Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a multi-sports stadium located in New Delhi, India. It is named after the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Primarily a venue for football and athletics, it is an all-seated 60,254 capacity stadium, designed and constructed to meet the international standards for stadiums set by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is the fourth largest stadium in India, 27th largest stadium in Asia and the 103rd largest stadium in the world, in terms of seating capacity.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was originally constructed by the Government of India to host the athletic events and ceremonies of the 1982 Asian Games. It also hosted the 1989 Asian Championships in Athletics. The stadium was substantially renovated and modernised for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, hosting all the track and field events and opening and closing ceremonies. In 2010, the final cost of the renovation was announced, which was , making it as the most expensive stadium ever built in India and South Asia. The stadium was redesigned by the German architectural companies Gerkan, Marg and Partners and Schlaich Bergermann Partner.
The stadium is a part of the Jawaharlal Nehru sports complex in central Delhi, which also houses the headquarters of the Sports Authority of India. The stadium is used by the India national football team for international competition and Indian Athletics. From 2014 to 2019, it was the home ground of the former Indian Super League football club Delhi Dynamos. The stadium can also hold music concerts with up to 100,000 spectators, and due to its oval shape, it is suitable to host other sporting events such as cricket. The stadium hosted some matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. It was scheduled to be used as one of the venues for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
History
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was constructed by the Government of India to host the 1982 Asian Games. A total of 3,411 athletes from 33 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in these games, competing in 196 events in 21 sports and 23 disciplines. This was the first Asian Games to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia. The stadium hosted the athletic events and opening and closing ceremonies. The capacity of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was 78,000 during the games. The stadium also hosted the 1989 Asian Championships in Athletics.
Renovation
Delhi was selected as the host city of the 2010 Commonwealth Games on 14 November 2003 during the CGF General Assembly in Montego Bay, Jamaica, defeating the competing bid from Hamilton, Canada. In 2006, the Indian government decided to renovate the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the Commonwealth Games.
The Indian government chose the design of the German architectural company Gerkan, Marg and Partners. Renovation of the stadium started in 2007. Nearly 4,000 construction workers worked on the stadium in double shifts. The substantially remodelled and modernised stadium was inaugurated on 27 July 2010. The stadium was given a new roof, improved seating, and other new facilities to meet international standards to allow it to host the athletic events and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The capacity of the stadium was reduced from 78,000 to 60,254. The cost of the renovation was around .
The Teflon-coated roof, designed by the German structural engineering and consulting firm Schlaich Bergermann Partner, was built at a cost of . Taiyo Membrane Corporation supplied and installed the PTFE glass fibre fabric roof. It is one of the largest membrane roof system in the world. 8,500 tonnes of steel were used in the construction of the stadium's roof and its support structure. A new 10-lane synthetic Olympic standard running track and a synthetic grass field were added. A 400-metre warm-up track was also constructed. A 150 metre long tunnel below the ground of the stadium was constructed for the opening and closing ceremonies. In case of emergency, the construction of the stadium allows for all 60,000 spectators to be safely evacuated within 6 minutes. A new Electro-Voice professional audio system by Bosch Communications was set up in the stadium.