Pattaya’s football stadium has been under construction for more than a decade. Whether it will be completed for a 2026 Olympic event remains an open question.
Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome and his deputies paid their annual visit to the 254-rai Soi Chaiyapruek 2 Eastern National Sports Center Jan. 16 and found that little has changed since their Jan. 25, 2019 visit.
Contractor Rama 2-HT Joint Venture Co. claims the job is now 40 percent complete, but currently is stalled due to unforeseen problems drilling a foundation for the south amphitheater.
Begun in 2009, the 774-million-baht sports complex was intended to house 12 different sport fields, swimming pool, tennis court, 12 main and minor sport stadiums and a 500-car parking lot.
The first phase of the project, with 90 million baht spent on 5,000 of the planned 20,000 seats at the football stadium, was completed in September 2010. Grass was planted and construction of the final 15,000 seats was supposed to begin with a 500-million-baht budget later that year, with completion set for late 2012.
Nothing was done for five years.
In 2018, Chonburi Province obtained 398 million baht in funding for 2018-2020 and hired Rama 2-HT Joint Venture Co to finish the job. Work restarted a year ago on the west grandstand roof and east and south grandstands.
But the ground under the south amphitheater was too rocky to drill and, due to air pollution concerns, workers could not use explosives that would send microscopic dust into the air, so currently nothing is being done.
Officials hope the stadium will be done in time to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2026.
