Bangabandhu National Stadium, also known as
Dhaka Stadium, and formerly known as
Dacca Stadium is the national stadium and a multipurpose sports arena in
DhakaDhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
,
BangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It is located in the
MotijheelMotijheel is an administrative division of Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh. It is situated at the heart of the city . Motijheel is the major business and commercial hub of Dhaka city and has more offices and business institutions than any other part of the city...
area in the heart of the city. Its current name was given to honour
Sheikh Mujibur RahmanSheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
, the father of the nation, also known as "Banga bandhu" or "Friend of Bengal".
History
The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka is the only venue in the world to have hosted an inaugural home fixture for two Test nations. India were the visitors on both occasions: in 1954–55, when Dacca was the capital of East Pakistan, and 46 years later, when Bangladesh became the tenth nation to attain Test status.
With a purpose-built cricket stadium being constructed on the outskirts of the city, the ground was taken out of commission at the end of the 2004–05 season, and handed over for the sole use of the
Bangladesh national football teamThe Bangladesh national football team is the national team of Bangladesh controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation and has yet to qualify for the World Cup finals...
.
Current Use
Currently, the stadium is used for
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and athletics. Total
seating capacitySeating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
is about 36,000. It was also home to the
Bangladeshi cricket teamThe Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
until 1 March 2005. On the 6th of September, 2011
Bangabandhu National Stadium hosted a historical match between
ArgentinaThe Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and
NigeriaThe Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
, a milestone for football in the country.
The stadium is located next to National Hockey Stadium. Bangladesh registered its first win at home at Bangabandhu National Stadium against India on 26 December 2004. The stadium was used for competitions of the
2010 South Asian GamesThe 2010 South Asian Games, officially the XI South Asian Games, was a major multi-sport event that took place from January 29 to February 8, 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh...
, including football and athletics.
ICC Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony, 2011
See main article:
2011 Cricket World Cup opening ceremonyThe opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup took place in Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka at 5:30 PM on February 17, 2011, two days prior to the start of the World Cup...
Bangbandhu National Stadium successfully hosted a colorful opening ceremony on 17th of February, 2011 of the
2011 Cricket World CupThe 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
co-hosted by
BangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
,
Sri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The stadium was exclusively modernized and renovated into a world class stadium to host the grand opening ceremony. The capacity of the stadium has been increased to 36,000, a large
LEDLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
screen has been installed, a modern roof has also been attached over the press box. The entrances and VIP box have also been upgraded to host the grand gala inaugural ceremony. The press box, along with a refreshment stand and the VIP box have been revamped. The stadium now has
state of the artThe state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
facilities suitable for international sporting events. The stadium has made its mark in the sporting world by successfully hosting notable inaugural ceremonies.
External links