Chinese Government provides $40 million grant for Waterford Stadium Reconstruction Project

Project narrative

On October 7, 2022, the Chinese Ambassador to Barbados, Yan Xiuseng, and the Barbados Minister of Sports, Charles Griffith, signed letters of exchange, through which the Chinese Government agreed to provide grant funding tentatively worth $40 million for the Waterford Stadium Reconstruction Project. The value of the grant was subject to change depending on the finalized design of the stadium. Ambassador Yan said at the signing ceremony that, in July 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting over the phone with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, during which the leaders of the two countries reached an important consensus on further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Barbados. The purpose of the project is to construct a stadium in Waterford and upgrade facilities for sports like cycling, aquatics and football. The goal of the project is to demolish and reconstruct the Barbados National Stadium, which had been in need of repairs. The reconstruction of the stadium is also intended to play an important role in Barbados' post-epidemic economic recovery by creating jobs, improving peoples livelihoods, and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The finalized design incorporates symbols associated with Barbados, including flying fish, clamshells, as well as columns meant to parallel those of its UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as St. Ann's Fort and the Barbados Parliament. The design also includes solar panel lights, equipment for rainwater collection and greywater recycling, and electric vehicle charging stations. Implementation is expected to be planned to be carried out in two phases. In anticipation of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, phase one is expected to include the athletics track, football field, and three stands, and it was originally scheduled to be completed by January 2024. Phase two is expected to include the remaining stands, and it was originally scheduled to be completed between April 2024 and January 2025. Then, in May 2024, an implementation agreement was signed by the Acting Permanent Secretary of Barbados' Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Joy Adamson, and the Chinese Commercial Counsellor, Liang Jie. Under this agreement, the project was to be implemented in two phases over the course of two-and-a-half years; 10,000 seats were expected to be constructed during each phase of the project. In July 2023, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said that she was optimistic that that her government would soon break ground for the construction of a new National Stadium at Waterford. She also said that “[t]he different studies and assessments are being done, the gap analysis is going to be done now by Town Planning [Planning and Development Department] once the formal [plan] goes in, I believe in the next few days. Once that gap analysis is done and we see what needs to be done, we [will] complete any [required] studies and then we [will] start the work of construction of a new national stadium.” The Prime Minister added that a number of studies still needed to be conducted, and she expressed optimism that the project could commence in the coming months. As of May 17, 2024, a Chinese contractor had not yet been selected for project implementation.