Ivory Coast has inaugurated its new 60,000-seat Olympic stadium in Ebimpe on the outskirts of Abidjan. Read more
Ivory Coast has inaugurated its new 60,000-seat Olympic stadium in Ebimpe on the outskirts of Abidjan. Read more
A new international standard rugby facility has been inaugurated this week at the University of Benghazi in Libya. Read more
A long 16-year wait finally came to an end with a sparkling new Stadium Mogadishu re-opening in the Somali capital on Tuesday evening. Read more
Kigali Arena in Rwanda is set to open for action, just months after building work began on the project in January. Read more
It has been described as ‘the Lord’s of East Africa’ – now Rwanda’s national cricket stadium is bowling over engineering and architectural experts across the globe. Read more
South African soccer team, the Orlando Pirates, have announced LG Electronics as their official Consumer Electronics and Mobile Partner in 2018. Read more
Morocco has put forward a bid to host the 2026 World Cup, which includes using existing stadia and building several new modular venues as well. Read more
South Africa is poised to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 after its bid was recommended as the winner by The Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) Board. Read more
South African cricket stadiums are to undergo a series of improvements in the wake of the recently announced new T20 Global League. Read more
South African Rugby has delivered a bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Read more
Nearly 2,000 visitors flocked to the Stadia & Arena Asia Pacific 2016 conference and exhibition held last week in Yokohama, Japan. Read more
AECOM has designed the first indoor sports venue to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Read more
World Rugby has revealed that France, Ireland, Italy and South Africa have thrown their names into the ring to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Read more
The ‘best ever’ Stadia & Arena Asia Pacific Preliminary Conference Program has been unveiled this week, with a stunning array of industry-elite speakers to share their invaluable insights during the 2.5 day event.
Now in its seventh year, the IAAF Diamond League has firmly established itself on the international elite sport calendar as a high-carat series of athletics events. Having been held in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA, one of the 14 competition days of the season has now been staged in Africa for the first time, with some of the world’s best athletes having competed for the coveted podium finishes in Rabat on 22 May 2016. The “Meeting international Mohammed VI d’Athlétisme Rabat” thus replaces New York as a host venue.
Cairo Stadium has chosen Philips Lighting to install its ArenaVision LED pitch lighting system. The Stadium is the first venue in Africa to use the solution, which equips it with the flexibility needed as a multi-purpose venue.
Calling all stadia, arenas and venue operators…
The state-of-the-art Wi-Fi network is free, and allows fans to access real-time and interactive content, post and check in on social networks, use apps to check fantasy team scores and stream video – all without tapping into their own mobile data plans.
Melbourne Cricket Club’s (MCC) CEO, Stephen Gough, said:
We are delighted to be able to offer an improved MCG experience for the 2016 AFL season, with visitors able to stay connected wherever they are in the stadium.
Since December, more than 50,000 MCG patrons have connected to the Wi-Fi network.
Unsurprisingly, the longer-form Test matches played over the summer attracted more Wi-Fi users and data usage compared to the shorter BBL games – with day one of the Boxing Day Test recording the highest data use to date.
Gough added:
We have received fantastic feedback about the free Wi-Fi throughout the summer and look forward to seeing how fans enjoy the enhanced connectivity during the AFL season.
There are some big games scheduled for the MCG in Round 1, and we encourage everyone to connect and make the most of the improvements.
The scale of the Wi-Fi project is on par with the world’s best and biggest stadiums, with more than 227km of cable installed to enable Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the entire stadium.
Put into context, that is enough cable to wrap around the hallowed turf almost 480 times, or stretch from the MCG to Yarrawonga, on the New South Wales border.
Gough concluded:
This project has involved significant investment by the MCC, and we have worked closely with our partners – including Cockram Construction, IBM and Cisco – to find the most appropriate and long-term technology solutions for the MCG and our patrons.
Fans will need to complete a one-off registration to connect to the Wi-Fi when first visiting the MCG for the AFL season – and can simply reconnect on future visits. Those who have connected during the cricket season will need to re-register for the AFL season.
Fans will also find it easier to use their mobile device wherever they are in the MCG. Telstra led the installation of the largest Distributed Antenna System (DAS) of its kind to improve the 3G and 4G mobile connectivity within the stadium.
Mike Wright, Telstra Group Managing Director, Networks, said:
The design, collaboration and construction of core infrastructure has taken over two years and required an extraordinary amount of technology needed to connect up to 100,000 fans. It’s the equivalent of providing network coverage for Ballarat and Shepparton – towns with a combined population of more than 100,000 people across nearly 400 square kilometres – but compressed within the confines of the MCG. This will provide spectators with a world-class experience when they use their device from anywhere in the ground, to stream video, browse the internet, upload photos to social media, receive telephone calls and access content on apps.
