Antigua Sports City Hit by Another Cost‑Overrun Delay

The Antigua Sports City, originally slated for completion in the summer of 2023, has hit another setback. The municipal council announced that the works are suffering significant cost overruns caused by errors in the original design, forcing an urgent injection of additional funding.

Cost Overruns and a New €7 million Tender

• The project was first drafted by the Antigua council in 2016, formalised with the Cabildo in 2017, and awarded at the end of 2021 for €5.19 million.
• Revised estimates now place the total required investment at €7 million, a rise of almost €2 million.
• In a statement released on 14 October, the council blamed the delays on:

“modificaciones en el proyecto” (project modifications)

“un incremento de los costes de ejecución” (an increase in execution costs).

Municipal‑Cabildo Meeting and Immediate Action

After a meeting attended by Mayor Matías Peña, Sports Councilor Samuel Torres, Island President Lola García, and Vice‑President & Infrastructure Minister Blas Acosta, the Cabildo:

• Recognised the delays,
• Committed to reactivate the tender on an urgent basis once the technical errors are corrected,
• Will issue a new €7 million call for bids.

Two‑Phase Execution and 2027 Completion Target

The Cabildo plans to split the works into two phases, with financing to be included in upcoming budget cycles. The revised schedule now projects that the facilities will not be finished before 2027.

Original Tender Details (2021)

• Base tender budget: €6,994,470.
• Awarded contract (December 2021): €5,198,989.99 to the lowest‑priced offer among eight bidders.
• The State Contracting Platform shows the tender and award amounts matching, indicating that the ≈€2 million shortfall must be covered by the island administration to complete the project.

Origins and Initial Planning

• The concept for the Antigua Sports City began in 2016, when the municipality proposed a comprehensive overhaul and signed an agreement with the Cabildo in 2017.
• On 22 December 2021, the Cabildo awarded the works to the joint venture UT Tecnología de la Construcción y Obras Públicas S.A. – Obras Públicas Canarias S.L. under the Plan Insular de Cooperación a Obras y Servicios Municipales (PICOS).
• The contract covered a full renovation of the Juan Lasso Brito stadium, demolition of old annexes, and construction of new facilities on 21,954 m², with an original execution period of 18 months.

Construction Kick‑off (January 2023)

Works officially began in January 2023 after a price update and a €3 million contribution from the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD).

Demolition and New Facilities

The PICOS plan called for the complete demolition of existing sports installations—including the athletics track and football field—followed by total site clearance, re‑using part of the excavated material as lateral fill.

The new complex will feature:

• A new athletics track and football field.
• A multipurpose building housing a covered athletics module, offices, changing rooms, restrooms, meeting rooms, classrooms, and a spectator stand, all within the 21,954 m² footprint.

Local authorities have also discussed the future addition of swimming pools, a wrestling arena, and other sports spaces.

The Antigua Sports City project, now a decade in the making, faces a prolonged timeline and a substantial budget increase before the community can finally enjoy the promised facilities.