KG17 Merdeka MRT station MR3 Maharajalela Monorail station
Owner
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB)
Operator
The Merdeka Heritage Trust[1]
Capacity
25,000
Surface
Grass pitch, track
Scoreboard
Manual scoreboard
Construction
Broke ground
25 September 1956
Opened
30 August 1957; 66 years ago (1957-08-30)
Closed
2016
Construction cost
2.3 million ringgit[2]
Architect
Stanley Edward Jewkes
Main contractors
K.C Boon and Cheah Co. Ltd. Lim Quee and Sons
Tenants
Selangor F.C. (1957–1994) Malaysia national football team (1957–1998)
The Independence Stadium or Merdeka Stadium is a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. The stadium is also the site of the proclamation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
Currently owned by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the stadium has a lower and an upper terrace, with a total capacity of 25,000. It has 14 tunnels entrance, a covered stand, 50 turnstiles and 4 floodlight towers.[3] The stadium was designed by American architect Stanley Jewkes, under the instruction of the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Upon its completion, the stadium holds the world record for the tallest prestressed floodlight towers and the biggest cantilever shell roofs. The stadium was the largest stadium in the Southeast Asia at the time of completion.[3]
The stadium was the principal venue in Kuala Lumpur for celebrations and sporting events until 1998 when the National Stadium was built for the 16th Commonwealth Games. Prior to that, the stadium was the home ground for the Malaysian national football team. The stadium witnessed the historic qualifying match of the 1980 Olympic Games, when the national football team last qualified the Olympic Games. However, due to the boycott against the Soviet Union led by the United States, the country did not participate in the final tournament. The stadium was also the venue for the Merdeka Tournament until 1995. Besides that, the stadium had hosted three out of the five Southeast Asian Games held in Kuala Lumpur. The stadium also hosted the fight between the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and British boxer Joe Bugner in 1975, prior to the Thrilla in Manila.[4] In 1975, the stadium also hosted the Hockey World Cup final between Pakistan and India.
The stadium is currently a national heritage building.[5] In 2008, the Independence Stadium received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Excellence for Heritage Conservation owing to its cultural significance and embodiment of a unique independence declaration event.[6]
^"Pemilik Stadium Merdeka sedia timbang permohonan" [Merdeka Stadium's owner ready to consider application]. Malaysiakini (in Malay). 25 April 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
^"Malaysia stadium restored to glory". Dawn. Pakistan. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
^ ab"Siri Pakejan Maklumat Bangunan Bersejarah: Stadium Merdeka" [Informations on Historical Buildings Package Series: Stadium Merdeka] (PDF). myrepositori.pnm.gov.my (in Malay). National Library of Malaysia. 5 December 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
^Teh Leam Seng, Alan (29 July 2018). "Magic of Muhammad Ali". New Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
^Nizam, Yatim (16 March 2018). "Memulihara khazanah warisan negara" [Conserve the nation's heritage treasure] (PDF). Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 19 August 2021.
^"Restoring Stadium Merdeka – for the Record". Badan Warisan Malaysia. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
13889°N 101.70056°E / 3.13889; 101.70056 The Independence Stadium or MerdekaStadium is a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the site of the...
717 ft). The building's name, Merdeka, which means "independence" in Malay, is inspired by its proximity to StadiumMerdeka. The spire of the building was...
mainly played at Independence Stadium, Kuala Lumpur. The competition bears the Malay word for independence. The Merdeka Tournament was once regarded as...
reinforced concrete. Prior to this stadium, StadiumMerdeka served as the national stadium of Malaysia. The stadium was built on 1 January 1995 to host...
Jalan Davidson), adjacent to historical landmarks such as Stadium Negara, StadiumMerdeka, Merdeka 118 and the future 118 Mall. The station is connected and...
first time at the newly constructed MerdekaStadium. The majority of the finals would be held at the MerdekaStadium until the 1990s. In 1959, the Malaya...
Kuala Lumpur City Centre, next to the Independence Stadium and Merdeka 118 building. The stadium, which has 10,000 permanent seats, is fully air conditioned...
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The 2023 Merdeka Tournament was the 42nd edition of the tournament which was organised by the Football Association of Malaysia. The tournament, which...
of Malayan constitution took effect for the first time. 30 August – StadiumMerdeka was officially opened. 31 August – Malaya achieved its independence...
Selangor Pahang 2–1 StadiumMerdeka 1986 Johor Singapore 1–1 (6–5 pen.) StadiumMerdeka 1987 Selangor Kuala Lumpur 1–0 StadiumMerdeka 1988 Kuala Lumpur...
al-Khaymah) or "Pearl of Stadiums" (درة الملاعب Durrat al-Mala'eb), is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The stadium, which seated 58,398 spectators...
International Quran Recitation Competition every year, since it was moved from StadiumMerdeka in 1985. WTC KL is located in the Jalan Putra ward in the north-western...
different parts of town – the Malays to Stadium Negara, and the Chinese to StadiumMerdeka, Chinwoo Stadium, and Shaw Road School. By Sunday, the number...
first edition not played at MerdekaStadium in Kuala Lumpur which is being refurbished. All matches played at Shah Alam Stadium in Shah Alam, Selangor. Single...
delivered on that date by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in the StadiumMerdeka in Kuala Lumpur. In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful...