Chinese Government provides RMB 576 million grant — via ETCA — for Republican Center for Olympic Training in Water Sports Construction Project (Linked to Project ID#66089)

On April 25, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Lukashenko unveiled a model of the Belarusian National Football Stadium and Swimming Pool Project. Then, on August 6, 2019, Belarusian Economy Minister Dmitry Krutoi announced that the Chinese Government would provide a $235 million grant for the construction of a national football stadium and world-class swimming pool in Minsk. One week later, on August 13, 2019, the President of Belarus signed Decree 306 for the Dynamo National Olympic Stadium [Национальный олимпийский стадион ”Динамо“], and Decree 307 for the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Water Sports [Республиканский центр олимпийской подготовки по водным видам спорта]. The RMB 692 million grant commitment from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) for the Dynamo National Olympic Stadium Construction Project is captured via Project ID#66089, while the RMB 576 million grant commitment from MOFCOM for the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Water Sports Construction Project is captured via Project ID#90334. The grant funding was drawn from multiple Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreements (ETCAs) that the Chinese Government and the Government of Belarus had previously signed. One of these ETCAs was signed on June 10, 2018 and it committed RMB 800 million for the Dynamo National Olympic Stadium Construction Project, the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Water Sports Construction Project, and other projects. Another ETCA was signed on October 10, 2018. It committed an unknown amount of grant grant funding for the Dynamo National Olympic Stadium Construction Project and the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Water Sports Construction Project. The purpose of the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Water Sports Construction Project is to construct an aquatic sports facility with 6000 seats in the capital city of Minsk. The design and construction of the project will seek to comply with the requirements of the International Swimming Federation (FINA). The project site is located on Kalvaryiskaya Street in Minsk and it occupies a construction area of 5.75 hectares. The total construction area is approximately 40,000 square meters. Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) is the contractor responsible for project implementation. Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. is responsible for project design and management. MOFCOM awarded BCEG an RMB 576 million project implementation contract in May 2020. A formal project commencement ceremony took place on June 30, 2020. On June 1, 2022, a Chinese subcontractor loaded into a Chinese port a set of prefabricated stand molds for the stadium in Belarus. The project was originally expected to reach completion by December 31, 2023.

Additional details

1. Many sources identify a single $235 million grant commitment to build both facilities while others list the total grant commitment as $180 million. AidData has taken into account sources that identify the cost of the stadium alone as $180 million and the swimming pool alone as $60 million to account for the $235 million donation and coded the Project ID#90334 and Project ID#66089 accordingly. 2. These two facilities are also located in different areas of Minsk, despite initial plans for them to be attached. 3. The Chinese project title is 白俄罗斯国际标准游泳馆项目.

Number of official sources

11

Number of total sources

32