Consultants working on the rehabilitation of the George Odlum Stadium are expected to submit final designs, technical details and projected costs to the Government by the first week of December, marking a key step towards restoring Saint Lucia’s premier track and field facility.
The Ministry for Economic Development and Youth Economy is overseeing the redesign, which is intended to bring the 24-year-old stadium in line with FIFA and World Athletics standards and restore its capacity to host major sporting events.
A source familiar with the project, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told St Lucia Times that the consultants were nearing completion of the design work and would soon present the Government with the information needed to determine the cost of the redevelopment.
“They are at a stage now where they are going to provide the government with their final drawings and costs,” the source said. “By the first week in December, the consultants would provide the government with all the technical details and the budget for the redevelopment.”
The redesign includes a synthetic warmup track, field events areas, dressing rooms, corporate booths, and a media centre.
The Ministry closed the tender process for the design, review, modification and supervision of the George Odlum Stadium Rehabilitation Project a little over a year ago. A committee involving the Saint Lucia Athletics Association, the Saint Lucia Football Association, and Sports Saint Lucia Inc has met several times over the last 18 months.
In October, the committee toured the stadium to review the areas relevant to the proposed redevelopment.
RLB Consultants, a United Kingdom-based construction, cost, and project management consultancy, led the joint venture selected for the project. The team also includes Canada-based Coles Caribbean, while Saint Lucia’s Amana Consulting is managing the civil and structural engineering. Designs are weeks away from completion.
Once the designs are approved and the projected costs submitted to the Government, the next step will be to invite tenders from contractors to undertake the rehabilitation works.
Part of the funding for the rehabilitation of the George Odlum Stadium comes from the Saudi Fund for Development, which allocated US$8 million for that purpose in 2024. The Ministry of Finance also committed EC$2.5 million for stadium design, supervision services, and site preparation works.
A gift from the People’s Republic of China, the stadium was intended to be the jewel of southern development and a launching pad for local sports when it opened in 2002. It was redeveloped to host the 2009 CARIFTA Games but was subsequently converted for hospital use following a fire at St Jude Hospital later that year. The stadium has since served as a temporary location for hospital services.
The proposed restoration of the stadium is linked to the relocation of St Jude Hospital, which is expected to vacate the site once its replacement facility is completed.
The Government has indicated that the new hospital is expected to be ready sometime in 2027.
The condition of the structures currently occupying the stadium site will also have to be assessed as part of the redevelopment process, particularly after their years of use as hospital facilities.
