Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
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| Location | Pyongyang, North Korea |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°2′58.47″N 125°46′30.79″E / 39.0495750°N 125.7752194°ECoordinates: 39°2′58.47″N 125°46′30.79″E / 39.0495750°N 125.7752194°E |
| Capacity | 114,000[1][2] |
| Field size |
Main pitch- 22,500 m² Total floor space- over 207,000 m² |
| Surface | Artificial turf[3] |
| Opened | May 1, 1989 |
| Tenants | |
|
Parades/shows celebrating Kim Il-sung and North Korea. Arirang Festival North Korea national football team (some games) North Korea women's national football team (some games) | |
| Rungrado 1st of May Stadium | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 릉라도 5월1일 경기장 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 綾羅島五月一日競技場 |
| Revised Romanization | Neungnado 5(o)-wol 1(ir)-il Gyeonggijang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Rŭngnado Owŏl Iril Kyŏnggijang |
The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, completed on 1 May 1989. It is the largest stadium in the world, with a total capacity of 114,000. The site occupies an area of 20.7 hectares (51 acres).
It is not to be confused with the nearby 50,000 capacity Kim Il-sung Stadium.
Name
Its name comes from Rungrado Islet in the Taedong River, upon which it is situated, and from the International Workers' Day celebrated on May Day every year.
Uses
It is currently used for football matches, a few athletics events, but most often for Arirang Festival performances (also known as the Mass Games). The stadium can seat 114,000,[4] which ranks it first on the list of largest stadiums by capacity in the world.
Design
Its scalloped roof features 16 arches arranged in a ring, and resembles a magnolia blossom.
It hosts events on a main pitch sprawling across over 22,500 m² (242,200 ft²). Its total floor space is over 207,000 m² (2.2 million ft²) across eight stories, and the lobes of its roof peak at more than 60 m (197 ft) from the ground.
History
While the stadium is used for sporting events, it is most famous as the site of massive performances and shows celebrating Kim Il-sung and the North Korean nation. In June–July 2002 it was the site of a large choreographed "Arirang Festival" gymnastic and artistic performance. The extravaganza involved for the first time some 100,000+ participants—double the number of spectators,[5] and was open to foreigners. These performances are now an annual feature in Pyongyang, usually in August and September. The Guinness Book of Records has recognized these events as the largest in the world.
In the late 1990s, a number of North Korean army generals implicated in an assassination attempt on Kim Jong-il were executed via burning in the stadium.[6]
In 2000 Kim Jong-il entertained Madeleine Albright, the United States Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton.[7] Collision in Korea was the largest professional wrestling pay-per-view event ever that was jointly produced by World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. It took place over a period of two days on April 28 and 29, 1995 at the stadium and had an attendance of 150,000 and 190,000 according to local authorities. It did not air in North America until August 4, 1995. American wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer has claimed that the actual combined attendance for the two-day-event was somewhere around 160,000 total.[8]
After a two-year renovation project, the stadium reopened in 2015.
In July of 2017, the Rungrado Stadium played host to six group stage matches as part of 2018 AFC U-23 Championship qualification.[9]
Notable events
- Opening and closing ceremonies of the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1989
- Collision in Korea professional wrestling event in 1995
Annual Events
See also
References
- ↑ http://stadiumdb.com/news/2016/08/north_korea_kims_shrinking_pride
- ↑ "Rungrado 1st of May Stadium". World of Stadiums. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ↑ "North Korea: Rungrado May Day to undergo thorough revamp". Stadium DB. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ↑ "Rungrado 1st of May Stadium – Football Stadium". Football-Lineups. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ↑ Watts, Jonathan (17 May 2002). "Despair, hunger and defiance at the heart of the greatest show on earth". The Guardian. London.
- ↑ Soukhorukov, Sergey (13 June 2004). "Train blast was 'a plot to kill North Korea's leader'". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "Is Kim her next challenge?". Asia Times Online. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ↑ "16 PPVs NOT On The WWE Network – Page 5". Whatculture.com. 2014-07-17. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ↑ "Schedule & Results". Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rŭngnado Stadium. - Rungnado May Day Stadium 360 degree panorama
- Rungnado May Day Stadium view from above
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