Olembe Stadium
 The stadium during 2021 Africa Cup of Nations | |
 | |
| Full name | Stade Omnisport Paul Biya |
|---|---|
| Location | Olembe, Yaoundé, Cameroon |
| Coordinates | 03°57′03″N 11°32′26″E / 3.95083°N 11.54056°ECoordinates: 03°57′03″N 11°32′26″E / 3.95083°N 11.54056°E |
| Owner | Cameroonian Football Federation |
| Capacity | 60,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2018 |
| Opened | 3 September 2021 |
| Architect | Studio SHESA architects - arch. Suarez |
| Structural engineer | MJW structures |
| Services engineer | Beta Progetti |
| General contractor | Gruppo Piccini S.A. |
| Tenants | |
| Cameroon national football team | |
The Olembe Stadium, officially called the Paul Biya Stadium after Cameroon's long-time president Paul Biya, is a multi-purpose stadium on a surface area of 34 hectares (84 acres) in the Olembe neighborhood in Yaoundé, some 13 km (8.1 mi) from the city center. The stadium is the largest in all of Cameroon, ninth largest in Africa. The Olembe Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[1][2][3]
The sports complex includes the main stadium, two training grounds, a gymnasium, handball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, an Olympic swimming pool, a 5 star hotel with 70 rooms, a shopping mall, a museum and a cinema. The stadium opened with a football match between Cameroon and Malawi. The home side won 2–0. The venue hosted the opening game of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations between Cameroon and Burkina Faso, which the hosts won 2–1. The stadium also hosted the final between Senegal and Egypt, in which Senegal won.
Construction[]
The construction of a stadium not only facilitates hosting large sporting events, but also adds value to the emerging economy of the Olembe suburbs.[needs update]
January 2022 incident[]
On 24 January 2022, during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, a human crush occurred outside the stadium prior to a game between Cameroon and the Comoros, killing eight people and injuring 38.[4]
References[]
- ^ "CAF publishes the official TotalEnergies AFCON Cameroon 2021 match schedule".
- ^ http://www.piccinisacm.com
- ^ "Olembe Stadium: Future Pride of Cameroon".
- ^ "Africa Cup of Nations: Deadly crush reported at Cameroon stadium". BBC News. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
External links[]
- Athletics (track and field) venues in Cameroon
- National stadiums
- Sport in Yaoundé
- Buildings and structures in Yaoundé
- Football venues in Cameroon