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| Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (center) flanked by Ambassador Liu and Eric Haynes turns the sod to symbolically signal the start of construction at the Bird Rock Athletic Stadium |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (June 07, 2007): Taiwanese Ambassador His Excellency John Liu hailed the leadership and vision of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to use sports and sports tourism to transform the Federation's infrastructure and develop human resources.
At a ceremony on Wednesday to symbolically mark the start of construction for the Bird Rock Athletic Stadium, Ambassador Liu reiterated congratulations to the government for successfully hosting first round matches for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium last March.
He noted the positive economic spin-offs and the improved standing of the twin-island country in international circles which resulted from the event and expressed confidence that the upcoming CARIFTA Games will have a similar impact.
The 2008 track and field games will be hosted at the athletic stadium being built at Bird Rock. Some 600 athletes, 200 coaches, managers and support staff, and hundreds of excited fans from 26 countries are expected for the event.
The Republic of China (Taiwan) diplomat said the stadium projects serve as a monument to the excellent relations between the two countries over the past 24 years.
"My government has in the past supported your country and assisted in improving the well being of your
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| Taiwanese Ambassador His Excellency John Liu |
people. Today is no different," he stressed. "Prime Minister, I wish to assure you that my government will continue to work closely with your government in an effort to improve your sporting and other facilities."
Ambassador Liu was joined by Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and Eric Haynes, the 1987 Gold Medal Winner of the 100 meter race in the Under 20 category, in turning the sod at the construction site in Bird Rock.
The historic moment was witnessed by Governor General His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor and other cabinet colleagues, members of the diplomatic corps including Director of the local OAS Office Starret Greene, President of the National Olympic Committee Alphonso Bridgewater as well as numerous track and field administrators, coaches and athletes.
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Minister of Works and Parliamentary Representative for Bird Rock Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin thanked the Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for their unwavering support.
He added that the Athletic Stadium is a tribute to the outstanding past performances by national athletes who excelled at regional and international meets in spite of a lack of modern training facilities. Minister Martin also stressed the value of such a complex to the holistic development of young people.
"Anything that involves the development of young people, the harnessing of their energies and (providing additional) resources for young people, I want to be associated with it," he noted, while explaining the tangible and intangible benefits gained by persons involved in sports.
The Minister of Works commended contractors Rock and Dirt and Raymore and Associates for submitting professional bids. The members of the successful CARIFTA bid team and the Local Organising Committee were also saluted for their commitment.
The Bird Rock Athletic Stadium will feature a "Class 2" 400 meter synthetic athletic track, a 200 meter warm up track, a 500 seat capacity pavilion, a gym and accommodations for athletes, officials and VIPs as well as concession stalls. An 800 seat capacity stand, grass mounds which can accommodate up to 2,000 persons and parking facilities are also included in the design.
The project will cost approximately US $5 million. Construction will be completed in February 2008, a full month ahead of the March start of the CARIFTA Games.
