Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero

The Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero is a football stadium, also used for athletics, concerts, and rugby sevens, in Santiago de Cali, Colombia which is named to honor the poet Pascual Guerrero. The stadium and the sports complex that surrounds it were, from the 1950s to the 1970s, one of the finest and most modern sports complexes in Latin America, and led to references of Cali as the "Sports Capital of America".

Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero

Pascual Guerrero
The stadium during a football game in 2011
Location	Cali, Colombia
Capacity	35,405 [1]
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	July 20, 1937
Renovated	2010–11
Tenants
América de Cali Atlético F.C. Boca Juniors de Cali

The "Pascual", as Cali's inhabitants usually call the stadium, replaced the now defunct Estadio Galilea which was located in the Versailles neighbourhood, where the first national athletics competition was held in 1928. The Pascual is still an important venue for domestic and international sporting events.

With renovations made for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia and additional suits and sky boxes the stadium's capacity was reduced to 35,000 people. It is currently the home of América de Cali, Atlético and Boca Juniors, and was the home of Deportivo Cali until 2015 when they moved into their new stadium on a permanent basis.

History

In the year 1935, the poet Pascual Guerrero asked the department to build a stadium on the grounds that the offering. On 20 July 1937, construction was completed, and the facility opened with the name "Estadio Departamental". President Alfonso López Pumarejo was present when the stadium was inaugurated with a quadrangular tournament between the countries of Argentina, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia. The opening of the stadium coincided with celebrations to mark the fourth centenary of the founding of Cali. Subsequently, on November 4, 1957, the government of the Valle del Cauca ceded to the Universidad del Valle the lands that comprise the entire sports complex, a gift ratified by the Ministry of Government.

In 1948 the first game of professional football was played at the stadium, and in 1954 the stadium was home to the National Sports Games VII. It was remodeled and expanded, with Olympic swimming pools built, and consequently renamed "Sports Complex San Fernando".

With the appointment of Cali to the realisation of the VI Pan American Games, in 1967 the stadium was restructured and adapted to Olympic standards of the time, that's why he built a track of 8 lanes developed in Tartan Synthetic, Pit and spaces testing for shot put and hammer, long jump and pole vault. The capacity was expanded to accommodate 45,000 spectators, and also added was conditioned lights and an electronic bulletin board. With reform, the Sports Unit of San Fernando was built for the 1954 National Games, it becomes part of the Pan American Sports Unit that would host in 1971 the VI Pan American Games.

On the occasion of the 1995 Pacific Ocean Games some physical renovations were approved, including its Synthetic Tartan track, which was replaced in its entirety according to the requirements for competitions to be held in the year 1995.

Due to the deterioration of the north grandstand of the stadium it was closed for several years until in 1999 began its remodeling. In 2000 further renovations were approved at its facilities where it takes special emphasis on the study of structural, locational problems are corrected as well as space for the sporting community and the grass and drainage of the field is completely replaced, all this to host games of the Copa America to be held next year.

Cali's Pascual Guerrero Stadium before 2011's renovation

In 2005, due to the organization for version 43 of the South American Championships in Athletics, the synthetic track is repaired in several sections, this time using a material approved by the International Athletics Federation IAAF named Sport Flex. This confirms the track federation and accepted as official new brands that are presented.

Since October 2006, on the occasion of hosting again the National Games of 2008, began work on tracks, fields, pools and arenas.

In 2009 it designed an expensive remodeling of the World Cup U-20, 2011 to be held in Colombia. The study said there was seats built throughout the stadium, improved dressing rooms, boxes built in the eastern grandstand, VIP areas in western line by a big screen or an electronic board and also some underground parking in the south grandstand. On December 10 of the same year the works were officially inaugurated with the presence of the mayor and the president of Coldeportes. The works started in the south grandstand and lasted 16 months. The stadium capacity was increased to 45,312-seated stadium spectators.

