Stade Tata Raphaël

Stade Tata Raphaël (Father Raphael Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Originally known as Stade Roi Baudouin (King Baudouin Stadium) when it was inaugurated in 1952 and Stade du 20 Mai (20 May Stadium) in 1967, it was used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 80,000 people.[1] The stadium also hosts other events such as the fights of boxer Jean Tshikuna alias "Tshikens" who will be the first Congolese boxer to become a professional evolving in Europe under contract, religious campaigns, concerts, leisure football, political events, awareness campaigns, etc.

Stade Tata Raphaël
Former namesStade Roi Baudouin (1952–1967)
Stade du 20 Mai (1967–1997)
LocationKinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Capacity80,000
SurfaceSynthetic Lawn
Opened1952 (1952)
Tenants
DC Motema Pembe
AS Vita Club

History

The stadium's most famous event was The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman for the Undisputed WBC/WBA Heavyweight Championship that took place on October 30, 1974. 60,000 people attended the boxing match.[2] In what was ranked as a great upset, Ali knocked out the previously undefeated Foreman in eight rounds. The associated music festival, Zaire 74, that took place at the stadium six weeks prior to the boxing match, included stars James Brown and B.B. King.

Following the downfall of President Mobutu Sese Seko's regime in 1997, the stadium was renamed Stade Tata Raphaël after Raphaël de la Kethulle de Ryhove, initiator of the stadium in 1952.

The stadium was the setting for a documentary film about Congolese women's boxing, Victoire Terminus (2008).[3]

  • Barbara Kingsolver's novel, The Poisonwood Bible (1998), includes a passage describing the Rumble in the Jungle taking place at the Stade du 20 Mai (20 May Stadium) while political prisoners are locked up downstairs.

References
  1. "Football stadiums of the world – Stadium List Africa | Football stadiums of the world". www.fussballtempel.net (in German). Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  2. "The 20 biggest-ever boxing attendances in history – where does Joshua vs Klitschko rank?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  3. "Victoire Terminus". Variety. 9 February 2008. Archived from the original (review) on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 15 March 2012.


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