The Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium (frequently abbreviated SKD Stadium) is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...

which is part of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in

Paynesville, Liberia Paynesville (sometimes Paynesward) is a suburb east of Monrovia, Liberia. It is geographically larger than the city of Monrovia and is expanding eastward along the Robertsfield Highway and northeastward beyond Red Light Market, one of the largest ...

, a suburb of the country's capital,

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...

. Built in 1986, it is used mostly for football matches and has an athletics track, though it has also been used for a reggae concert, political rallies, IDP refuge, and Ebola treatment. The largest stadium in Liberia, its spectator capacity is 22,000.

Background

The stadium was commissioned by President

William Tolbert William Richard Tolbert Jr. (13 May 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until 1980. Tolbert was an Americo-Liberian and trained as a civil servant before entering the House of ...

, who did not start the construction and was removed from power in a 1980 coup d'état by 17 enlisted men of the Armed Forces of Liberia led by Samuel Doe. Completed during Doe's reign, he named the facility after himself. During Liberia's second civil war, thousands sought refuge in the stadium. On June 24, 2003, following the breakdown of a cease fire, there were a reported 58,000 IDPs in the stadium, more than 5% of Monrovia's estimated 1,000,000 residents. The stadium has had frequent problems with overcrowding, due on at least one occasion to illegal ticket sales. In 2008, eight people died of suffocation following a football match, and in 2014, spectators were reported to have fainted. The stadium has been the site of international concerts, national political events, and multiple World Cup qualifying matches. In 1988, the Reggae Sunsplash concert was held in SKD. The 24-hour long event featured

Burning Spear Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots ...

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

, and other well-known roots and dancehall reggae artists flown in from Jamaica. During the campaign for the Liberian general election in 2011 the

Congress for Democratic Change Congress for Democratic Change (abbreviated CDC) is a Liberian political party formed by supporters of George Weah's 2005 presidential campaign. History In the 11 October 2005 elections, Weah placed first in the presidential poll, winning 28.3 ...

held exclusive rallies in the stadium.

Renovations

In September 2005, a $7.6 million renovation funded by China was announced and Chinese company Hunan Constructing Engineering Group Corporation was named as the contractor. After the two-year renovation was complete, Liberia lacked the expertise to manage the electronic scoreboard. The grass was badly damaged after a 2009 international women's conference. In October 2013, another agreement was signed between the governments of Liberia and China funding a $18 million renovation of the stadium. The plans for the second renovation included the practice pitch and tennis courts that were not repaired six years earlier. In February

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, Shao Kaipeng of the "Hebei Construction Group," the Chinese construction firm that is renovating the SKD, pleaded with Liberians to maintain the stadium. Shao said, "I do not understand why people will come to watch game and break the things that can make the stadium beautiful; why will they throw garbage on the stadium?" and requested that the government hire more people to clean the stadium and to provide security after games.Liberia: Chinese Engineers Want Sports Complex Maintained
/ref> Matches between Liberian county teams were reported in early 2014.

Ebola Treatment

During the

Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia An epidemic of Ebola virus disease occurred in Liberia from 2014 to 2015, along with the neighbouring countries of Guinea and Sierra Leone. The first cases of virus were reported by late March 2014. The Ebola virus, a biosafety level four path ...

, SKD was the site of a Chinese-built Ebola treatment unit. The 100-bed hospital, constructed by the Chinese firm CNQC, was planned for 160 specialized medical personnel from China. It opened in November 2014 with a ceremony attended by President Sirleaf In May 2015 the ETU was decommissioned after treating 10 confirmed cases and admitting 110 patients. The 20-room facility and its more than 920,000 items, including more than 1,500 kinds of medical instruments and materials worth approximately $7 million, was turned over to the Liberian government. As part of the ceremony, President Sirleaf was presented with a flag of the People's Liberation Army medical team. In August 2015, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited SKD stadium and met with Chinese workers.

International Soccer Matches

References

{{coord, 6, 15, 24, N, 10, 42, 8, W, type:landmark, display=title Sports venues in Liberia Football venues in Liberia Athletics (track and field) venues in Liberia Liberia Sport in Monrovia Multi-purpose stadiums in Liberia Buildings and structures in Monrovia 1986 establishments in Liberia