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