Stade Général Seyni Kountché (SGSK)Forum Social Africain: Niamey 2008 organizing committee, Methodology
. 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 ...

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesfootball matches, it is home to the Niger national squad, as well as Niger Premier League clubs

Sahel SC Sahel Sporting Club is a Nigerien football club based in Niamey. The club was formed in 1974 from the football club Secteur 7. Achievements * Niger Premier League: 13 ::1973 (as Secteur 7) ::1974, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 200 ...

Olympic FC de Niamey Olympic FC de Niamey is a Nigerien football club based in Niamey. Their home games are played at Général Seyni Kountché Stadion. The club was formed in 1974 from the football club Secteur 6. Achievements * Niger Premier League: 12 ::196 ...

, Zumunta AC and JS du Ténéré, as well as club competitions such as the Niger Cup. The venue is also sometimes used for rugby union. It is the largest stadium in Niamey, followed by the 10,000-capacity Stade municipal.

Overview

The stadium hosts both international

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

tournaments, and the finals of national athletics competitions. The stadium has an announced capacity of 35,000 people. It was named for the 1974-1987 military

President of Niger This is a list of heads of state of Niger since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of ten people have served as head of state of Niger. The current head of state of Niger is the President of the Re ...

Seyni Kountché Seyni Kountché (1 July 1931 – 10 November 1987) was a Nigerien military officer who led a 1974 coup d'état that deposed the government of Niger's first president, Hamani Diori. He ruled the country as military head of state from 17 April ...

following his death. Opened in 1989 on the site of the former Stade du 29 Juillet, it underwent a large Chinese government funded renovation and expansion into a multi-use complex in 1999. It is owned by the government of Niger, and operated by an appointed directorship and the "Council of Stadium Administration" ("''Conseil d’Administration du Stade''").

Usage

The large athletic stadium is part of a larger multiuse complex which includes the ''Palais des Sports'' 3000 seat indoor arena, the ''Academy of Martial Arts'' of 2,000 seats, as well as performance spaces, thirty meeting rooms, and athletic training facilities. The complex includes facilities for

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, handball, and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

. It has been the centrepoint of recent large cultural and sporting events such as the

2005 Jeux de la Francophonie The 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie, also known as ''Ves Jeux de la Francophonie'', ( French for ''Francophone Games'') were held from December 7–17, 2005 in Niamey, Niger. Events Sports Cultural Medal count Total Participation There were a ...

and the 2009 first CEN-SAD Games.PROGRAMME GENERAL DES COMPETITIONS DES 1ERS DE LA CEN SAD
. jeuxcensad.netPremière édition des Jeux de la CEN-SAD à Niamey - Sports/neuf disciplines sportives au programme
. Oumarou Moussa, le Sahel. 30 January 2009. For large events such as these, the stadium is supplemented by local facilities such as the Stade Municipal de Niamey, Centre aéré de la BCEAO, the

Nigerien Football Federation The Nigerien Football Federation (FENIFOOT) (french: Fédération Nigerienne de Football) is the governing body of football in Niger. It organizes the national football league and the national team. History The FENIFOOT was founded in 1961, and a ...

training centre, ASFAN's military stadium at Bagagi Iya army base, and fields at local institutions such as lycée La Fontaine (Niamey), the sports centre at Abdou Moumouni Dioffo University, and the fields at lycée technique Issa Béri. Near the stadium complex is the Niamey Racecourse (Hippodrome de Niamey) and the Niamey traditional sports arena, home to Nigerien

Lutte Traditionnelle Lutte Traditionnelle (fr. for ''Traditional Wrestling'') is a style of West African folk wrestling, known as Laamb in Senegal, Boreh in The Gambia, Evala in Togo, and KoKowa / Kokawa in Hausa areas of Nigeria and Niger, or simply ''Lutte Tradi ...

. The SGSK complex is regularly used for political events, exhibitions, and cultural activities.

References

External links

Photos
at cafe.daum.net/stade
Photos
at worldstadiums.com.

at fussballtempel.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Stade General Seyni Kountche Football venues in Niger

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesBuildings and structures in Niamey Athletics (track and field) venues in Niger Indoor arenas in Niger Multi-purpose stadiums in Niger Sport in Niamey Chinese aid to Africa 1989 establishments in Niger Sports venues completed in 1989