The remodeling work finished in time for the 2011 U-20 World Cup and it consisted of a series of Calatrava trusses supporting a membrane or fabric structure. The design of the fabric was performed by Arq. Roberto Muñoz, now with Dunn Mexico, and the design of the structural steel Calatrava trusses was performed by structural engineer Marco Cano with Fractal Structural Engineering.

Events

Sports

In stage Matches are played regularly Hervey, Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores, which until 2009 was home to teams in the region Deportivo Cali and América.

The stadium has hosted the VI Pan American Games and the National Games on several occasions, the Games of the Pacific Ocean and home to Cali 1995 South American Championships in Athletics 2005.

During the Copa America 2001 it was the headquarters of the group B. A total of six games were played between the national teams of Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Mexico. These matches were held between July 11 and July 17 of 2001.

The stadium is also the training site and home for Liga Vallecaucana School and Intercollegiate Games.

Cultural Music

The more traditional music event that takes place in the stadium is the Super Concert, in which different bands and invited singers perform at the annual celebration named Feria de Cali, which is held between the 25th to the 30th of December. During the eighties, there was a big concert named "Festival de Orquestas" of La Feria de Cali, which for a whole day had different orchestras playing for about 12 hours.

Also, the stadium is the main stage of national and international artists. Juanes, Maná, Shakira, Soda Estereo, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, David Gilmour and Roger Daltrey are some of the artists that have performed at the stadium. Vicente Fernandez is scheduled to perform at the stadium during his Mi Despedida World Tour.

Various Christian events have also been held at the venue, including a two-day 'Miracle Crusade' with Nigerian Pastor T.B. Joshua in 2014.[2]

Facilities

The stadium is divided into seven stands for sporting events (in order from lowest to highest ct):

• South Grandstand: For the same price as the northern platform, is the most economical. In the gallery are usually locate bars Baron Rojo Sur Team America and Frente Radical Verde Deportivo Cali team. These fans are known for being the "hooligans" from their respective teams and their violent history can not be on the same platform as the city teams play each other. Usually the fans of the team official visitor gallery is located in the north. The location and subsequent departure of the fans is controlled by the National Police.
• North Grandstand: In this forum, which is geographically located to the west, lies the electronic board, which after many years of being out of service, is making its reconstruction.
• Lower East Grandstand: On the first two floors of the east side of the stadium is the most popular platform from which there is a complete panorama of the stadium.
• Upper East Grandstand: The second of the two floors of the east side, offers a prime view of the stadium by not having to be interrupted by the safety net on the first floor.
• Tribuna 1st Floor West: On this side of the stadium the locker rooms are located, the area of arbitrators and the benches of both teams.
• Tribuna 3rd Floor West: In this area are booths and sports media transmission.
• West 2nd Floor Grandstand: It is the only forum in the stadium with numbered seats and therefore is reserved for members of the teams.

Location and Access Routes

The stadium is located in the San Fernando traditional neighborhood in central-south of the city, between the traditional Fifth Street (Calle 5a) and Roosevelt Avenue (Calle 6a). Next to the stage of the Evangelista Mora gym arena, the Alberto Galindo Olympic Pools and form the so-called San Fernando Sports Unit also known as Pan American Sports Unit.

Access from the South or North of the city is Fifth Street, which passes a backbone of Mass Transit System MIO and has a station right in front of Parque de las Banderas. From the south you can get to the stadium along the Avenue of the Hippodrome (Better known as Ninth Street), going through the intersection of the Diagonal 34 to Roosevelt Avenue, which restricts access of vehicles during the course of the event.

Near the south stand is the "Booth Maria" ballots authorized outlets. The stadium has no parking, but often used is the street and surrounding streets to park cars, with no particular formal surveillance.

References

1. http://es.fifa.com/mm/document/footballdevelopment/technicalsupport/01/52/19/97/fu20wcreportv2.pdf
2. Ejiofor, Clement (2014-07-18). "TB Joshua Gathers 100,000 In Colombia". Naij (Nigeria).