BK Arena (formerly known as Kigali Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Kigali, Rwanda, used mostly for basketball and volleyball matches. Built and finished in 2019, it hosts sporting events and concerts. It is the biggest indoor arena in East Africa and is located next to the Amahoro Stadium.[1]
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| Former names | Kigali Arena (2019–2022) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kigali, Rwanda |
| Coordinates | 1°57′06″S 30°06′56″E / 1.951719°S 30.115580°E |
| Owner | Rwanda Ministry of Sports & Rwanda Housing Authority |
| Type | Indoor arena |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Record attendance | 10,152 |
| Field size | 28,750 m2 (construction area) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 19 January 2019 |
| Opened | 9 August 2019 |
| Construction cost | $104 Million |
| Builder | SUMMA |
| Main contractors | Rwanda Housing Authority |
| Tenants | |
| Rwanda Basketball League | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The arena is regularly used for games in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). It was constructed by SUMMA, a Turkish international contractor.
In 2021 Kigali Arena signed a contract with Rwandan singer Bruce Melodie for him to be its brand ambassador for the next three years with a shared objective to position the venue as a regional entertainment hub.[2][3]
On 24 May 2022, the arena's name was changed to the BK Arena after a six-year sponsorship deal worth 7 billion RF with the Bank of Kigali.[4]
Construction
editConstruction of the Kigali Arena, a joint project of the Rwandan government through the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) and Turkish firm Summa, began in January 2019. The construction of the indoor arena was supervised by the RHA.[5] Construction progressed at a fast rate, with around 1,000 to 2,000 people employed to work on the project both in day and night shifts. By mid-June 2019, the indoor arena was at least 70 percent complete and was completed in July 2019.[6]
Events
editThe Kigali Arena has hosted various sports events that the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Women's African Championship, the AfroBasket 2021, and the 2021 African Nations Volleyball Championships. It will host the 2023 Women's Afrobasket.
It has hosted the finals of the 2019 Rwandan National Basketball League, selling out multiple games.[7] The arena was supposed to host the Final Four of the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), but eventually hosted the entire regular season of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] The BK Arena also hosted the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, following an agreement between the BAL and the Ministry of Sport.
On 9 August 2019, the arena was inaugurated with a basketball game between Patriots BBC and REG BBC, with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in attendance.[9][10]
In 2021, Kigali Arena played host to the inaugural edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and the 2021 Afrobasket championship. In 2022, the second season of the BAL held its playoffs in the arena.
On 16 March 2023, the arena hosted the 73rd FIFA Congress.[11]
Features
editKigali Arena is a 10,000 capacity indoor arena for indoor sports such as basketball, handball, volleyball, and tennis, as well as concerts and conferences.[5] The sports venue is situated nearby the 30,000 capacity Amahoro Stadium and the 2,500 capacity Amahoro Indoor Stadium.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "10k-cap. Kigali Arena ready to open in Rwanda". 2 August 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Bruce Melodie signs Rwf 150 million deal with Kigali Arena as brand ambassador". The New Times | Rwanda. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ Yanditswe na Malachie Hakizimana. "Kigali Arena na Bruce Melodie basinye amasezerano y'ubufatanye". Kigali Today. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Kigali Arena rebrands to BK Arena". The New Times | Rwanda. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Construction of modern multi-sport arena kicks-off". Rwanda Housing Authority. 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ a b Nsabimana, Eddie (24 May 2019). "State-of-the-art Kigali Arena nears completion". New Times. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ Komugisha, Usher (28 September 2019). "Kigali Arena breathes new life into Rwandan basketball". The New Times. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ Feld, Jeff. "NBA's Basketball Africa League Gets One Step Closer To Reality With Announcement Of Host Cities". Forbes. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Kagire, Edmund (25 September 2019). "Now President Kagame Wishes Kigali Arena Had 20,000 Capacity". KTpress.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ KIGALI ARENA Official Inauguration | Kigali, 9 August 2019.
- ^ "73rd FIFA Congress, Kigali 2023". inside.fifa.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
External links
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