Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, the home of Ecuador’s national football team, is set to be demolished later this year to make way for a new sports city-style development.
Located in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, the stadium first opened in 1951 and also houses domestic Serie A clubs El Nacional and Universidad Católica. The Atahualpa has a current capacity of around 35,700 and local media reports said it will be replaced by a new stadium with a capacity of between 50,000 and 60,000.
The El Comercio newspaper said demolition work is expected to commence in seven or eight months, with the new Complejo Urbano Atahualpa project set to cost around $200m (£153.6m/€179.3m) to develop.
Fernando Carrión, advisor to the Mayor of Quito and a member of the Comisión Proestadio, which is working on the project, said: “It is a new proposal. The idea is that it will serve other purposes. That there will be commercial activities, a convention centre, museum, underground road connections and between 8,000 and 10,000 parking spaces.”
A financial plan for the project is being developed to determine outside contributions to that of the Municipality of Quito and the Ecuadorian government. Carrión said: “The private sector will be the main contributor. A financial analysis is going to be done.”
If the project is given the green light, it is envisioned that the capacity of the Atahualpa will be reduced to allow events to be staged while initial work is carried out.
Image: Andes
