Aerial view of Sir Viv Richards Stadium a few months ago

Chairman of the Inter-Governmental Working Group Ambassador David Shoul, said that the Chinese construction team has commenced disassembling the scaffoldings from around the buildings and has started painting the facility.

He said that the team has moved the work programme up a notch and they are confident that work will be completed for an official hand over in January 2007.

With the painting work already in progress we are winding down some of the major work needed to be done.  Very soon the Chinese team will be installing the seats for the stadium which are expected to arrive in the country within a few weeks.  We are very pleased with where we are at this stage,Shoul said.

He noted that presently a schedule is being worked out by himself and his counterpart Ambassador Ren Xioping and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will govern the return of the Chinese construction workers as the work programme draws to a close.

The over three hundred Chinese workers will return to China on a scheduled basis from October, while a small maintenance team will remain in Antigua as was agreed during the negotiations with the Chinese Government,he said.

The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium has been meeting the stipulated ICC construction deadlines and is expected to be among the top four cricket stadiums in the world upon completion.