A modern sports complex being constructed in New Clark City is already halfway done as the Philippines gears up to host the 30th South East Asian Games.
Infrastructure developer MTD Philippines, project partner of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), vowed to finish the facilities by August 2019, three months before the regional meet.
“The construction is ahead of schedule. We already hit the 53-percent completion mark with 5.3 million man-hours without any serious accidents,” said MTD Philippines President Engr. Patrick Nicholas David.
The new sports facilities are part of Phase 1A of the New Clark City National Government Administrative Center (NGAC). The facilities include a 20,000-seater Athletics Stadium, a 2,000-seater Aquatics Center and an Athletes’ Village, and are surrounded by a 1.4-kilometer river park development with bikeways and jogging paths.
“These will be the first major sports facilities since the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex built more than eight decades ago or in 1934. It’s about time that our hardworking national athletes are given access to world-class facilities,” said PHISGOC Deputy Director General/Mayor of Athletes' Village and Security Services Arrey Perez.
Perez assured that the Philippines will be well prepared to host the SEA Games.
Clark will be the main hub of the 30th SEA Games hosted by the Philippines from November 30 to December 11, 2019. The Philippines last hosted the SEA Games in 2005.
There are 56 sports to be played by nearly 10,000 athletes from 11 countries. The 11 countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.