The National Olympic Stadium located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is a grand multipurpose stadium. It is widely known as the Olympic Stadium Phnom Penh. It has a staggering seating capacity of just over 70,000 spectators.
One ironical fact about the stadium is that despite its name, the stadium has never actually hosted Olympic games. Among the many facilities that this stadium boasts of are included swimming and diving pools of Olympic-size and a volleyball court that has a capacity of about 8,000.
Since 2007, the stadium has served the local residents very well as they attend exercise sessions daily and also football games and many other activities.
History
It took about one year for the construction of this massive stadium to complete. It had started in 1963 and was completed in 1964.
It is believed that the stadium might have been built to host the 1963 Southeast Asian Peninsular games, which were cancelled due to political problems in Cambodia.
Major Events
In 1966, the stadium hosted the GANEFO games held from November 25 to December 6. These games were named ‘First Asian GANEFO’.
Over the years, the stadium has also come into use as a host to the visiting dignitaries and many state occasions.
Moreover, the stadium has also served as the home to Cambodia’s national athletics teams. The athletic teams have benefited a lot over the years because of this practice venue.
Controversies
In the year 2000, the stadium came in quite a negative light. The Government of Cambodia had sealed a deal for the repair of the sports facilities and the deal was made in exchange for commercial development of the surrounding area.
Even after a year of the deal, there were absolutely no signs of any development whatsoever. The delay worsened the situation so much that the Municipal Governor of Phnom Penh Chea Sophara had denounced the entire development deal as ‘a big scandal’.
Recent Events
In 2007, the stadium hosted the Volleyball World Cup organized by the World Organization Volleyball for Disabled. This event was held in the stadium’s indoor arena and was the first international event held in the stadium and in Cambodia in almost forty years.
Three years later in 2010, all the football matches for the Cambodian Premier League were hosted by this stadium. The league is also known as the Metfone C-League.
