The Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium (simply known as the Rizal Memorial Stadium; officially the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium) is the main stadium of the

Rizal Memorial Sports Complex The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC; formerly known as Rizal Memorial Field) is a national sports complex of the Philippines, located on Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.), Malate, Manila. It is named in honor of the country's national ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines. It served as the main stadium of the

1954 Asian Games The 1954 Asian Games ( fil, Palarong Asyano 1954), officially known as the Second Asian Games – Manila 1954 was a multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines, from May 1 to 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Commi ...

and the

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with sup ...

on three occasions. The stadium is also officially the home of the

Philippines national football team The Philippines national football team ( Filipino/ tl, Pambansang koponan ng futbol ng Pilipinas, lit=) represents the Philippines in international football, governed by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and has been playing internatio ...

and some

Philippines Football League The Philippines Football League, commonly known as PFL, is a Filipino professional football league sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF). It is the Philippines' highest level of men's club football, supplanting the United Foo ...

matches.

Background

Philippine Island - Manila - NARA - 68156462

Philippine Island - Manila - NARA - 68156649

Since the 1930s, it has hosted all major local football tournaments and some international matches. When a new tartan track was laid out at the oval for the country's initial hosting of the 1981 Southeast Asian Games, the venue became a hub for athletics and the football pitch's condition slowly deteriorated. It eventually became unsuitable for international matches which meant the Philippine national team would have to play their home games at an alternate venue. In 2010, the

Philippine Sports Commission The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC, ) is an agency of the Philippine government which tackles matters concerning sports in the country. The sports agency is independent from the Philippine Olympic Committee which enjoys autonomy from the go ...

(PSC) partnered with the De La Salle University to refurbish the stadium's football pitch. The stadium had undergone a major renovation program with the

Philippine Football Federation The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is the governing body of association football in the Philippines. Established as the Philippine Amateur Football Association (PAFA) in 1907, the PFF is one of the oldest national football associations in ...

(PFF) spend for the renovation of the locker rooms, comfort rooms, and the fiberglass seats. The renovation was completed in 2011 and was first used for the game of Azkals against Sri Lanka in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers round on July 3, 2011 which was the first international football game held at the stadium in the decades, where the Philippine national team won 4-0 overall. However, the pitch (which was a natural grass) deteriorated again due to the number of football and rugby events, that led the PSC to convert it into an artificial turf in 2014. In 2015, its football pitch received the 2-star accreditation from FIFA, making it the first football pitch in the Philippines to have it. The stadium has undergone a major renovation after it was designated as the venue for the men's football event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games New individual seats are to be installed in the spectator area of the stadium outside the main grandstand. The renovation also includes the upgrading of its rubberized track oval. The renovation will be funded from the given by the

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR, ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established through the ''Presidential Decree 1869''. PAGCOR is the Philippines' largest contributor of revenue to the government after the ...

to the Philippine Sports Commission. In August 2021, the stadium was officially renamed as the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium, after Olympic high jumper

Simeon Toribio Simeon Galvez Toribio (September 3, 1905 – June 5, 1969) was a Filipino high jumper. He competed at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1932. In 1928, he cleared the same height as the silver and bronze medalists Benja ...

Notable events at the Rizal Memorial Stadium

Sports events

1934 Far Eastern Championship Games The 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games was the tenth edition of the regional multi-sport event, contested between China, Japan and the Philippines, and was held from 16 to 20 May in Manila, the Philippines. A total of eight sports were contested d ...

* 1966 and 1970 AFC Youth Championship *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

and

1991 Southeast Asian Games The 1991 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 16th Southeast Asian Games, was a multi-sport event held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November to 3 December 1991, with 28 sports featured in the games. This was the second time that ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

and

2003 Asian Athletics Championships The 15th Asian Athletics Championships were held in Manila, Philippines on September 20–23, 2003. Results Men Women Medal table Participating nations * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Se ...

2005 Southeast Asian Games The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines. This was the third time the Philippines hosted the games and its first time since 1991. ...

