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Wukesong Arena

Coordinates: 39°54′36″N 116°16′29″E / 39.9099889°N 116.274664°E / 39.9099889; 116.274664
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(Redirected from LeSports Center)
"MasterCard Center" redirects here. For the indoor arena in Toronto, see Ford Performance Centre.

Wukesong Arena (Cadillac Arena)
五棵松体育馆（凯迪拉克中心）
Exterior of arena (2021)
Map
Former namesWukesong Culture & Sports Center (2008–2011)
MasterCard Center (2011–2015)
LeSports Center (2016–2017)
Huaxi Live (2017)
Cadillac Arena (2017–present)
Address69 Fuxing Road
LocationHaidian District, Beijing, China
Coordinates39°54′36″N 116°16′29″E / 39.9099889°N 116.274664°E / 39.9099889; 116.274664
Public transitBeijing Subway Wukesong  1 
OwnerBloomage International Investment Group
OperatorAEG
Capacity19,000
9,000 (ice hockey)
Construction
Broke ground29 March 2005 (2005-03-29)
Opened11 January 2008 (2008-01-11)
Renovated2009
ClosedOctober 2008 – November 2009
ArchitectGu Yonghui
Tenants
Beijing Ducks (CBA) (2010–present)
HC Kunlun Red Star (KHL) (2016–present)
Beijing Lions (CAFL) (2016)
Website
Venue Website

The Wukesong Arena (simplified Chinese: 五棵松体育馆; traditional Chinese: 五棵松體育館; pinyin: Wǔkēsōng Tǐyùguǎn), also known as the Cadillac Arena (simplified Chinese: 凯迪拉克中心; traditional Chinese: 凱迪拉克中心; pinyin: Kǎidílākè Zhōngxīn) for sponsorship purposes, is a multipurpose indoor arena in Beijing. It was originally built for the 2008 Summer Olympics basketball preliminaries and finals. Ground was broken on 29 March 2005 and construction was completed on 11 January 2008.

The stadium has a capacity of 19,000 and covers an area of 63,000 square metres. It includes a modern, flexible ice hockey rink designed and produced by Finnish rink manufacturer Vepe Oy in November 2016.

In 2022, the arena hosted some of the ice hockey matches as part of the 2022 Winter Olympics.[1]

History

[edit]
The arena in February 2007
The arena during the 2008 Summer Olympics
Exterior of arena (c. 2008)

The stadium was constructed by "Beijing Wukesong Cultural & Sports Co. Ltd." whose five shareholders are Zhongguancun CENCONS Group, Haidian State-owned Assets Investment Co. Ltd, Beijing Urban Construction Group Co. Ltd, Beijing Urban Construction Co. Ltd and the Tianhong Group. After the Olympic Games, the center became an important part of Beijing's Olympic Games heritage, allowing citizens to enjoy cultural, sports, leisure, recreational, and commercial activities. It was a large-scale comprehensive project, rare in Beijing in integrating cultural, sporting, and commercial purposes with large-scale gardens and green spaces.

On 6 January 2011 MasterCard Worldwide, the rival of Olympic sponsor Visa, announced the acquisition of the naming rights to the center. It was renamed MasterCard Center effective from 21 January 2011. Nearly five years later, on 16 December 2015, LeTV Sports announced that it has obtained naming rights for the arena. It was officially renamed as LeSports Center on 1 January 2016. Beyond that, LeSports promised to provide a package of intellectual services inside and outside the arena.[2] After the closing of LeTV Sports, the arena was briefly named Huaxi Live.[3] Since September 2017, the Cadillac division of General Motors has owned naming rights for the arena.[4]

On 14 December 2015 the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) announced that its Beijing expansion team would play in the arena. On 5 September 2016, Kunlun Red Star defenseman Anssi Salmela scored the first goal in the arena's first hockey game and the first home goal for Kunlun in KHL. Red Star won the game 6–3.

The inside of the arena
Stephon Marbury shooting a free throw.

In 2017, 18,000 people attended the Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Game at the LeSports Centre.[citation needed]

Sporting events

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Entertainment

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The Wukesong Arena is the biggest entertainment venue in Beijing, with many international, regional and local artists having staged their performance at the venue that spans a wide range of musical genres. International artists are highlighted using light blue in the table while non-concert entertainment events are also included.

