Movistar Arena

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Movistar Arena
Former names Arena Santiago (April 2006-October 2008)
Location Av. Beaucheff 1204, O'Higgins Park
Santiago, Chile
Broke ground 1956
Opened April 15, 2006
Capacity 12,000 (stands)
16,000 (concerts)

Movistar Arena is a 15,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Santiago, Chile. It is located inside O'Higgins Park, in downtown Santiago. Its main structure was built in 1956, but it remained unfinished until 1999 when the roof was completed. Buyer Peter Hiller opened it on April 15, 2006 as Arena Santiago with a seat-capacity of 12,000. Telefónica's cell phone division Movistar bought the stadium's naming rights, changing its name on October 6, 2008, while also expanding its capacity by 5,000 seats. It's one of the largest multi-purpose arenas in South America, with a total surface is 44,000 m². An additional 3,000 seats can be placed over the court during concerts, boosting the total capacity to 15,000 seats.

History

The original building was designed and conceived by Mario Recordón in 1956 with the name "Metropolitan Indoor Stadium" to be the seat of the World Basketball Championship. However, funding was redirected to remodeling the Estadio Nacional de Chile, with a view to achieving the 1962 FIFA World Cup. The roofed stadium was left in total neglect.

During the term of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle it was decided to complete it. The work was financed by Hiller Investments, which received a grant from the Ministry of Public Works with a 20-year lease.

Arena Santiago was symbolically opened on March 7, 2006 by then President Ricardo Lagos, and it was inaugurated on April 15 that year by his successor, Michelle Bachelet.

In 2008, managers signed a contract with portable phone company Movistar Chile for 16 years.

Notable events

Concerts

Davis Cup rubber scandal

On 7 April 2000, the site was the scene of an infamous Chile-Argentina Davis Cup rubber. During the second singles match between Nicolás Massú and Mariano Zabaleta, the crowd reacted violently, pelting the Argentine team with fruit, coins and plastic chairs. The scandal earned the Chilean Tennis Federation a fine of almost US$50,000 and losing of home court for two years.

References

    External links

    Coordinates: 33°27′46″S 70°39′43″W / 33.46278°S 70.66194°W / -33.46278; -70.66194

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