Stade Tata Raphaël

Stade Tata Raphaël

Former names	Stade Roi Baudouin (1952–1967) Stade du 20 Mai (1967–1997)
Location	Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Capacity	60,000[1]
Surface	Synthetic Lawn
Opened	1952 (1952)
Tenants
DC Motema Pembe AS Vita Club

Stade Tata Raphaël (Father Raphael Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Originally known as Stade Roi Baudouin (King Baudouin Stadium) when it was inaugurated in 1952 and Stade du 20 Mai (20 May Stadium) in 1967, it was used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 people.^[2]

History

The stadium's most famous event was The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman for the Undisputed WBC/WBA Heavyweight Championship that took place on October 30, 1974. Sixty thousand people attended the boxing match.^[3] In what was ranked as a great upset, Ali knocked out the previously undefeated Foreman in eight rounds. The associated music festival, Zaire 74, that took place at the stadium six weeks prior to the boxing match, included stars James Brown and B.B. King.

Following the downfall of President Mobutu Sese Seko's regime in 1997, the stadium was renamed Stade Tata Raphaël after Raphaël de la Kethulle de Ryhove, initiator of the stadium in 1952.

The stadium was the setting for a documentary film about Congolese women's boxing, Victoire Terminus (2008).^[4]

In popular culture

• Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible (1998) includes a passage describing the Rumble in the Jungle taking place at the Stade du 20 Mai (20 May Stadium) while political prisoners are locked up downstairs.

See also

• List of football stadiums in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Lists of stadiums

References

1. "Most Iconic African Stadiums | Africans in Sports | Your Home to All Things African Sports". 16 July 2020.
2. "Most Iconic African Stadiums | Africans in Sports | Your Home to All Things African Sports". 16 July 2020.
3. "The 20 biggest-ever boxing attendances in history – where does Joshua vs Klitschko rank?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-09-17.^{[dead link‍]}
4. Edwards, Russell (9 February 2008). "Victoire Terminus". Variety. Archived from the original (review) on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 15 March 2012.

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