Estadio Atanasio Girardot, a stadium in the Colombian city of Medellín, is set to undergo extensive redevelopment after a project was presented by Mayor Daniel Quintero.
The City of Medellín owns the stadium, which is part of wider sports complex, and the facility houses Categoría Primera A football clubs Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín. The stadium has a current capacity of around 40,043 following renovations conducted for the city’s staging of the 2010 South American Games and hosting of games at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Quintero said the project is currently in the feasibility study stage, adding that work is expected to take 11 months to complete with a concessionaire sought for a contract lasting between 10 to 20 years. “In August of next year we will have all the technical, financial and legal studies,” Quintero said, according to the Infobae.com website. “Then the bidding will begin and 2022 will be for construction.”
The redevelopment project envisions the addition of a new roof, restaurants, other commercial areas and an underground parking lot, among other improvements. Francisco Maturana, a former player and coach of Nacional and the national team, has been appointed to lead the strategic team behind the project.
He said: “A project of this magnitude motivates all of us around sports to be better. We need to unite around this work and show the sense of belonging that characterises us. In this way, Medellín takes another step to achieve the goal of being recognised as the capital of sports and consolidating itself as one of the most important in the country in this area.”
Estadio Atanasio Girardot is due to be a venue for Colombia’s co-hosting of the 2021 Copa América with Argentina.
Image: Junioraraujo3005/CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size
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