Chinese Government provides RMB 1 billion grant for Morodok Techo National Stadium Construction Project

On October 15, 2015, the Chinese Government issued an RMB 1 billion grant to the Government of Cambodia for the Morodok Techo National Stadium Construction Project. The purpose of this project is to construct a stadium that can accommodate 60,000 people and serve as the main venue for tournaments when Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in May 2023. The stadium occupies a 16.22 hectare parcel in the 85-hectare Morodok Techo National Sports Complex, which is located 18 km north of central Phnom Penh. Its locational coordinates are 11°40′58.4″N 104°52′34.6″E. The 39.9-meter-tall stadium was built in the shape of a sailing ship in which its both prows are 99 meters tall. The stadium is encircled by an ancient Angkor-style moat. This project also involved the construction of an athletic field, an international-standard football pitch, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a running track, fixed stands, movable stands, a training hall, an indoor gym, an aquatics center, and other sports facilities. Upon completion, it was envisaged that the stadium would be used during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games. China IPPR International Engineering Co., Ltd. is responsible for project design. China State Construction Engineering Corporation is the contractor responsible for project implementation. Shanghai Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Suike Construction Management Co., Ltd. are responsible for project supervision. Construction was originally expected to start on October 15, 2016 and end on on January 1, 2021. From April 8, 2015 to April 10, 2015 a joint China-Cambodia project design plan was discussed at MOFCOM’s Economic Cooperation Bureau. Then, on April 4, 2017, Xiong Bo, Ambassador to Cambodia, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attended a formal groundbreaking ceremony. However, construction did not begin until August 2017. On May 12, 2019, the capping ceremony of the main structure of the stadium was held. The project passed the completion inspection on August 16, and construction was ultimately completed on August 31, 2021. An official handover ceremony took place on September 12, 2021 (ahead of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games). Then, on December 18, 2021, the opening ceremony of the Cambodian National Stadium was held. More than 20,000 people including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian, and Cambodian Defense Minister Prince Banh Banh attended the ceremony. This project, which was originally scheduled to reach completion in May 2021, reportedly involved the hiring of more than 400 Cambodian workers.

Additional details

1. The Khmer project title is ពហុកីឡដ្ឋានជាតិមរតកតេជោ. The Chinese project title is 建柬埔寨国家新体育场项目. 2. Some sources suggest that this project is being financing with an RMB 1.1 billion grant from the Chinese Government. However, for the time being, AidData relies on the monetary value of the grant (RMB 1 billion) recorded in the Government of Cambodia’s aid and debt information management system, which is maintained on behalf of all ministries and agencies of the Royal Government of Cambodia by the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board (CRDB) of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC). This issue merits further investigation.

Number of official sources

19

Number of total sources

34