Bahamas News

In preparation for the $30 million sports stadium China has offered to build for The Bahamas, representatives from a Chinese delegation on official visit to the country signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently.

Technical studies for the stadium have been completed and the Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce of The People’s Republic of China, Fu Ziying, anticipated a groundbreaking date of July 10, The Bahamas’ independence anniversary.

The master-plan of the stadium indicates three phases of development once construction begins. Phase one includes the construction of a baseball and softball stadium.

A multi-purpose indoor facility will comprise phase two of the development, and under phase three a recreational facility at the southeastern side of the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre will be built.

Phase three also includes the development of a soccer and cycling facility. “Upon completion of the three phases of the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, The Bahamas would be in a position to host regional and international events which will be both financially beneficial, socially beneficial, and beneficial in terms of sports development,” said Neville Wisdom, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.

The Minister said The Bahamas is a world super power in sports considering its size and its number and quality of world-class athletes.

Environmental factors will also determine in part how the stadium will be constructed since The Bahamas is a high-risk area for hurricanes. With its location near the city centre, Mr Wisdom said that the stadium would also be designed so ideally it could be used as a hurricane shelter. It was reported that the Chinese government would donate an additional $3.75 million toward this initiative.

With the new stadium, The Bahamas could also explore the possibility of sports tourism. “We anticipate that the facility will be used by sporting groups particularly in the area of athletics such as soccer, and American football, when they find it too cold to train or engage in sport in their respective countries,” said Mr Widsom.

“We hope the national stadium, after completed, will serve as a symbol of our friendship,” said Mr Ziying through a translator. He said the stadium could also serve as another beautiful tourist site.