PhilSports Arena
| The ULTRA | |
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| Former names |
PSC-National Academy of Sports Arena PSC Sports Arena University of Life Theater and Recreational Arena |
|---|---|
| Location | Pasig, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°34′39″N 121°3′58″E / 14.57750°N 121.06611°ECoordinates: 14°34′39″N 121°3′58″E / 14.57750°N 121.06611°E |
| Owner | Philippine Sports Commission |
| Operator | Philippine Sports Commission |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Tenants | |
|
PBA (1985-1992, 1999-2007, 2014-present) UAAP (2004-2005, 2006-2007, 2008-2011) Pasig Blue Pirates (later Pasig-Rizal Pirates) (1998) San Juan Knights (1999) | |
The Philippine Institute of Sports Arena or PhilSports Arena is an indoor sporting arena located inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig, Philippines. It was formerly known as the University of Life Theater and Recreational Arena or the ULTRA. The arena and its surrounding sports complex are maintained by the Philippine Sports Commission. It was the site of the majority of the games of the Philippine Basketball Association from 1985 to 1992 and from 1999 to 2002. The league still occasionally comes back to play at the arena. The arena was also the home court of the Pasig Blue Pirates in the Metropolitan Basketball Association in 1998 and the San Juan Knights in 1999.
The arena was supposed to be the staging site of the now-defunct early afternoon ABS-CBN game show Wowowee on February 4, 2006 during its first anniversary but became the site of a deadly stampede that killed 74 people and injured hundreds. Crowds of people from middle class to mostly lower class, camped outside the stadium for days to win the large prizes given out during the show. At the time the gates opened, the crowd grew impatient, started shoving, making the gates give way and crushing people in the front of the queue. As of today, the cause of the stampede is still being determined pending investigation.
When Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng struck the Philippines in 2009, some evacuees took shelter in the arena.
The 2011 FIBA Asia Champions Cup was held in the arena, where Mahram Tehran defeated Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut in the final. Hometown team Smart Gilas finished fourth in the tournament, losing to Mahram in the semifinals.
Currently, it is an alternate venue for the Philippine Basketball Association if the Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum are not available. It is also the host venue of the 2015 Asian U23 Women's Volleyball Championship held last May 1-9, 2015.
See also
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