World-class facilities ready for SEA Games

Interior of New Clark City Athletics Stadium. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

CAPAS, TARLAC—After 18 months of construction, the New Clark City Athletics Stadium and the Aquatic Center here are all set for the staging of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

The sports facilities have been officially certified by the International Athletics Association Federation and the International Swimming Federation as Class 1 facilities, officials of the Philippine Sports Commission said on Wednesday.

Athletics Stadium has a 20,000-seating capacity. Its design was inspired by the caldera or crater of Mt. Pinatubo, the contours of Sierra Madre ranges and the festive details of the “parol” (Christmas lanterns) of Pampanga province.

Featuring an eight-lane training pool, a 10-lane competition pool and a diving pool with a 5-meter maximum depth, the structure of the 2,000-seat Aquatics Center was inspired by the woven patterns of “baklad” or woven fish nets and “capiz” shells.

Also built in the New Clark City sports complex is the Athletes’ Village that will serve as home to the athletes, officials and international volunteers for the duration of the games.

The village has 525 rooms, of which 95 are for people with disability, and gym amenities, kitchen and dining areas, conference rooms and other recreational facilities.

 Sports hub

The P13-billion sports hub is part of the initial development of the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City, which is also envisioned to be the center of Philippine sports.

Sen. Bong Go and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano visited the SEA Games venue on Wednesday.

In Subic Bay Freeport, the national government has set aside P170 million to refurbish four venues for 17 sports events of the SEA Games.

The centerpiece of Subic’s infrastructure development project for the 2019 SEA Games will be the Remy Field, according to Ramon Agregado, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority senior deputy administrator for support services.

He said the Remy Field’s six-lane track would be turned into a nine-lane oval complemented by three practice lanes.

 Other preparations     

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in a statement on Thursday, said an interchange project with road access connected to the North Luzon Expressway in Bocaue, Bulacan, would be completed in time for the SEA Games.

The DPWH cited round-the-clock work for the P260.8-million Ciudad De Victoria Interchange Overpass Bridge and Bypass Road to provide direct access to Philippine Arena.

“We will have better accessibility to Philippine Arena come SEA Games grand opening in November,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said in the statement. —REPORTS FROM MARIA ADELAIDA CALAYAG, JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT AND TINA G. SANTOS