Shenzhen Sports Center in Futian District will be renovated to provide better services and facilities after more than 30 years in service, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.
The sports center includes Shenzhen Stadium and Shenzhen Gymnasium among many other sport venues.
According to the report, facilities and services at the center don’t meet the needs of residents, so in 2017, the Shenzhen city government decided to reconstruct it to provide better services and facilities.
Shenzhen Stadium will be rebuilt into a soccer stadium that can accommodate 45,000 people. Its auxiliary stadium, which was used as a golf driving range, will be renovated to regain its original function, the report said.
Yi Kun, vice president of the company that manages the sports center, said that the track in Shenzhen Stadium will be removed and the reconstruction project is scheduled to be completed before June 30, 2020.
According to Deng Junrong, director of the equipment department of the sports center, 2,500 seats will be set up in the auxiliary stadium for schools and companies holding sports meets. The auxiliary stadium will also be open for residents to do exercise.
Shenzhen Gymnasium, invested by the Shenzhen city government in 1985, is the oldest stadium at the sports center and can hold 6,000 people. The gymnasium will be rebuilt into a stadium to hold athletic contests. Work will start next month to dismantle the old gymnasium.
According to a director of the sports center, who wasn’t named, from 2020 to 2028, the annual Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) finals will be held at the new gymnasium, which will be able to accommodate 16,000 people.
Deng said that a track with a plafond will be built beside the gymnasium so residents can jog and exercise on rainy days. An underground car park will also be built for added convenience. Additionally, some fast-food restaurants, such as KFC and McDonald’s, will be opened at the sports center.
The swimming and diving hall, which started services 15 years ago, will also be renovated. An indoor and an outdoor swimming pool will be added.
According to Deng, a corridor will be built to connect the center with other places in the surrounding area, so residents can go to Bijia Mount Park or Lianhua Hill Park directly through the corridor.