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Soccer fans celebrate as Hu unveils $56m venue

By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-16 07:33

DAR ES SALAAM: President Hu Jintao and Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete officially unveiled the impressive Tanzania National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, the nation's capital, yesterday.

While Hu lauded it as a "crystallization of China-Tanzania friendship", Kikwete said the new sports facilities would offer a massive boost to his country's soccer and athletics teams.

With 60,000 seats, the all-purpose venue is the largest in east Africa, with the local online Daily News saying it was "a catalyst for sport".

Local soccer fans are especially excited. The venue saw its first match on July 29, 2007, and has gone on to host qualifiers for next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa and the African Cup of Nations in Angola.

"Most of us like football and the new stadium will help develop soccer in Tanzania," musician Henry Justine said.

The Tanzania national team, nicknamed the Taifa Stars, has made it its permanent home after a winning streak there, according to Jia Jianhui, general manager of Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co Ltd, Tanzania Branch, which undertook the $56-million project largely funded by the Chinese government.

The project was the brainchild of ex-Tanzania president Benjamin Mkapa. Daily News quoted him as saying it would be a shame for any country not to have a modern stadium.

Preparations for its construction began in 2004 and Jia said his company ran into a lot of difficulties - including the local port being unable to cope with the large structures that had been prefabricated in China. But he was thankful for help from the Tanzania government and ports in neighboring countries.

The first national stadium in Tanzania was built before the country won independence in 1961. It now looks outdated and is in poor state, according to Daily News. Kikwete yesterday changed its name to Independence Stadium.