South Asian Games: Pokhara facing race against time to finish work on venues

Pokhara, November 26

With just four days to go for the 13th South Asian Games (SAG), there is still a lot of work remaining on the infrastructure front. Officials and workers are working day and night to ensure that all the venues are ready before the opening ceremony due to be held on December 1.

Officials say that the venue for women football, cricket and beach volleyball, which will take place in Pokhara, are yet to be ready for the competition. Eight out of the 27 sporting events the 13th SAG are being held in Pokhara.

Beach volleyball will be held at Barahighat on the banks of the Phewa Lake where works are ongoing. While the players changing rooms and toilets have been constructed, the playing area and the parapet is yet to be constructed.

Officials at the National Sports Council says that the delay occurred because of various procedures. The NSC had given the responsibility for the construction of infrastructure to various sports associations.

District Volleyball Association President Bhim Parajuli said all the structures required for the games would be ready within three days. He said they have been working continuously since October 18 for this purpose and have completed the upgrading works for the beach volleyball court so far.

Similarly, the works of planting grass and constructing the parapet on the football pitch at the Pokhara Stadium are going ahead expeditiously to make the ground ready for the women football championship under the 13th SAG.

According to him, 5,000 seats have been installed on the parapet to the west of the pitch and works are on to install an equal number of seats in the parapet towards the east side of the pitch.

Likewise, works are on for the construction of a temporary parapet around the cricket pitch at the Stadium here. The women cricket matches are being held here under the 13th SAG. The changing room is also in the process of construction.

Western Region Sports Development Committee’s office chief Laxman Nath Yogi, however, claimed that the sports infrastructures will be ready a couple of days before the 13th SAG kicks off.

According to him, works on construction of the remaining infrastructures are almost at the completion phase and they would be readied well in time. He said the 13th SAG would be organized in a grand manner.

RSS