Bangabandhu National Stadium

Bangabandhu National Stadium

Bangabandhu National Stadium (Formerly known as the Dacca Stadium) is the national stadium and main sports arena in Dha lolka, Bangladesh. It is located at Motijheel at the heart of the capital city, Dhaka. The stadium is variously known as Number 1 National Stadium, Dhaka Stadium etc. Its current name was given to honour Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, also known as "Banga bandhu" or "Friend of Bengal".

The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka is the only venue in the world to have hosted an inaugural home fixture for two Test nations. India were the visitors on both occasions: in 1954-55, when Dacca was the capital of East Pakistan, and 46 years later, when Bangladesh became the tenth nation to attain Test status. Situated in the throbbing heart of Dhaka, the Bangabandhu and the nearby National Hockey Stadium are so incorporated into the daily hustle and bustle of Bangladeshi life that it is hard to tell from the outside that they are in fact sporting venues, especially given the plethora of electrical goods stalls that have sprung up all around the concourse. With a purpose-built cricket stadium being constructed on the outskirts of the city, the ground was taken out of commission at the end of the 2004-05 season, and handed over for the sole use of the Bangladesh national football team.

Currently, the stadium is used for football and athletics. Total seating capacity is about 40,000. It was also home to the Bangladeshi cricket team until March 1, 2005.

The stadium is located next to National Hockey Stadium. Bangladesh registered its first win at home at Bangabandhu National Stadium against India on 26 December 2004.

The stadium was used for competitions of the 2010 South Asian Games, including football and athletics. The stadium has exclusively been modernized and renovated into a world class stadium to host the grand opening ceremony of the 2011 ICC world cup co hosted jointly by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.about 25 000 chairs have been installed as well as the large LED screen. An eye catching and modern shed or roof has also been attached over the whole stadium, giving it the typical bowl like appearance of a world class stadium. The entrances and VIP box has also been upgraded to host the grand gala inaugral ceremony.

(source:wikipedia)