The relaying of the Sugathadasa Stadium has been delayed yet again with reports surfacing that a losing bidder has appealed to the Procumbent Appeal Board (PBA) regarding the awarding of the tender.
This is the second time this year that the relaying of the track has been delayed due to unsuccessful bidders appealing against the tender process. Now the PBA will investigate the matter and has the option of the following three decisions to make after scrutinizing the appeal as the tender has already been awarded to a bidder.
- Call for new tenders
- Award the tender to the losing bidder
- Continue with the selected bidder
At the felicitation ceremony held at the Sports ministry auditorium for the athletes of the Asian Championship fame, Honorable Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara promised that the Synthetic track at the Sugathadasa stadium will be completed and be handed over to the Athletes by the end of November this year. ThePapare.com contacted the Hon. Minister of Sport regarding the latest development.
“Yes, there has been an appeal and we have sent it to the PBA which is standard procedure” said Minister Jayasekara when queried about reports of the appeal. When asked whether this would delay the track being handed over to the athletes this year he said “it will not be a delayed, we have already awarded the tender in the correct manner and although there has been an appeal, the PBA can still decide to go with the bidder we have already awarded the tender to. A delay will only occur if the tender is awarded to protesting bidder or if they decide to float for new tenders.”
Next year will be a big year for Sri Lankan athletics with the athletes, coaches and the officials alike having high hopes for the Commonwealth games and the Asian games. It is fair to dream about success in these competitions given the way the Sri Lanka Athletes have been performing lately and the interest towards athletics on the up. However it is crucial not to forget that achieving victories at the Asian level let alone at the International level requires the country to be equipped with at least one properly functional track by the end of the year.
As it is always the case in the Island of Sri Lanka red tape and processes are hindering the cause of committed athletes/coaches while slamming the hopes of all lovers and supporters of the sport. It will be a national crime to not provide the talented athletes of the country who have dedicated much of their lives to bring glory to the motherland. ThePapare.com will be eagerly following the developments at the Sugathadasa track re-laying as Diyagama, the only other synthetic track in the country is in terrible condition and has turned out to be a dangerous place where the athletes get injured frequently.
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