Exim Bank of India has stated that a contractor will be hired within three months for the cricket stadium to be developed under the line of credit extended to the Maldives.
Senior officials of Exim Bank made the statement during a meeting with Maldivian journalists who travelled to India. The officials said that a contractor is being finalised for the cricket stadium project, which is worth USD40-45 million.
Responding to a question regarding the importance of such a project in the Maldives, an official from the management team said that such projects are of long-term importance. The official noted that cricket has been growing in popularity in the South Asian region, which provides the opportunity for the Maldives to explore its benefits through sports tourism. As such, the official said that the cricket stadium would provide the opportunity for the Maldives to host major tournaments.
The Government of the Maldives has been working to expand the tourism sector into areas such as meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions (MICE) tourism in order to compete with other countries that host sports tournaments and film festivals. Neither the Government of the Maldives nor the Government of India have provided any details on the development of the cricket stadium, but a land plot has reportedly been allocated in Hulhumale' for the project.
Cricket is not a mainstream sport in the Maldives, and cricket players have to share space at the Ekuveni Outdoor Stadium with other athletes, as there are no dedicated cricket fields.