A list of entertainment events held at Wukesong Arena
Year Date Nationalities Artists Tours
2008 6 October Canada Avril Lavigne The Best Damn World Tour
1 November United States Kanye West Glow in the Dark Tour
2009 23 October United States Beyoncé I Am... World Tour
2010 23 January South Korea Super Junior 2nd Asia Tour – "Super Show 2"[7]
14 March United States Backstreet Boys This Is Us Tour
11 July United States Usher OMG Tour
2011
2 January Taiwan (ROC) Fei Yu-ching 2011费玉清北京演唱会
21 January Hong Kong Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century Tour
12 March United States Eagles Long Road Out of Eden Tour
26 March South Korea Rain 2011 Rain Asia Tour
7 May — The Girls Collection
13 May Glorious Days – Pantheon Rock "n" Roll World Tour Concert
21 May China (PRC) Dao Lang de Show Beel Live in Concert 2011
27 May Hong Kong Aaron Kwok 郭富城武林正传世界巡回演唱会
28 May
3 June Taiwan (ROC) Chyi Yu
Michelle Pan
Tiger Huang
One-Fang 		Power Woman
18 June Taiwan (ROC) Wakin Chau
Jeff Chang
Chyi Chin
Chao Chuan
Dave Wang
Angus Tung 		老友记六人行2011北京大型演唱会
16 July Taiwan (ROC) Elva Hsiao E!VA萧亚轩WOW世界巡回演唱会-北京站
25 September Ireland Westlife Gravity Tour
2012 14 February Canada Avril Lavigne Black Star Tour
22 February Ireland Westlife Greatest Hits Tour
12 March Sweden Roxette Charm School World Tour
6 April Canada Sum 41 Screaming Bloody Murder Tour
7 July South Korea Shinhwa Grand Tour: The Return[8]
8 August South Korea Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour
25 November United Kingdom Elton John 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man Tour
2013 24 March Canada Simple Plan Get Your Hearts on Tour
4 May South Korea G-Dragon One of a Kind World Tour
5 May
13 April — The 1st V Chart Awards
25 May United States Backstreet Boys In a World Like This Tour
28 June United Kingdom Sarah Brightman Dreamchaser World Tour
20 July South Korea Shinhwa Grand Tour: The Classic[9][10]
9 August — Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour
10 August
11 August
22 August United Kingdom Pet Shop Boys Electric Tour
29 September Canada Justin Bieber Believe Tour
1 October United States The Killers Battle Born World Tour
2014 4 February United Kingdom James Blunt Moon Landing Tour
2 March Canada Avril Lavigne The Avril Lavigne Tour
5 April United States Bruno Mars Moonshine Jungle Tour
19 April South Korea 2NE1 All or Nothing World Tour
16 May Hong Kong G.E.M. G.E.M. X.X.X. LIVE 世界巡回演唱会北京站
17 May
30 May China (PRC) Wanting Qu 2014曲婉婷say the words 我为你歌唱 中国巡回演唱会
31 May
18 July Taiwan (ROC) Jeff Chang "华素 还爱光年" 世界巡回演唱会
2 August Taiwan (ROC) S.H.E 2GETHER 4EVER 世界巡回演唱会
3 August Taiwan (ROC) Mayday Just Love It 拥抱演唱会
6 September China (PRC) Hua Chenyu 华晨宇火星演唱会
7 September
13 September Singapore Yida Huang 黄义达十周年纪念演唱会
20 September China (PRC)
South Korea 		Exo Exo from Exoplanet #1 – The Lost Planet
21 September
25 October China (PRC) Yang Kun 杨坤"今夜20岁"北京演唱会
22 November South Korea Super Junior Super Show 6
2015 14 January — Golden Disk Awards
15 January
1 April United States Pitbull 2015 World Tour
18 April United States Backstreet Boys In a World Like This Tour
9 May Singapore JJ Lin Timeline：Genesis World Tour
6 June South Korea Big Bang Made World Tour
7 June
13 June China (PRC) Bibi Zhou BOOM!
18 July China (PRC)
South Korea 		Exo Exo Planet #2 – The Exo'luxion
19 July
19 September United Kingdom Muse[11] Drones World Tour
2016 10 April — The 4th V Chart Awards
24 April United Kingdom Iron Maiden[12] The Book of Souls World Tour
2 July China (PRC) Hua Chenyu Mars Concert Season 3
3 July
8 July Taiwan (ROC) Jay Chou The Invisible Show Tour
9 July
10 July
16 July South Korea Big Bang Made V.I.P Tour
17 July
24 September Hong Kong Wallace Chung Sing For Live
6 October United States Kesha Kesha and the Creepies: Fuck the World Tour
21 October Hong Kong Jacky Cheung A Classic Tour
22 October
23 October
2017 18 January United States Metallica WorldWired Tour
17 June China (PRC) Joker Xue 薛之谦"我好像在哪见过你"巡回演唱会
26 August United States Ariana Grande Dangerous Woman Tour
2018 7 May United States Fall Out Boy Mania Tour
19 May Singapore JJ Lin Sanctuary World Tour
20 May
6 September United Kingdom Jessie J R.O.S.E Tour
2019 23 February China (PRC) Rocket Girls 101 2019火箭少女101北京飞行演唱会-Light
10 August Taiwan (ROC) Fei Yu-ching 费玉清2019告别演唱会
13 August Ireland Westlife The Twenty Tour
2023 23 September Ireland Westlife The Wild Dreams Tour
24 September
2024 5 April Hong Kong Jacky Cheung The Jacky Cheung 60+ Concert Tour
6 April
7 April
12 April
13 April
14 April
19 April
20 April
21 April

