The Department of Public Works of the Ministry of Transport has reissued the tender for upgrading the "Spyros Kyprianou" Indoor Sports Center in Limassol in preparation for hosting a group stage of EUROBASKET 2025.

The project involves the design, construction, and a two-year defect liability and maintenance period for the upgrades to the "Spyros Kyprianou" sports facilities in Limassol, ensuring they meet FIBA's strict standards for the major event.

OffsiteNews contacted Ms. Katerina Pantazi Lambrou, Senior Architect at the Department of Public Works, for more information about the new tender.

The initial tender was canceled because the bids exceeded €16 million, far above the estimated cost of €11.5 million. According to the law, if bids exceed the project’s budget by more than 20%, the tender cannot proceed. Consequently, the tender was canceled, adjustments were made, and the project was reissued.

The timelines are extremely tight, with only about 15 months remaining until the first game on August 18, 2025. Before that, FIBA must inspect the venue, and test matches need to be conducted. Officials are in constant coordination, ensuring all necessary procedures are completed on time for the biggest sports event ever hosted in Cyprus.

The cost of the new tender is set at €12.2 million. Some aspects of the project were removed to reduce the completion time and avoid excessively high bids. The tender will close on Friday, June 28. The estimated project completion time is 11 months from the start date.

Ms. Pantazi told OffsiteNews that after the project is awarded, several actions and processes mandated by law need to be completed. It is estimated that work can begin around August 20. There is optimism that everything will be ready by late July to early August 2025 for the test matches and the first game on August 28. "We have very good indications that everything will be ready," she said.

Due to the very tight timelines, the tender states:

• The project is of utmost importance to the Republic of Cyprus. The project's timeline and implementation stages must be planned and adhered to strictly, ensuring the facilities are ready for the FIBA EUROBASKET 2025 Group Stage, including test matches. It is the contractor's responsibility to utilize all available time and resources, working 24/7 if necessary, to complete the project on time.

• Test matches will be conducted immediately after project completion, allowing the Organizing Committee to inspect the facilities according to FIBA EUROBASKET 2025 requirements. This allows the contractor time to make any necessary adjustments. The test matches may involve 2-3 consecutive games over 2-3 days.

The stadium's capacity will increase to at least 7,700 from the current 5,517 seats. The initial tender called for 8,300 seats. Ms. Pantazi stated that mobile seating will be added, increasing the capacity to over 8,000.

The tender specifies the contractor must achieve a total of at least 7,700 permanent and movable seats. The issued Urban Planning Permit Appendix "G1" allows for 9,039 seats, and the relevant conditions pertain to this number. The contractor will confirm the permit conditions with the authorities for the minimum required 7,700 seats plus 300 additional mobile seats.

Another change is the removal of the electronic video screen cube from the tender. Instead, as per FIBA specifications, two large electronic scoreboards will be installed.

Additionally, many rooms will be refreshed and repainted as needed.