PCB plans to rename Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium

Lahore’s historic Gaddafi Stadium is set to be renamed by the PCB, which named it after former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi more than 50 years ago. Despite this, there is no political explanation for the move.

According to ESPNcricinfo, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said the board was in the advanced stages of talks with a number of sponsors, one of which would earn the opportunity to have the stadium renamed after it.

While there have been various attempts in the past to change the stadium’s name, they were always motivated by political considerations. For example, in February 2013 — not long after Gaddafi’s demise — the Punjab Olympic Association petitioned the provincial chief minister to rename the stadium to reflect growing public opposition to the deceased Libyan leader.

This time, however, it’s all about money. In addition, once sponsors are lined up, the National Stadium in Karachi, as well as other key cricket stadiums across the country, may be renamed as well.

“We acquired the services of YouGov to estimate the brand worth of our stadia, and how much sponsorship deals would be worth,” Ramiz said. “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 finalise a deal [for Lahore], the name Gaddafi will go completely, with a sponsor’s name replacing it,” ESPNcricinfo reported.

If and when the name change occurs, it will also signal the end of one of cricket’s most bizarre venue names. When it was established in 1959, the stadium was initially known as Lahore Stadium. When Gaddafi visited Lahore in 1974, he gave a speech at the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in support of Pakistan’s right to seek nuclear weapons. It prompted Pakistan’s then-prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to name the country’s top cricket stadium after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The name of the stadium has developed over time, moving away from the name of the politician who inspired it, and all links between the stadium and the president have long ago been severed. The name is today seen as more of a snapshot of Pakistan’s political milieu in the 1970s than an endorsement of any particular foreign policy.

When Gaddafi was deposed, there were strong suggestions Pakistan cricket might look to distance its most famous stadium from him, but that movement gradually dissipated.