Presidential
Martelly Gives Land for Construction of Olympic Center
- Friday, October 21, 2011 5:00 PM
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - President Michel Martelly has given land for the construction of a National Olympic Center which was pledged to Haiti during the administration of former President Rene Preval.
After the earthquake of January 12, 2010, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has pledged to give Haiti a National Olympic Center, the State had not given the ground. This explains the delay in starting work.
On Friday October 14, the President agreed to give land for the construction of the center, following a meeting he had with Jean Edouard Baker, President of the Haitian Olympic Committee (HOC).
According to a source responsible for the Haitian Olympic Committee, laying the foundation stone of the National Olympic Centre will be in the near future.
The center will be located north of Port-au-Prince and will include a total of three football fields, one of which will have a track for the practice of athletics. Gymnasiums for basketball, volleyball, martial arts, tennis court and table tennis, offices and dormitories will also be built.
Architects and engineers delegated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were in Haiti a few months ago. They held working sessions with members of HOC on the construction of this center, to be funded largely by the IOC. The new Olympic center will cost about U.S. $ 29 million and will include a 25,000-seat stadium.
Source: Le Matin
