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Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium

Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium
ملعب مدينة كميل شمعون الرياضية
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium Beirut 2.jpg
Location Lebanon Beirut, Lebanon
Coordinates 33°52′1.55″N 35°29′46.09″E / 33.8670972°N 35.4961361°E / 33.8670972; 35.4961361
Owner Lebanese Government
Operator Lebanese Government
Capacity 47,799
Field size 102x70 meters
Surface Grass, Concrete
Construction
Broke ground 1955
Opened 1957 (destroyed 1982, rebuilt 1997)
Construction cost 100 Million U.S. Dollars (150 Billion Lebanese Pounds)
Architect Laceco Architects & Engineers
Tenants
Lebanon national football team
1959 Mediterranean Games

Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium (Arabic: ملعب مدينة كميل شمعون الرياضية‎‎) is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 47,799 seats, located in the Beer Hasan area of Beirut, Lebanon. It is the largest stadium in Lebanon. The stadium is currently used mostly for football matches and it also has athletics facilities.

It was built in 1957 by the Lebanese Ministry of Youth & Fine Arts in the presidency of Camille Chamoun. The opening game was a friendly played against FC Petrolul Ploieşti, where Lebanon won 1-0 through a goal scored by Joseph Abou Murad. The stadium was completely demolished in the Israeli Invasion of 1982. Consequently, former Lebanese PM Rafic Hariri initiated a project to rebuild the stadium in preparation for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. The reconstruction received funding from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with a respective contribution of 20 Million and 5Million U.S. Dollars. The other 75 Million U.S. Dollars were provided by the Lebanese government. The renovation process of the bordering "Pierre Gemayel Hall" was also included in the overall project.

Designed by Laceco Architects & Engineers, the stadium spans 50,000 square meters of space with 77,000 square meters of covering roofs and seven kilometers of fences. A presidential gallery of 37 seats towers over the pitch, fenced off by bullet-proof glass. In addition to a 600 square meter parking lot was built underneath the stadium and another 20,000 square meter lot outside. The structure is capable of absorbing earthquakes up to 8.6 degree on the Richter scale. Moreover, administration offices, a complex for Lebanon’s Olympic committee and various other sports federations, ultra-modern press centers, clinics to handle emergencies among players and spectators with a parking lot for ambulances and fire engines, have been built beneath the stands.


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