Photos capture start of works following official ceremony.
An official ceremony was held today to mark the start of demolition works at the old National Stadium. In its place will rise a state-of-the-art, S$1.3 billion facility in 2014.
The old National Stadium was built in 1973 and contains many happy memories of the time Singapore played in the Malaysia Cup and other sports events like the inter-school track and field championships. The National Stadium was also the venue for 18 National Day Parades. A new 55,000-seater stadium with a retractable roof and individually cooled seats will rise in its place.
“Over the past decade, Singapore has changed the way it perceives, plays and enjoys sports. By any measure, we are a true sporting nation. We play, we cheer, we excel and we work in sports. The new Sports Hub in Kallang is a bold confirmation of how much we have accomplished—and how much more we can do,” said Mr Alex Chan, Chairman, Singapore Sports Council. “The Sports Hub will help us put in place the hardware and software that will not only benefit Sports Hub when it is up and running, but also spillover to all other areas of sports development in Singapore.”
The National Stadium was slated for demolition in 2007 but the financial crisis in 2008 delayed the project. The Singapore Sports Hub, when built, will be the only stadium in the world that can be reconfigured to accommodate cricket, rugby and football matches in the same venue.
