Paul Biya Stadium
The future sports complex of Olembe, in northern Yaoundé, Cameroon will include the Paul Biya stadium with a capacity of 60,000 seats (all covered), two training stadiums, with 1,000 seats each, a gymnasium, handball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, an Olympic swimming pool, a 5 star hotel with 70 rooms, a shopping mall, a museum and a cinema. The Paul Biya Stadium, named after President Paul Biya, is currently under construction on a surface area of 34 hectares (84 acres) in the Olembe neighborhood in Yaounde, some 13 km (8.1 mi) from the city center. Upon completion, the stadium will be the largest in all of Cameroon, tied as the second largest in West Africa, ninth largest in Africa, and tied for tenth largest in Africa after the completion of the Grand Stade de Casablanca in 2025. The Olembe Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 33rd edition of the African Cup of Nations in 2021.[1][2]
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| Location | Olembe, Yaoundé, Cameroon |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 60,000 seats |
| Construction | |
| Built | January 2018 |
| Opened | 2020 (expected) |
| Architect | Eloy Suarez |
| General contractor | Gruppo Piccini S.A. |
Construction
The construction of a stadium not only facilitates hosting large sporting events, but also will most likely revitalize the economy, neighborhood and city. The facilities (cinemas, restaurants, hotel, shops, sports halls, etc.), which accompany the stadium, add value to the emerging Olembe suburb and integrate them into the city. The stadium was supposed to be ready by December 2018 according to the CAF expectations for the AFCON 2019.