Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium – stadium description

How did the construction of the new stadium in Hangzhou begin?

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on 26 December 2009, although the actual construction of the stadium began in 2011. The venue was constructed as the main arena of a huge complex to be built on the banks of the Qiantang Jiang River, including an indoor arena for 18,000 spectators combined with an indoor Olympic swimming pool, a conference and exhibition center and a tennis court compound with a central court with stands for 10,000 people and a retractable roof. The stadium's design was created by US firm NBBJ in collaboration with local studio CCDI.

When was the Hangzhou stadium completed?

The initial plans assumed that construction would be finished as early as 2013, but it wasn't until May 2016 that the facility reached a stage of near completion. Details were still missing, one of the most striking of which was the lack of an athletics track. The works were not fully finished and there was no hurry to open the stadium. It was only in the summer of 2019 that the running track was laid, and on 11th August 2019 the first event took place, which was the Wang Leehom concert (it was supposed to be held the day before, but due to Typhoon Lekima it was postponed; the event was attended by 50,000 spectators). In 2023 the stadium is to be the main arena for the Asian Games.

How big is Hangzhou Stadium?

With a capacity of 80,000 it was one of the three biggest stadiums in China when it opened (along with Guangdong Stadium and the Bird's Nest). The stadium has three tiers of stands surrounding the track (only behind the northern curve in the second and third rings there is a gap through which the nearby river can be seen). The auditorium is surrounded by a steel framework which forms both the roof and the external facade. This structure is covered with metal segments shaped like flower petals (there are a total of 28 large petals and 27 smaller ones), so that the arena from the outside resembles a lotus flower. The central court of the tennis complex built next to the stadium also has a similar lotus motif. Next to it, a practice facility with a running track was built as well.