Hosts struggling to complete construction at Games Village and venues

Work in progress: Workers installing the fences around the AZ Group Cricket Oval.

PHNOM PENH: The opening ceremony of the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games is just two days away, but the hosts seem to be struggling to complete the various related facilities and venues, including the athletes’ main village, located at the Morodok Techo National Sports Complex.

Although the athletes are currently housed in six blocks of white apartments, located almost 200 metres from the Morodok Techo Stadium, there are some uncompleted apartment units, along with other signs of rushed work, such as dust-filled spaces and unremoved stickers on newly-installed windows.

Contractors were seen putting up several posters of the Games’ mascots, twin rabbits named Borey and Rumdoul at the 3,000 seating-capacity aquatic centre, while workers were spotted painting the main entrance area of the US$161mil (RM718mil) Morodok Techo National Sports Complex, specially built for the SEA Games.

But the most telling sign would be the AZ Group Cricket Oval, which remained incomplete as of this morning, even though the event had begun on Saturday.

The field surface is uneven and spotty, and workers were hard at work installing barriers to ‘wall off’ the venue as it was an open location next to the busy Hun Sen Boulevard.

Such a situation would certainly be uncomfortable for athletes and spectators, who have to deal with the hot sun as there is no roof covering the seats at the venue.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s deputy chef de mission Sharon Wee said that the existing apartment units housing Malaysian athletes were in good condition.

She said she understood that the hosts were trying their best to organise the SEA Games for the first time.

“Malaysian athletes are all well, safe and focused on their events,” she said. — Bernama