Asian Beach Games on track for delivery

The Steering Committee met recently where members received updates on all areas of construction including the marina, all permanent structures and soft landscaping.

Members of the Asian Beach Games Steering Committee include Her Excellency the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Sports Affairs and Chairman of the Oman Olympic Committee, the Deputy Chairman of the Oman Olympic Committee and the CEO of Omran. The group is mandated by the Muscat Asian Beach Games Organising Committee to ensure on-time delivery of the project and approve all financial commitments and contractor appointments.

Work is currently on schedule across all areas of the project which commenced in June 2008. Overall marina works are 77% complete with the quay wall, beach steps and slipway virtually finished. The permanent structures are also starting to take shape with the marina apartment buildings, hotel, Games Command Centre and Athletes Village ahead of schedule. Infrastructure works and work on the soft landscaping have also begun and are scheduled to be delivered in July 2010 and April 2010 respectively.

Also, Omran has proudly celebrated an outstanding safety milestone of over three million man hours without Lost Time Injury (LTI) at the site of the Asian Beach Games project, which demonstrates Omran's commitment to the safety and security of it staff. Currently 1,800 workers are on the site and this is expected to increase to 2,500 people working across three shifts over the coming months.

Wael Al Lawati, CEO of Omran, said:

"We are very proud to confirm that we are fully on schedule to complete site works on time. This meeting is an excellent demonstration of our commitment to pressing ahead with this crucial project that will become a cherished community in its own right long after 2010."

This will be the second Asian Beach Games following the inaugural event in Bali in 2008, with athletes, officials, media and volunteers from 45 counties expected to participate. Development of the site is a major undertaking by Omran to create a world-class home for the 2010 Muscat Asian Beach Games which will endure as a tourism destination and catalyst for further development.

The one million square metre site in Musannah, one hour away from Muscat, features Olympic-quality sporting facilities, an athlete's village, a four star hotel, a 400-berth marina, a range of restaurants and retail facilities, and a bespoke man-made lagoon for the Games' water-based events.