Jump to content

Mogadishu Stadium

Coordinates: 2°4′3.1″N 45°20′7.7″E / 2.067528°N 45.335472°E / 2.067528; 45.335472
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gotipe (talk | contribs) at 19:46, 18 October 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mogadiscio Stadium is a stadium located in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

History

The stadium was constructed in 1978, part of a major public construction programme during the socialist Siad Barre administration, with the assistance of Chinese engineers. Besides hosting sporting events, Mogadiscio Stadium was also used for presidential addresses and political rallies amongst other things.

In 1987, the Somali singer Magool held the famous concert titled "Mogadishu and Magool" at the stadium. It was the most successful concert in Somali history to date with more than 15,000 people in the audience.

In 1991 at the onset of the Somali civil war, the stadium was immediately seized by militia and has been used as a base for armed groups ever since. In the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, U.S troops were forced to retreat by foot from a helicopter crash site in the city to the UN military field headquarters located in the stadium. This event, since named the "Mogadishu Mile", was portraited in the movie Black Hawk Down.

Football matches have been played on occassion during the civil war but the control of the stadium has always been by a participant of the civil war. When the Islamist group al-Shabaab took over Mogadishu in 2008, all sports activities were banned. African Union and Somali troops took the stadium in August 2011 during the 2010-2011 Battle of Mogadishu, when all of the capital was seized from al-Shabaab.[1] It has since been under the control of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

In October 2012, the Somali Football Federation asked for the stadium to be evacuated by military personell so it could once again be used for sports events, but the stadium's strategic location in northern Mogadishu makes it a valuable base for the AMISOM.[2]

Capacity and facilities

Mogadiscio Stadium has a capacity of 35,000 spectators. It features a tournament ground, as well as grounds for track and field, football, basketball, volleyball and tennis.

2°4′3.1″N 45°20′7.7″E / 2.067528°N 45.335472°E / 2.067528; 45.335472

References

  1. ^ Haji, Mohamed "Al-Shabab Lost Strategic Frontlines Pulling Out Of Mogadishu" Hiiraan Online, 6 August 2011, accessed 6 August 2011
  2. ^ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-19993681

Daily report: People's Republic of China, Issues 53-61, (National Technical Information Service: 1986)

This article about a Somalian sports venue is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mogadishu_Stadium&oldid=518570253"