Kuishan Sports Center Stadium – stadium description

Why was a large new stadium built in Rizhao?

In 2018, Rizhao was awarded the hosting of the 25th edition of the Shandong Provincial Games, to be held in 2022. This was the perfect opportunity for the city to improve its own sports infrastructure. The leading investment that was decided to be made for the Games was the construction of the main arena for the event, the first major stadium in Rizhao.

How was Kuishan Sports Centre Stadium built?

The new stadium was decided to be built a few kilometres south-west of the city centre. The area, with its partly agricultural landscape and pits, had been undergoing major changes for several years, with old buildings being demolished and new wide streets being built, preparing it for strong urbanisation.

The design of the new stadium was prepared by the Tengyuan Design studio. Training facilities were to be built next to it, as well as a sports school, flats, offices and a hotel. The construction cost of the entire complex was 3.5 billion yuan, the stadium alone cost 1.84 billion. Construction started at the end of 2019, with Second Company of China Construction Eighth Engineering Division as the contractor.

The biggest challenge during development was the tendon-membrane roof structure. The ring of the steel structure was closed in April 2021 and the installation of the sheathing was completed in October 2021. The completion date for the entire construction, originally set for the end of 2021, could not be met, but the stadium was commissioned with plenty of time to spare before the start of the main event, on April 30, 2022.

How is Kuishan Sports Centre Stadium used?

On August 25, 2022, the stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the main competition of the 25th Shandong Provincial Games. The Games featured competitions in 31 disciplines, with a record 17,000 athletes taking part. Launched in 1950, the event has been held on a four-year cycle since 1998 and is the most important sporting event in the province, also ranking among the top provincial games in China in terms of scale.

The venue is the first major stadium to be built in Rizhao. It is suitable for hosting high-profile national and international sporting competitions, and can serve the residents on a daily basis. In addition, it can host concerts and other events. With the construction of a sports school and other supporting infrastructure in its surroundings, the project is expected to bring long-term benefits to the local community.

What does Kuishan Sports Centre Stadium look like?

The stadium has an elliptical form and a football/athletic layout. A tartan running track is flanked on all sides by a single-level ring of stands, extended along the pitch (on both sides) by a second tier. A video screen is mounted on one of the arches. The capacity of the stands is 36 000 spectators. From the outside, the stadium is encircled by overlapping promenades.

The stands are fully covered by a ribbed membrane roof, which is the most prominent feature of the stadium. A sound system and floodlights are located under the roof. As the city's name Rizhao literally means sunlight in Chinese, there is no shortage of solar references in the stadium - the colour scheme of the seats is meant to evoke a sunrise, and the radial arrangement of the folds in the canopy can resemble spreading rays.

Surrounding the stadium is an additional running track, training pitches and tennis courts. A sports school was also built next to the project, as well as flats, offices, a hotel and a fitness centre. Part of the area around the stadium has been transformed into a park, an important element of which is the two ponds created after appropriate shaping of the former pits.