Work on Sugathadasa begins Thursday

After much deliberation for nearly a year regarding the tender, work on re-laying the synthetic track at the Sugathadasa Stadium will finally get underway on Thursday (14 Sept.).

Access-Conica joint venture (JV) won the tender bid for re-laying of the track as they were the most qualified bidder having met all requirements. Conica has laid 24 Class I tracks around the world and is also the present sponsor of the world athletics governing body IAAF.

Access-Conica JV won the bid for re-laying the track for Rs 269.33 Million.

According to a spokesperson of the JV it will take nearly three months for the completion of the process if rain does not disturb the proceedings. This means the Sugathadasa track will be ready for next year’s athletic season, which is good news for the country’s athletes.

The track was re-laid in 2012 in preparation for the Asian Junior Athletic Championship, but it did not last long and showed signs of wearing out and was in an unusable state just after a year.

After appeals from several parties concerned with sports the Ministry called for tenders to re-lay the track last year. But the process was delayed for several months due to appeals made to the procurement appeal board by losing bidders.

Meanwhile, the Sports Ministry has called for tenders for the laying of synthetic tracks in Ratnapura and Matale and the foundation stone was laid for a new pavilion at the Torrington ground.