When it comes to modernized, magnificent infrastructure, Rwanda has been registering some good points. The Kigali Arena will be hosting the FIBA Men's Basketball Africa League after Rwanda successfully won the bid to host the championship last month.
The new arena is resplendent with every piece of modern sporting and events facility one may think of. It is adorned with spectacular equipment for sporting events to be conducted.
It boasts of a strong 10,000-seat capacity. This easily makes Kigali Arena one of the top 10 indoor sports venues in Africa. Its car parking lot can have over 600 cars, as the arena is built a 28,000 square-metre piece of land.
Ugur Murat Altun, the Chief Technical Officer for the project spoke of how there was limited time to finish this breathtaking structure. “It took less than six months to construct this facility, it is now ready for inauguration,” said Altun as he spoke to The New Times.
He however said that he was not ready to reveal the actual date of the inauguration of Kigali Centre, conveniently citing this point as "an administrative aspect." He said that construction commenced on January 18 and was finalized by July 5, save for the parking lot that was completed later.
The arena has some specifications hard to ignore - "13 cafeteria and restaurants, six changing rooms for teams, two rooms for the coaching staff, one fitness centre, a media hall, and a modern doping control room."
Kigali arena will host the semifinals and finals of the basketball championship, joining 5 other venues that as tournament hosts. For the season, 12 teams play five games each for a total of 30 games, with the top three teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs.
The arena is not only restricted for sports events but also open to concerts, exhibitions and conferences. It could soon turn out to be a favourite among the Africans.
The Kigali Arena speaks a positive development in African infrastructure, an aspect which has long been associated with retrogression, dilapidation and uninspiring.
Below are some photos of the arena courtesy of The New Times
Header image credit - The New Times