Athletics-Damaged tartan track being removed |08 May 2007

Local contractor Serge Monthy has been contracted to do the civil work which includes the removal of the old tartan track and the lowest two rows of the sitting facility for the laying of concrete to make space for an additional two lanes. Work on the project started yesterday after a slight delay.

Stad Popiler, which got its six-lane tartan track in 1993 – the year Seychelles hosted the fourth edition of the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) – will therefore become ‘the athletics stadium in Seychelles’ with an eight-lane track, thus meeting the international norms.

Project manager within the Ministry of The Arts, Culture and Sports, Gerard Renaud told Sports Nation on the phone yesterday that the civil work should be over in a month’s time when Cyprus-based company Total Sports Limited is to lay the new tartan track.

“The track should be ready in mid-June,” said Mr Renaud, adding that “some of the consignments from overseas are already in port, while others are expected here soon.”

Minor cosmetic reparation work is expected to be done on the Stad Linite track after the completion of work at Stad Popiler, bringing the overall cost of the project to R2.3 million.

Regarding the US $60,000 contribution from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) towards the project, it is to be given upon the completion of work. Some of the money will be used to bring in experts for the validation of the track, giving it the OK for international competitions.

Speaking on behalf of the Seychelles Athletics Federation (SAF), secretary general Wilfred Adrien said that “we are happy that work has started although the timing is not good as we are to organise the heats for the annual Inter-School Athletics Championships by the end of May. We also have to postpone all our competitions and look for other venues for training ahead of the IOIG.”

G. G.