Sports authority readies up to 15 bn baht for two mega projects
Upgrading of Rajamangala Stadium and construction of a new sports complex in Chon Buri on the cards
The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) on Tuesday unveiled plans for two mega projects: Upgrading the 50,000-seat Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok into a “smart stadium”, and building a new sports complex in Chon Buri province to serve as the new national stadium.
SAT governor Kongsak Yodmanee said the overhaul of Rajamangala is estimated to cost up to 5 billion baht and involves upgrading the security system and smart facilities within the arena in Bangkok’s Hua Mak area.
He said the upgrade to the 36-year-old stadium that has hosted major sport events, including the 13th Asian Games in 1998 is long overdue.
A landmark of the capital, Rajamangala has also served as the venue for concerts by world-renowned artists in Thailand as part of their world tour, including BLACKPINK, Harry Styles, Jay Chou, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and BamBam.
“SAT will invite private partners to invest in making Rajamangala more modern, so it can proudly represent Thailand to international audiences,” he said, adding that the bidding process should start around year-end.
The second project involves the construction of a new sports complex on a plot spanning 1,500 to 2,000 rai in Chonburi’s Bang Lamung district, which the SAT will rent from the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office.
“The second project will cost around 10 billion baht, to be funded by the government budget and private investors under public private partnership model,” he said. “The new complex will serve as a new national stadium and handle both sport and concert events that contribute to the economy of the EEC area.”
Kongsak said the new stadium will be easily accessible via road and railway, and is near the U-Tapao International Airport, providing an alternative to Rajamangala which is located in the heavily congested part of Bangkok.
The plan for the new stadium will be proposed to SAT’s committees soon, before it is forwarded to the cabinet for approval, as is required for any development projects in the EEC area, said Kongsak.
