SPORE MAY NOT HOST 2013 SEA GAMES AS PLANNED

SINGAPORE : Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore may not host the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as planned, due to delays in the completion of the Sports Hub.

• The S$1.87-billion Sports Hub in Kallang is slated to be the main venue for the SEA Games.
• When completed, it is expected to feature a suite of world class sporting facilities like a 55,000-capacity stadium and an indoor Aquatic Centre, as well as business and retail space.
• But the project has been repeatedly delayed due to high construction costs and the global economic downturn.
• Construction is now expected to begin only early next year and will take at least four years to complete.
• That means it could miss the 2013 deadline, when Singapore is expected to host the SEA Games.
• Dr Balakrishnan said: "The reason for the delays is because we have been so careful about spending money. 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."
• Some 3,500 athletes aged 14 to 18 years who will be in Singapore for the 2010 Youth Olympics are expected to take part in the Culture and Education Programme (CEP).
• But he gave the assurance that the Sports Hub project will not be cancelled.
• Channel NewsAsia understands that the company responsible for the project, the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, is unlikely to face penalties for the delays.
• Many in the sports industry said hosting the SEA Games without the spectacle of the Sports Hub would not give Singapore the same impact of success it deserves.
• A decision on whether Singapore will eventually host the 2013 SEA Games or the following one in 2015 is expected to be made soon.
• Dr Balakrishnan was speaking at the launch of the Youth Olympic Games' Culture and Education Programme (CEP) pictograms, which represent the seven activities to promote the Olympic spirit.

Source: CNA