Filenews 3 May 2021 - by Stelios Tsiartas
What is "baked" in the Cypriot countryside is unique not only in our country but also in the wider region of The Mediterranean. Daedalus Sport Theme Park, located between the communities of Menikos and Agios Ioannis, Nicosia, will undoubtedly become a reference point for sport, with an impact that goes beyond the narrow boundaries of Cyprus. A place that will attract teams and high-level athletes, providing them with all the resources for perfect preparation before major sporting meetings. It will benefit the Cypriot economy enormously, as, in addition to the jobs that will be created in the countryside, the development of sports tourism will strengthen the capital.
Sports tourism is nothing new nowadays, but it is something that in recent years has taken on enormous growth, both at professional level with high-level athletes and at amateur level. A type of tourism that is not based on seasonality, but on the climatic conditions and infrastructure and services that athletes will receive in the sports centre that they choose to prepare. This is also the bet of the Theme/Sports Park which is in the making. To be able to welcome from Olympians to hobbyists, offering them high-level infrastructure and services.
STABLE STEPS
The procedures for the implementation of the project are progressing steadily, with the support of the whole state services and the communities that will host it. Furthermore, at the recent public hearing held on Friday 16 April, in relation to the Council for the Study of Derogations, the Planning Authority gave positive views on the existence of accommodation for athletes.
INVESTMENT €40 million
The company behind the idea of a major investment is TP Mediterranean Adventures Ltd, which has committed €40 million to the implementation of the project. Foreign investors who believe in the success of the project. A remarkable amount that even in times of high economic growth would be headline news.
THE THEMATIC/SPORT PARK
The project to be developed will be a model for Cypriot and European data. With innovative high performance athletes facilities, it will become the ideal place to prepare for both world-class athletes, and professional and amateur athletes of our country. The climatic conditions in Cyprus are offered for sports and educational activities throughout the year which will be a strong incentive for the development of sports tourism.
Athletes with high performances, such as those of athletics preparing for the Olympic Games, football players, tennis players and others, need a space with high standards so that they can exercise, rest physically and spiritually in individual places of residence, feed and socialize two to three times a day seamlessly, in facilities located in the same place. The project beyond its reputation contributing to the development of high sport will at the same time unite the sports spirit and enhance health, culture, and entertainment.
"FRONT" AND SPORTERS WITH SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
The main objectives of Daedalus Sport Theme Park are the support of athletes with special abilities. To this end, the entire project is designed to accommodate these people. Access from the parking lots to their accommodation and from there to the sports and entertainment areas will all be built to make their lives more comfortable, but also to be able to work out at a high level, taking advantage of the specialized facilities of the centre that can accommodate teams for athletes with special needs. There will also be all the possibilities on site to accommodate young children with autism.
INSTALLATIONS OF THE THEMATIC/SPORT PARK
Daedalus Sport Theme Park, in order to meet the needs mentioned above, will have a variety of facilities for sports, entertainment and rest. Specifically it will include sports facilities serving sports such as: field hockey, rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, football, athletics, basketball, volleyball and beach volleyball, free fall, Paralympic cycling sports, triathlon, aviation athletes, skiing, boxing, tennis, swimming, handball, table tennis and climbing.
Facilities such as: light aircraft take-off/landing runway, parachute landing point, aircraft parking and hangars, free fall athlete preparation and equipment area, indoor free fall, sports playground, gym, uneven cycling track, children's electric vehicle track, indoor and outdoor swimming pool, restaurants and cafes inside and outside, shops, offices and reception, event and seminar room, sports kindergarten with building facilities that will house five training rooms and other auxiliary areas, two football/hockey fields, three football fields, a tennis court and a basketball court, motocross track, adult climbing gym and the like.
There will also be accommodations serving only one hundred athletes, which will cover the minimum volume of athletes coming to prepare. It is estimated that most of them will be hosted in hotels in the Capital, as Daedalus Sport Theme Park will organize major sporting meetings as well as events, attracting large flows of tourism thus grafting, to a large extent, the Nicosia Hotel Industry, but also the wider economy in the countryside and capital.
COOPERATION WITH THE COMMUNITY
The Theme and Sports Park has already attracted the interest of the research centre KOIOS, University of Cyprus for permanent cooperation concerning the conduct of related research activities that will take place in Daedalus Sport Theme Park
WORK WITH MULTIPLE OFELI
The work to be developed in the region will bring great and substantial upgrading of local communities at many levels, such as economically, socially and environmentally. It is expected that 200 new jobs will be created for young people in the wider region, in a multitude of professions in catering, sports tourism and in particular sport. Moreover, the company that will manage the project has as its primary objective to employ as many people with mobility problems as possible.
Daedalus Sport Theme Park comes at a time when the pandemic crisis has created huge impacts affecting the country's economy. An investment of around €40 million will be made by the European Investment Bank (EIB). In this period, foreign investors can only be classified as a 'treasure'. While attracting a new kind of tourism to our country, it will revitalize the economy not only of the communities surrounding the project but also the whole of Cyprus.
