Renovation work starts on Victoria Gymnasium |17 October 2017

Basketball fans and players will return to a revamped Victoria Gymnasium in about four months’ time as one of the oldest national sports venues in the country has closed for renovation work, which began yesterday.

Those who have passed by the Victoria Gymnasium car park since yesterday would have noticed the commotion going on at the venue, where the place is being stripped apart in order for major work to begin. SLB Building is the contractor doing the job.

Built in 1970s and renovated for the 1993 and 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games which Seychelles hosted, the facility is covered completely but open spaces at two ends allow rain to fall on the court, especially near the two ring posts, making the surface slippery and dangerous.

This has caused the sport to suffer a lot as games have had to be cancelled and this has led to a lot of complaints in the past, which have severely affected the game.

Other than renovation work the Victoria Gymnasium will get some new features that will bring it to international standard.

Project manager at the National Sports Council (NSC) Percy Vidot, gave more details on the development to Sports NATION yesterday.

“This is one of the oldest sports facilities in Seychelles and in the past there were talks about whether the venue will remain or the area would go to State House for its own projects. But approval was then granted for it to remain where it is and for renovation work to begin,” said Mr Vidot.

He added: “We have decided to upgrade the gymnasium in order to generate more interest in the game and also to bring it to international standard.”

The new Victoria Gymnasium will have a host of upgraded facilities. Mr Vidot has revealed that there will be new offices, a new meeting room, upgraded changing rooms as well as brand new seats, which are expected to hold between 1,500 and 2,000 spectators.

“One of the key components of the gymnasium will be a better roofing, which will better prevent rain from getting onto the court. In fact, we will have louvered sides to the whole gym, meaning it will look like an indoor gym,” explained Mr Vidot.

Once opened, the Victoria Gymnasium will also have a tuck shop on the inside, two practice courts behind the office block and the players will also enjoy playing on new timber flooring, which should greatly improve the aesthetics of the arena.

“We expect the work to be completed in four months, but we will be doing our utmost to complete it ahead of schedule,” added Mr Vidot.

Meanwhile, the remaining league and knockout matches will now be played at the Palais des Sports and the players and fans will hopefully begin the 2018 season in a new-look gymnasium, which will hopefully contribute to some better basketball and help develop the sport further.

The NSC is also working on other projects to improve sports venues in the country. Mr Vidot said they are also working on improving the fitness trail and also a few district-based venues around Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.

In all, these projects including the renovation of Victoria Gymnasium will cost approximately R8 million.

S. N.