2005 ASEAN Para Games The 2005 ASEAN Para Games, officially known as the 3rd ASEAN Para Games, was a Southeast Asian disabled multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines from 14 to 20 December 2005, nine days after the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. This was the firs ...

* 2012 Asian Five Nations Division I *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and

2014 Philippine Peace Cup The 2014 PFF Peace Cup was the third edition of the tournament, an international football competition organized by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to celebrate peace month in the country through football. It was held at the Rizal Memorial ...

and 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup Semifinals *

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification The 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification phase determined the teams which advanced to the final tournament. The qualification draw was held on 11 December 2012, in AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Qualified nations ;Notes Format Twenty te ...

Group E *

2016 AFF Suzuki Cup The 2016 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016, was the 11th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The whole tourn ...

2017 AFC Cup The 2017 AFC Cup was the 14th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Defending champions Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya defeated Istiklol in the final to win their second AFC Cu ...

2018 AFC Cup The 2018 AFC Cup was the 15th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won the title for the third consecutive year, defeating Altyn Asyr in the fi ...

2017 Philippines Football League The 2017 Philippines Football League was the inaugural season of the Philippines Football League (PFL), the professional football league of the Philippines. The league was officially launched on 21 April 2017 at Shangri-La at the Fort in Taguig, ...

* 2018 Philippines Football League *

2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara The 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara was the first edition of the Copa Paulino Alcantara, the domestic football cup competition of the Philippines. The competition started on September 1, 2018 and concluded on October 27, 2018, with Kaya–Iloilo w ...

2019 Philippines Football League The 2019 Philippines Football League was the third season of the Philippines Football League (PFL), the professional football league of the Philippines. Ceres–Negros are the defending champions. This marks the revival of the Philippines Foo ...

* 2019 Philippine Premiere League * 2019 Southeast Asian Games * 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs *

2020 AFC Cup The 2020 AFC Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic after group stage matches on 11 March ...

2022 AFF Women's Championship The 2022 AFF Women's Championship was the 12th edition of the AFF Women's Championship, an international women's football tournament organised by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The final tournament was originally scheduled to run from 3 to ...

2022–23 Philippines Football League The 2022–23 Philippines Football League, also known as The Philippines Football League brought to you by Qatar Airways for sponsorship reasons, is the fifth season of Philippines Football League (PFL), the professional football league of the ...

The first international rugby test in the stadium was held when the Philippines hosted the 2012 Asian Five Nations Division I tournament, which doubled as a qualifying tournament for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; the goal posts were erected just days prior to the tournament.

Entertainment events

On July 4, 1966, the Rizal Memorial Stadium hosted two sold-out concerts of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

held in Manila and was one of only three cities in Asia (other than Tokyo and Hong Kong) they have ever played in. The combined attendance was 80,000 with the evening concert registering 50,000 paying audience and became the Beatles' second-biggest concert ever.

COVID-19 pandemic

During the Philippine Government's ''"Hatid Tulong"'' program, the stadium was used as the designated temporary holding place for Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs). The number of individuals and families hoping to be sent back to their respective provinces exceeded the limit of capacity. This raised concerns over the resulting lack of social distancing and Health and Safety guidelines due to the hundreds of people being in close proximity. With the stadium being full, many other individuals who availed of the said program ended up sleeping and gathering outside the stadium complex.

Notes

References

External links

Rizal Memorial Stadium photo
at WorldStadiums.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rizal Memorial Stadium Athletics (track and field) venues in the Philippines Football venues in the Philippines Stadiums of the Asian Games Sports venues in Manila Buildings and structures in Malate, Manila Art Deco architecture in the Philippines National stadiums Sports venues completed in 1934 Juan M. Arellano buildings 1934 establishments in the Philippines Venues of the 1954 Asian Games Asian Games athletics venues Asian Games football venues Southeast Asian Games stadiums Southeast Asian Games athletics venues Southeast Asian Games football venues