Accra Sports Stadium

The Accra Sports Stadium, formerly named the Ohene Djan Stadium, is a multi-use stadium (40,000-capacity, all-seater) located in Accra, Ghana,[3] mostly used for association football matches. It is also used for rugby union.[4]

Accra Sports Stadium
Exterior of the Accra Sports Stadium
LocationAccra, Ghana
Coordinates05°33′05″N 00°11′31″W
Capacity40,000[1][2]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened1961
Renovated2007
ArchitectAlexander Barov, Mrs. Lomax
Tenants
Great Olympics
Hearts of Oak
Accra Lions
Ghana national football team

Overview

The stadium was inaugurated in 1962 by a football match played between Accra XI and Kumasi XI. Originally known as the Accra Sports Stadium, the stadium was renamed after Ohene Djan, the country's first Director of Sports, in 2004 after renovations. Its renaming was quite controversial and opposed by the Ga people.[5] There has been ongoing controversy about the name of the stadium. On 16 June 2011, the name 'Ohene Djan Stadium' on the stadium building was changed to 'Accra Sports Stadium' without any official announcement by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly supported by the National Democratic Congress Government.[6] It has since been reverted.

As a designated venue of some of the 2008 African Cup of Nations matches, the stadium was rebuilt, upgraded, and modernized to meet FIFA standards. Work on the stadium was completed in October 2007. It was inaugurated with a four-nation tournament that Ghana won (the Zenith Cup).

The stadium is also the home of one of Africa's most popular clubs, Hearts of Oak as well as Accra Lions FC and Great Olympics, but Ghana's national team matches are sometimes played there.

During the 2000 African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria, the stadium hosted nine matches,[7] and was also the venue of the 1978 final.

The venue has also hosted important professional boxing events, numbering 91 professional boxing programs as of August 2020.[8] Perhaps the most famous one took place on Saturday, 6 November 1976, when Ghanaian David Kotei, the World Boxing Council's world Featherweight champion, lost his championship to future International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Mexican-American Danny Lopez by a 15 rounds unanimous decision.[9] This program also featured a bout between undefeated, 29–0 prospect Sulley Shittu and Felix Figueroa, which Shittu won by 8 rounds decision.[10] The crowd for this event has been estimated at over 100,000 fans.[11]

See also

Notes and references
  1. "China loans 31 million USD for Accra Sports Stadium-". AIDDATA. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  2. "Accra Sports Stadium – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com.
  3. "World Stadiums – Stadiums Ghana". www.worldstadiums.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. "Conquerors blow Hurricanes away in Rugby Championship Final – X Live Africa". xliveafrica.com.
  5. Ghanaian Chronicle (28 April 2005). "Ohene Djan Did Not Warrant Honour – Adjin Tettey". Sports news. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  6. "Ohene Djan Stadium renamed Accra Sports Stadium". Ghana Home Page. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  7. "Accra National Stadium". Cup of Nations Venue Guide. BBC. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  8. "BoxRec: Login".
  9. "Hall of Fame Friday: Danny "Little Red" Lopez". The Ring. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  10. "BoxRec: Login".
  11. "Best I Faced: Danny 'Little Red' Lopez". The Ring. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
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