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Rizal Memorial Sports Complex

Rizal Memorial Sports Complex
The sports complex with the De La Salle University campus in the foreground.
Former namesRizal Memorial Field
LocationManila, Philippines
Coordinates14°33′50″N 120°59′26″E / 14.563810°N 120.990623°E / 14.563810; 120.990623
Main venueRizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium
Capacity: 12,873
Other sports facilities
Public transitMetro interchange Vito Cruz
Bus interchange  5 

 6   7   14   17   23   24   25   27   34   38   40   42   48   49   52 

 53  P. Ocampo
OwnerCity Government of Manila
OperatorPhilippine Sports Commission
Construction
Built1927
Opened1934
Renovated2019
Tenants
Philippine Sports Commission
National Historical Landmarks
Official nameRizal Memorial Sports Complex
TypeSports complex
DesignatedMarch 27, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-03-27)
Reference no.No. 5, s. 2017

The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC; formerly known as Rizal Memorial Field[1]) is a national sports complex of the Philippines, located on Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.), Malate, Manila. It is named in honor of the country's national hero, José Rizal (1861–1896). The complex is currently managed by the Philippine Sports Commission, while the property is owned by the Manila City government.[2][3] The complex also houses the administrative office of the PSC, and quarters for the Philippines' national athletes.

History

Aerial view of Rizal Memorial Field in 1931

Standing on the site of the former Manila Carnival Grounds,[4] the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (then known as Rizal Memorial Field[1]) was constructed in 1927 and was inaugurated in time for the 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games.[4][5] The land was donated by the Vito Cruz family and the initial sports facilities - the track and football stadium, the baseball stadium, the tennis stadium (later renovated into an indoor arena) and the swimming stadium - were designed by architect Juan Arellano in the Art Deco style.[4][5] It was planned and built by then-Public Works secretary, Antonio de las Alas.[1] Construction for a multi-purpose arena was begun in the 1960s.[citation needed]

During the Philippine Commonwealth era, the sports complex was used as a civic area and was the site where Manuel L. Quezon was named one of the presidential candidates in the 1935 elections.[4][5] It was destroyed during the Battle of Manila of World War II, and reconstructed in 1953[4] (although the baseball stadium reopened in January 1946 after the floodlights was repaired.[6]) for use in the 1954 Asian Games.[4][5]

Baseball legends Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth once hit their first and second home runs ever, respectively, in the exhibition game held at the newly built Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium on December 2, 1934.[7]

The Beatles held their infamous, two sold-out concerts in the Philippines on July 4, 1966, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. The combined attendance was 80,000, with the evening concert registering 50,000 paying audience and became the Beatles' second largest concert ever.[8]

On November 22, 2016, then-Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada announced that the city government is making a partnership with businessman Enrique Razon to convert the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex into a commercial center which will include a mall and cinemas.[9] The group of Razon had expressed interest for the proposed urban redevelopment and modernization of the RMSC. The plan was to build-up contemporary buildings and commercial structures with modern smart technologies and amenities, as well as more greener open spaces within the property. A sports museum would also be construct here, while the facade of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum would be retained.[10] The PSC had reportedly planned to be transferred the facilities in the proposed Philippine Sports City (now named New Clark City Sports Hub) located in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac.[11] The move was criticized by various heritage groups and athletes, even including de las Alas' surviving daughters[1] with an online petition posted on Change.org was initiated to save the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex amid several reports on the planned redevelopment.[4][12] Estrada defended the redevelopment of the RMSC, said that no one uses the complex anymore and it became old, and antiquated.[4]

In April 2017, the sports complex was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines, ensuring the site's preservation due to the National Cultural Heritage Act.[13]

Because of the declaration, the Razon group later dropped its bid to redevelop the complex[4] and the Philippine Sports Commission halted its negotiations with the Manila City government on the planned sale of RMSC, instead it will be focused on rehabilitating the sports complex.[4][14] On August 7, 2019, both the PSC and the Manila City government (under the succeeding administration of Mayor Isko Moreno) agreed to not selling the complex.[15]

On June 27, 2019, PSC announced that the complex will be undergo renovation for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games,[16] after PAGCOR donated ₱842.5 million pesos to the PSC for the renovation of the complex in April 2019.[17] Renovation work began on July 8, 2019[18] Unlike the previous renovations which were minor,[17] the complex will have its major makeover for the first time since the rebuilding of the complex in 1953, with the coliseum restoring to its original look, and the addition of new installments to fit with international standards.[17][19] The renovation of the facilities inside the complex will not only used for the SEA Games, it will also used to host both future local and international tournaments from various sports and it can become home again of the UAAP, NCAA, and the PBA.[20] Proceeds from rentals would be used by the PSC to address the needs of the Filipino athletes.[20]

The complex was converted to a quarantine facility during the coronavirus pandemic. It housed patients from the Philippine General Hospital who have mild symptoms.[21]

