Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium (CCSC) (Arabic: ملعب مدينة كميل شمعون الرياضية) is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 49,500 seats, located in the Bir Hassan area of Beirut, Lebanon. The stadium, equipped with athletics facilities, is the largest in the country, and is mostly used for football matches.[1]
History
Camille Chamoun Stadium in 1982; it was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War.Exterior view of the stadium in 2015
It was built in 1957 by the Lebanese Ministry of Youth & Fine Arts in the presidency of Camille Chamoun. The opening game was a friendly played against Energia Ploiești, where Lebanon won 1–0 through a goal scored by Joseph Abou Murad.[1] The stadium was completely demolished in the Israeli Invasion of 1982.[2] Consequently, former Lebanese PM Rafic Hariri initiated a project to rebuild the stadium in preparation for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. The reconstruction received funding from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with respective contributions of 20 million and 5 million U.S. dollars. The other 75 million U.S. dollars were provided by the Lebanese government. The renovation process of the bordering "Pierre Gemayel Hall" was also included in the overall project.
Kvarner, the contracting company, said that 25 British and 115 Lebanese engineers toiled along with 850 Lebanese and Arab workers to rebuild the sports city that was originally inaugurated by the late president Camille Chamoun in 1957.
After the reconstruction, the stadium hosted the 1997 Pan Arab Games where the Lebanese president Elias Hrawi delivered an opening speech saying: "From Lebanon we say to the world; the Lebanese have returned to their heritage and unity, they have returned to build a Lebanon for heroes, youth and peace". The Lebanese PM also delivered a speech saying: "Construction won over destruction, and peace over war". Finally, the president of the Pan Arab Committee said: "This is a tournament of solidarity between the Lebanese people who have established credibility in their country and given rise to this great sporting event". "Bombs can destroy a city but can never shake the faith of believers".[3]
The stadium was severely damaged to the 2020 Beirut explosion, and was made unavailable for sporting activities for the 2020–21 season.[5] On 26 October 2020, it was reported that the stadium was temporarily converted into a storage for flour and wheat, as the explosion also led to the collapse of the wheat storage building in Beirut.[5]
The stadium spans 50,000 square meters of space. A presidential gallery of 37 seats towers over the pitch, fenced off by bullet-proof glass.[citation needed]
The structure is capable of absorbing earthquakes up to 8.6 degree on the Richter scale. Moreover, administration offices, a complex for Lebanon’s Olympic committee and various other sports federations, press centers, clinics to handle emergencies among players and spectators with a parking lot for ambulances and fire engines, have been built beneath the stands.[7]
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