Renovation work on Stad Linite |27 April 2023

STAD LINITE … Under renovation

Slight delay in track re-surfacing work

The National Sports Council has confirmed that there will be a slight delay in the ongoing work to resurface the athletics track at Stad Linite, due to unforeseen additional preparations needed prior to laying the new synthetic track.

Presently closed for all sports activities, Stad Linite at Roche Caïman has already gone through the first phase of renovation work, which was the removal of the existing damaged synthetic tracks, in place since 2011 when the country hosted the 8th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG).

The announcement came following the visit of an expert from Chinese Company Tianjin Novotrack Rubber Products Co LTD, which has been assigned the task of resurfacing the track.

After a tour of the facility, accompanied by chief executive of the National Sports Council (NSC) Marc Arrisol and maintenance manager Hanswald Quilindo, expert Kong Yongliang, who arrived in the country last Monday, assessed and concluded that additional work is needed to re-do the concrete base underneath the track completely, for proper resurfacing.

The first phase of the resurfacing work was awarded to Benoiton Construction Co (Pty) and it included removal of the existing track, while the second phase which is to lay the new track has been awarded to Tianjin Novotrack Rubber Products Co LTD.

Agreements for the face-lift have already been signed, while materials for a new synthetic track are expected to arrive in the country in late May, or early June.

Mr Yongliang also toured the facility at Victoria Gymnasium, meeting with officials from the basketball community with whom he discussed and assessed future plans to re-do the flooring of the basketball court.

Renovation work at Stad Linite started in early April and was previously scheduled to end by mid-July or early August, but with new delay the re-opening date is now pushed back by an extra month.

The cost to re-surface the running track is being absorbed by the Seychelles government.

As for the renovation of the football field, which is also ongoing, it has been possible through a lease agreement between the Seychelles government and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) in May last year, as guarantee that football will be given the priority when it comes to using the field.

It was only after the agreement that Fifa agreed to fund the renovation project.

With the old surface already removed, the next phase of work is levelling and drainage.

This will be followed by the main resurfacing work whereby a new layer of artificial turf will be applied. The work is expected to be completed by mid-July.

Maintenance work on lighting system will be carried out simultaneously with the resurfacing project, and the whole project will cost around R16 million to R17 million, all funded by Fifa.

Since the changing rooms, referees’ room, along with other facilities need to meet the international standard, an assessment work has been done by a Fifa expert, while the work to upgrade the different facilities will carried out in phases.

Stad Linite, a multi-use stadium built in 1992 as part of the country’s preparations to host the 4th IOIG in 1993, has a capacity to hold up to 10,000 people.

In February 2007, it received an artificial turf pitch 3rd generation, One Star field test, under Fifa's development programme ‘Win in Africa with Africa’.

Compiled by Roland Duval – NSC Press Release