Qingyuan Sports Center Stadium – stadium description

How was a new sports complex built in Qingyuan?

In August 2018, Qingyuan was awarded the right to host the 16th Guangdong Provincial Games, to be held in 2022. In connection with the Games, it was decided to build a new sports complex in the northeast of the city to house the main arenas of the competition.

The compound was designed by the Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute and CSCEC was the main contractor. Construction officially began on September 28, 2019, with the facilities going through inspection procedures in spring 2022. The complex cost 2.47 billion yuan to build. The funds were largely raised through the allocation of surrounding land for commercial and residential use.

On May 21–22, 2022, the first competition - a qualifier for the provincial Games athletics competition - was held at the stadium of the complex. On September 17, the first football match was played at the stadium, between a team of local officials, radio and television representatives and a team of Guangdong Province media stars.

The main part of the 16th Guagndong Provincial Games, which will feature the opening ceremony and athletics competition at the stadium, has been postponed to March 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are the characteristics of Qingyuan Sports Centre?

The theme of the entire complex is the concept of a 'green phoenix dancing city'. The three main facilities of the centre (stadium, sports hall and indoor swimming pool) are connected to each other by two wide promenades, and the whole is arranged in the shape of an inverted S and is meant to evoke a phoenix ready to soar, surrounded by mountains and rivers (the stadium in this concept acts as the head).

The stadium is located on the eastern side of the complex, while the hall and swimming pool, located right next to each other, are on the western side. The sports hall has a capacity of 9,000 spectators and the pool stands can seat up to 2,000 fans. A wide street runs down the middle of the compound, separating the stadium and the halls. Two wide promenades run from the stadium to the halls, one of which (the southern one) is above ground, offering a passage over the aforementioned street.

A river flowing through the complex has been integrated into the landscape, which has been considerably widened and forked into two branches that form an island on which the arena and swimming pool are located. The complex includes small floodlit pitches, football and multipurpose fields and tennis courts, as well as an athletics training track, plus ancillary buildings, car parks, paths and green areas.

The square located to the south of the stadium is called 'Fengguan', named after a local traditional headdress also known as a 'phoenix crown'. The square next to the arena and the swimming pool, on the other hand, is called "Fengling" ("bird feather"). The complex is designed to host a variety of high-level sporting and non-sporting events, while on a day-to-day basis it is used by local residents.

What does the stadium at Qingyuan Sports Centre complex look like?

The stadium of the complex has an athletics track and stands with a capacity of 30,000 spectators. There are entrances near the corners that divide the stands into four sections. The largest main stand is located on the west side. It has VIP boxes and is divided into two tiers, with a balcony still located between them.

The auditorium is furnished with plastic seats in shades of red, with the addition of white, located especially in the upper sections of the stands along the pitch. Two video screens were erected on the arches.

The stands are surrounded by a steel structure forming the façade and canopy (except for the southern section, which was left open). The light-coloured sheathing of the roof and façade is partly covered with photovoltaic panels and forms a pattern imitating bird feathers. Floodlights are placed at the edge of the roof.