Baseball field

[edit]
The baseball field during the MLB China Series in 2008.

The Wukesong Baseball Field (simplified Chinese: 五棵松棒球场; traditional Chinese: 五棵松棒球場; pinyin: Wǔkēsōng Bàngqiúchǎng) was a baseball stadium located next to the Wukesong Indoor Stadium at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Centre in Beijing, China. It was one of the nine temporary venues at the 2008 Summer Olympics, hosting baseball events.

The baseball field had a total land surface of 12,000 square metres and a capacity of 15,000. It included two competition fields and one training field.

In March 2008, the stadium hosted two games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres called the MLB China Series, marking the first time Major League Baseball teams played in China.

In what were to be the final Olympic Baseball matches in the foreseeable future, as the International Olympic Committee voted out the baseball event for the upcoming 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in favor of golf and rugby sevens,[13] Team USA clinched the bronze medal, while South Korea beat Cuba to claim the gold medal.[14] After the Olympic games ended, the facilities were demolished as planned, for a shopping mall called Bloomage LIVE · HI-UP.[15][16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lloyd, Owen (16 November 2021). "Wukesong Arena to showcase the "best ice" at Beijing 2022, American ice-maker claims". Insidethegames.biz. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. ^ "LeTV Sports to Name Beijing Wukesong Arena". CRIENGLISH.com. 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  3. ^ Liu, Charles (18 July 2017). "Wukesong Arena Newly Renamed as "Huaxi Live" as LeTV's Financial Woes Continue". The Beijinger. True Run Media. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Cadillac Named Title Sponsor of Wukesong Arena in Beijing". 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "NBA.com: NBA Global Games 2013: History of NBA Global Games". NBA.com. NBA. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Age of Dragons". 30 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  7. ^ Kang, Seung-hun (26 January 2010). "Super Junior wraps up concert in Beijing". Asiae. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  8. ^ "2012 Shinhwa Grand Tour: The Return 신화 아시아 투어 콘서트 일정" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Shinhwa Company. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-13 (in Korean)
  9. ^ 神话备战北京演唱会 娱乐综艺"让道". Sina (in Chinese). 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  10. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (22 July 2013). "Shinhwa Burns Up the Night in Beijing and Wraps Up Asia Tour". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  11. ^ "Beijing Events – the Beijinger". www.thebeijinger.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Iron Maiden – To Play in China For First Time Ever – Metal Storm". www.metalstorm.net. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Castro blasts Olympics for dropping baseball – Beijing Olympics – NBCNews.com". NBC News. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Photos: ROK glitters on diamond – The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games". En.beijing2008.cn. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011.
  15. ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/maryland/bal-sp.maese22aug22,0,7134288.column [dead link‍]
  16. ^ Demick, Barbara (22 February 2009). "Beijing's Olympic building boom becomes a bust". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
[edit]

Media related to Cadillac Arena at Wikimedia Commons

Events and tenants
Preceded by FIBA World Cup
Final venue
2019 		Succeeded by
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