Capital Indoor Stadium
The arena during the 2022 Winter Olympics | |
Interactive map of Capital Indoor Stadium | |
| Location | Beijing, China |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°56′20″N 116°19′16″E / 39.93889°N 116.32111°E |
| Capacity | 17,345 |
| Public transit | National Library |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1968 |
| Renovated | 2007, 2021 |
The Capital Indoor Stadium (simplified Chinese: 首都体育馆; traditional Chinese: 首都體育館; pinyin: Shǒudū Tǐyùguǎn) is an indoor arena in 56 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, China, that was built in 1968. It hosted matches between national table tennis teams of China and the United States in 1971; these matches were part of the exchange program known as ping pong diplomacy.[1]
History
It has a capacity of 15,000 (reduced from the previous 17,345)[2] and a floor space of 54,707 square meters expanded from the original 53,000. It was renovated for the first time between 2000 and 2001 to become a venue for the 2001 Summer Universiade.
It was also the venue for the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship Pool C tournament, which marked a historic breakthrough for Chinese ice hockey.[3]
The stadium hosted one of the first NBA games in China, hosted on 17 October 2004, in front of a sellout capacity of 17,903.[4] It also hosted the first-ever professional football game featuring all-stars from the Arena Football League to help promote the new AFL China league (now known as the China Arena Football League.[5]
Capital Indoor Stadium underwent a new renovation and expansion that was completed in late 2007 for the 2008 Summer Olympics, where it hosted volleyball tournaments.[6]
The venue hosted the 2017 World Women's Curling Championship.[7] The venue is also used for figure skating and short track speed skating, and was used for these competitions during the 2022 Winter Olympics.
See also
References
- ^ "The Ping Heard Round the World". Time. 26 April 1971. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
- ^ "首都体育馆四大变化迎冬奥" [Four Major Changes to the Capital Indoor Stadium to Welcome the Winter Olympics]. Beijing Daily. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) Archived 2022-02-09 at the Wayback Machine - ^ "The Golden Age of Chinese Ice Hockey – Part I: Fever in Beijing, 1981". Asian Ice Hockey. Archived from the original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ "NBA'S INTERNATIONAL GAMES FACT SHEET". Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ^ AFL All-Star Game Archived 13 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, CAFL website
- ^ "Beijing2008.cn profile". Archived from the original on 10 August 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
- ^ "2017 World Women's Curling Championship". World Curling Federation. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.