Wuyi New District Sports Center Stadium – stadium description

How was the New District Sports Centre built?

In 2017, the authorities of the city of Nanping successfully bid to host the 17th Fujian Provincial Games, to be held in 2022. The main facilities for the Games were decided to be built in Wuyi New District, a new settlement unit near Jianyang district, as part of the promotion and development of the area (administratively, these settlements are part of the city of Nanping, but are actually about 120 km north of the city centre).

The new sports complex, consisting mainly of a stadium and a sports hall connected to a swimming pool, was built between the older Jianyang district and the new Wuyi New District. Its construction began in 2018 and it passed all inspection procedures in April 2022. The entire investment cost 1.75 billion yuan. The work was carried out by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation.

On July 5, 2022, the first competition was held at the stadium of the new complex. The Fujian provincial youth athletics championships were then held, which was also a qualifier for the 17th Fujian provincial games. From July 23-29, the venue hosted matches of the football tournament, held as part of the provincial games. On November 27, 2022, the stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the main part of the provincial games. During the main part of the event, the stadium hosted the athletics competition.

What does Wuyi New District Sports Centre look like?

The new complex consists primarily of a multi-purpose stadium and a building combining an indoor swimming pool and sports hall. The two main structures are connected to each other by an elevated platform, under which is an exhibition hall. The surroundings also include an athletics training track, tennis courts and ancillary facilities.

The stadium and the building with the hall and the swimming pool have a coherent architecture. The elliptical forms of the structure are topped by a dark roof and a light-coloured, perforated façade, which are formed by repeated, off-camber segments. The whole exterior is meant to evoke the camellia flower, reflected in the form of origami. At night, the facilities can be illuminated from the outside.

What are the characteristics of the stadium at Wuyi New District Sports Centre complex?

The stadium is equipped with an athletics track and can accommodate 25,000 spectators. The stands are divided into two tiers, with the main stand located on the west side. The auditorium has blue plastic seats. The facility has an interesting variety in the form of a semi-open corridor under the lower tier of stands, through which an additional four-track raceway runs.

The sections along the pitch are higher than those on the arches, where two screens were located. A colonnade runs along the upper edge of the stands, on which the roof structure is supported. The ends of the roof are glazed. Under the canopy, floodlights have been installed (the training track next to the stadium is also equipped with floodlights).