seri Bagawan in Brunei given the nod for 2019, Phnom Penh can take
at least nine years to wrap up construction before welcoming the premier
regional competition.
Yeun Ponlok and Ung Chamroeun
Business & Investment Opportunities
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