- PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja has confirmed that Gaddafi Stadium will be renamed
- Negotiations with sponsors are underway.
- Winner of the sponsorship will get the right to rename the Stadium
The Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is all set to get a name revamp as confirmed by Ramiz Raja, chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), to ESPNcricinfo. The negotiations are already in the advanced stage with various sponsors and the winner will grab the right to rename the stadium.
Originally named as Lahore Stadium in 1959, the year it was built, it was changed to Gaddafi Stadium in 1974 when Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi visited the country. Speaking at the Organization of the Islamic Conference he spoke in the favour of Pakistan’s right to pursue nuclear weapons. This highly favourable speech made the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, to name the stadium after the leader.
Back then, politics influenced the name, this time however the reasons are far from political and have more to do with the finances. Raja further elaborated his plans regarding the Lahore stadium and other premier stadiums across the country.
“We acquired the services of YouGov to estimate the brand worth of our stadia, and how much sponsorship deals would be worth. That’s not just true of the Gaddafi Stadium, but also the NSK and others. We’ve been working towards this for a while, and the response from sponsors has been satisfactory. Once we finalize a deal [for Lahore], the name Gaddafi will go completely, with a sponsor’s name replacing it.”
In the past several efforts have been done to modify the name, especially, after the Libyan leader was ousted and killed, many raised their voices against the name and demanded that it be changed immediately. However, such voices and efforts soon died out when the authorities failed to pay any heed.
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