KSU Stadium nominated for Stadium of the Year award

RIYADH — Latest sports addition to the King Saud University (KSU) campus in Riyadh is nominated for the Stadium of the Year 2015, the world’s largest competition dedicated to football stadiums. The new KSU football stadium is this year’s only nominee from the Arab world in the Stadium of the Year contest. The selection of the best new stadium will be done by a jury consisting of five famous stadium architects — Chris Dite and Andrew Edge (Arup Associates), César Azcárate (IDOM), Dipesh Patel (Pattern) and José Ribas Folguera (Ribas & Ribas). Stadium of the Year is the only competition in which not only architects have a say but also general public. A second award will be voted on by internet users from around the world. Until February 19 everyone can cast one vote by selecting five best stadiums and giving them stars: 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. So far, over 30,000 people have named their favorites. The announcement of the winners in both the jury vote and public vote will be made on Feb. 22. It’s the sixth edition of the Stadium of the Year competition, sponsored by leading seat manufacturer Forum Seating. Previous winners include Allianz Parque (Brazil), Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium (United Arab Emirates), Ghelamco Arena (Belgium), PGE Arena (Poland) and Aviva Stadium (Ireland). — SG