Notable events

Facilities

Sports venues

Venue Purpose Seating capacity Year built Notes
Gymnastics Hall Gymnastics venue – –
Weightlifting Gym Weightlifting venue – –
Ninoy Aquino Stadium
(PSC Multipurpose Gym)		 Multi-use 6,000 – Formerly an open-air stadium which was converted to an indoor arena.
Philippine Taekwondo Association Dojang Taekwondo venue – –
PSC Badminton Hall Badminton venue – –
PSC Bowling Center Bowling venue – –
Rizal Memorial Swimming Pool Aquatic sports venue – 1934
Rizal Memorial Coliseum Multi-use 6,100 1934 Formerly the Rizal Memorial Tennis Stadium which was converted to an indoor arena.
Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium Baseball venue 10,000 1934
Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium Multi-use, primarily athletics and football 12,873 1934
Rizal Memorial Tennis Center Tennis venue – –
Rizal Memorial Squash Court[22] Squash venue – under construction Situated between the Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Set to hosts the only jumbo doubles squash courts in the Philippines.[23] Construction delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]

Other

Facility Purpose Year Built Notes
PSC Administration Building Office
Philippine Center for Sports Medicine Office
Philippine Taekwondo Association Main Office Office
National Athletes and Coaches Lounge
Athlete's Dormitory Residence Under-construction [25]

Former

Venue Purpose Year built Notes
PSC-ABAP Boxing Gym Boxing venue – Demolished by 2024 for the Athletes' Dormitory[25]
Pencak Silat Gym Pencak silat –
  • PSC-ABAP Boxing Gym
    PSC-ABAP Boxing Gym
  • Rizal Memorial Swimming Pool
    Rizal Memorial Swimming Pool
  • Pencak Silat Gym
    Pencak Silat Gym
  • Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium
    Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium
  • Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium
    Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium
  • National Athletes and Coaches Lounge
    National Athletes and Coaches Lounge
  • Rizal Memorial Tennis Center
    Rizal Memorial Tennis Center

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sembrano, Edgar Allan M. (February 27, 2017). "Rizal Memorial builder's kin cry foul over Erap demolition plan". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Talavera, Catherine (December 6, 2016). "Biz group backs Rizal Memorial Complex redevelopment". The Manila Times. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  3. ^ Galvez, Waylon (February 13, 2017). "Jawo, Mon agree: Preserve RMSC". Tempo. Retrieved February 13, 2017. ...Department of Justice has already ruled that Manila owns the area [RMSC].
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Guzman, Nicai (March 19, 2018). "How Heritage Groups and Athletes Fought to Keep the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Alive". Esquire Philippines. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Villalon, Augusto (March 13, 2017). "Take that, Erap: Monsour, Olympians oppose Rizal Memorial demolition". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "Night Baseball in the Philippines". Ellensburg Daily Record. December 26, 1945. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  7. ^ "About the Philippines". NSWJBL Touring Team Programme. NSW Junior Baseball League. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  8. ^ "A Hard Day's Night in Manila". BeatlesNumber9.com. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Clapano, Jose Rodel (November 23, 2016). "Manila to turn Rizal coliseum into mall". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  10. ^ dela Paz, Charisse (December 6, 2016). "Razon group plans to renovate Rizal Memorial Coliseum, add malls". Rappler. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  11. ^ Gonzales, Iris; Macairan, Evelyn (December 7, 2016). "Razon revives offer to redevelop Rizal sports complex". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Online petition seeks to save Rizal Memorial Sports Complex". ABS-CBN News. December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  13. ^ Sembrano, Edgar Allan (April 24, 2017). "Rizal Memorial declared historical landmark, important cultural property". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "PSC halts sale of Rizal Memorial Sports Complex". Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  15. ^ Terrado, Reuben (August 7, 2019). "Manila not selling Rizal Sports Complex under mayor Isko Moreno". Sports Interactive Network. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Go, Beatrice (June 27, 2019). "2019 SEA Games: Rizal Memorial, Philsports to finish renovations in October". Rappler. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Sampayan, Jac (September 12, 2019). "Will it beat the SEAG deadline? Inside the Rizal Memorial makeover". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Terrado, Reuben (July 8, 2019). "Decades-old Rizal Memorial Coliseum gets long-overdue renovation". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  19. ^ "Venues to serve Philippine sports beyond 30th Southeast Asian Games". Spin.ph. September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Navarro, June (October 20, 2019). "Rizal, PhilSports won't be white elephants". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  21. ^ "Rizal Memorial to be operational as quarantine facility by Monday". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  22. ^ Henson, Joaquin (October 31, 2019). "Squash down to five events". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  23. ^ Henson, Joaquin (October 3, 2019). "Squash events in peril for SEA Games". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Squash: After making gains at SEA Games, nat'l team sees virus kill its momentum". ABS-CBN News. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Terrado, Reuben (September 13, 2024). "Seven-storey athletes' dorm set to rise inside Rizal Memorial". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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