According to Al-Watan Newspaper the official inauguration of Jaber Stadium has been knocked back a year and a half:
"The official inauguration of the Jaber Stadium is expected to be delayed by about a year and a half; official sources said. The Public Authority for Youth and Sports argued that the delay in signing tenders for equipping the stadium is attributed to insufficient storage facilities. Some observers have however slammed such an excuse as ''feeble,'' considering the fact that the Audit Bureau had already endorsed the tenders. They pointed out to the fact that the authority could have rented storage facilities to store the equipment instead. Earlier on, the opening of the stadium was delayed on the excuse that it lacked local toilets."
We heard horror stories about this project: last minute modifications, lack of elevators for the Emiri VIP section (added later on), not enough parking spaces and so forth (I'd really like to see 65,000 Kuwaitis carpool their way there - cause let's be honest 6,500 parking spots ain't gonna cut the mustard in Kuwait).
Why don't the different bodies in Kuwait (Tenders Committee, Municipality, Authority for Youth and Sports ETC) get together at the initial stages and then agree on the terms, conditions and specs of the project before it is built?
No, wait a minute - If they did that contractors wouldn't be able to make more dough from 'variations.'
I am beginning to think anything with the name 'Jaber' in it (Jaber Hospital, Jaber Airport, Jaber Bridge etc) is cursed.
I feel so bad for the memory of Shaikh Jaber! They should have built a hospital a long time ago. They even said that the stadium was sinking at one point..
its going to be a disaster and I won't be going there anytime soon..
the roads to it are a disaster as well.. they didn't plan how 65'000 are going to go and come from the stadium! Its going to turn out pretty bad! They should have made it a private BOT contract and it would have turned out a lot better!
Good things come to those who wait.
What a shame. By the time it opens, it will already need maintenance and upgrades.
Just like everything else in Kuwait: Have to be able to say "we have one of those" - even if it isn't functional!
"Good things come to those who wait."
LOL ابو الفوارس - Is that what you tell your boss or customer when you miss an important deadline? Time is money mate.
The reason behind the delay is that they want to have the offical openning with the GCC Summit. Not that i agree with that, but why not, since our national team is young and has no chance winning a game against a well known team. the stadium is sitting their waiting for us to fill it up. but maybe, when that time arrives we should have a young team playing together for some time.
Besides, why are we always complaining about matters!!! this is a nice project that the "athelets and not amer" have been waiting for a long time.
Two Questions to hilaliya? who won the last world cup? and who was the winner of the kuwait league last year?
lol...
ابو الفوارس - The question is infrastructure projects: towers, power plants, stadiums, highways, world-clas hospitals, Shuaiba port, Failaka develpment, Silk City, etc etc - it has nothing to do with world cups and teams my friend - it has to do with pride as locals watching major developmental project take place, develop and complete.
You want to link the stadium to being a football fan - go ahead. That's like me linking Jaber Hospital to being a patient or an MD from Johns Hopkins. Or linking Failaka development for tourists only.
Qatar built a first class stadium in record time - a high tech stadium with all world-class international amenities - and it hosted the Asian Olympics, it was a marvellous spectacle and out-Disney'd Disney!
Did Qatari citizens have to be 'into the olympics' to enjoy it or take pride in it? Nope.
Is there any Kuwaiti who does not want to see his country develop? That's the question you need to ask yourself ابو الفوارس - if we only favored, promoted or pushed for issues or projects we only felt 'passionate' or had an interest in, we wouldn't go anywhere in Kuwait - and that is what has plagued us so far.
I rest my case.
PS - Nigeria won the World Cup right?
let me try and be clear on THIS SUBJECT, We were talking about the stadium. if we wanted to go into a discussion on Kuwait and its major developmental projects then i know we all agree on what you have said above.
My point was on the issue at hand "the Stadium", and yes i was speaking about it as a football Fan - and their is no shame in that.
All the best and still awaiting your answers,
ابو الفوارس
"All the best and still awaiting your answers"
What answers? My last post spoke for itself, dahling.
It's in a fantastic location, though. I'm sure the VIP guests will be thrilled with the view of the Juleeb slums on their way to the stadium.
Harry Kane and Hilaliya:
Why all the negativity!!!!
Typical kuwaiti's..... if it wasn't one of ur families handling this project you would never say a good word.
What have we bocame!! life in kuwait turns an average person into an angry human that doesn't like anything he sees.
what a shame.
"Typical kuwaiti's..... if it wasn't one of ur families handling this project you would never say a good word. "
Oh, please - I am not even going to respond to that.
Can you mount an argument, a dialogue supporting your defense of the project without 'personalizing' the issue or mounting unsubstantiated accusations at the blog and its readers?
Now that would be a sight to see ابو الفوارس .
its ur blog and they are ur readers..... I stand down.
An excellent piece by The National on the delays concerning the stadium: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090406/FOREIGN/840269512/1135
Highlight of the article:
"Squabbling about what should be changed and who should pay has paralysed the stadium since the completion of the main contract two years ago. Instead of providing Kuwaiti fans with a world-class venue, the ground has become a monument to the monolithic bureaucracy that hampers development projects and makes Kuwait the least favourable destination for foreign investment in the GCC."
Convinced ابو الفوارس?