Cisco Systems’ Director, Jonathon Dixon, said:
Fan expectations are greater than ever, mandating a more connected sporting venue that enables fans to share and consume relevant content and services, while engaging with more people from any device, anywhere in the stadium. Cisco is excited and honoured to be a part of the MCG’s long-term road map for transforming one of the most historic stadiums in world and creating unimaginable new experiences for fans in the future.
With a total area of 8,000sqm and a capacity of 17,000, Yokohama Arena is one of the largest multipurpose indoor arenas in Japan. It can hold music concerts, sporting events, shows, exhibitions, and a variety of other events. Yokohama Arena utilises such state-of-the-art equipment as 11,000 computer-controlled movable seats, a large four-screen projection system and a ceiling capable of suspending more than 100 tons.
The City of Yokohama is Japan’s 2nd most populated city and a great tourist destination. Why not combine your participation in the Stadia & Arena Asia Pacific event with a visit to the colourful Shin-yokohama precinct, Cosmo World, the seaside Minato Mirai district with its 296m Landmark Tower, or even plan a tour to the magnificent Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) – Japan’s largest peak at 3,776m?
NB: You can read a comprehensive post-show review of our Stadia & Arena Asia Pacific 2015 event in the latest Showcase Special edition of PanStadia & Arena Management and you can also watch a video online at: www.saevents.uk.com
#StadiaArenaAP
The Nigerian national football team, known as the “Super Eagles”, is one of the most successful in Africa; having reached the last sixteen of a FIFA World Cup three times, being Olympic champions in 1996 and, more recently, having won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. And, since the end of last year, they have also had an ultra-modern new ground to call ‘home’ in the form of the Akwa Ibom Stadium, which fully complies with European safety standards and FIFA recommendations.
With 30,000 covered seats and a transparent façade made of backlit acrylic glass, not only does the venue stage international football matches, but also plays host to major social, cultural and religious events.
The Akwa Ibom Stadium is situated in Uyo, the capital of the Nigerian federal state of Akwa Ibom, and is the first building to be completed in the Uyo Sports Park, whose facilities will also eventually include an indoor swimming pool, a multi-purpose hall, a driving range for golfers, basketball pitches and tennis courts.
The stadium, which covers an area of around 48 hectares and has 2,500 directly adjacent parking spaces, was designed by the German company Julius Berger International from Wiesbaden, with responsibility for the construction and execution laying with Julius Berger Nigeria; one of the biggest construction companies in the West African state, with 16,000 employees.
Construction engineers decided on a concrete skeleton, with steel trussed girders forming the load-bearing elements for the façade and roof. The translucent elliptical envelope around the spectator seating area was made from 15mm acrylic glass; the façade of the grandstand likewise consists of acrylic glass, but features vertical panels to form a counterpart to the elliptical external envelope. When it’s dark, ultra-modern energy-saving LED technology is used to light up the stadium in virtually every colour spectrum; in the national colours of the respective opposing team, for example.
The spectator areas provide seating for 22,500 people, with the grandstand holding 7,500 spectators, including VIP boxes for 30 to 40 people. The athletes’ changing rooms have also been accommodated in the grandstand, as have the commentary boxes, administrative offices and stadium surveillance systems. The technical installations are also noteworthy, with a digital floodlighting system, two digital scoreboards and LED video screens, the stadium boasts state-of-the-art technology. A helicopter landing pad is also planned, but is yet to be built. The venue also boasts some unique features, including bullet-proof VIP/VVIP sections, collapsable seats and 30 emergency exits.
The “Super Eagles” play football on real grass, whilst competitions and training sessions for track and field athletes are held on synthetic surfaces from Polytan. For the 400m circular track with eight lanes, the German sports surface specialist installed around 9,500sqm of Polytan M in classic brick red. Furthermore, the fast and optimally cushioned surface used in Uyo is IAAF Class 1-certified, which means that the water-impermeable synthetic surface is suitable for top-flight international athletics events with recognised records. A six-lane training track likewise consists of Polytan M and is situated outside the stadium.
The stadium’s opening ceremony was held on November 7, 2014, and this multi-purpose venue has already proved its worth, having hosted Nigeria v South Africa in the African Championships. The acoustics were also tested shortly before Christmas, during the “9,999 Singers at Christmas Choral Night” event and the running tracks were put through their paces during the AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championships in early March.
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