Moments prior to the toss between India and England in the 3rd Test at Motera, President Ram Nath Kovind announced that the historic venue has been renamed from Sardar Patel Stadium to Narendra Modi Stadium. The Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest stadium in the world with the capacity to hold 1,10,000 spectators.
However, this is not the first instance where a stadium has been named after a politician rather than a sportsperson. Indian sports history has witnessed a frequent trend in naming a stadium after a political figure and seems like this tradition is not going to fade away anytime soon.
Other Stadiums Named After Political Authorities
Mumbai’s Brabourne and Wankhede Stadiums, Navi Mubai’s D Y Patil Stadium, Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and Chennai’s M A Chidambaram Stadium have all been named after political dignitaries.
Jawaharlal Nehru has nine stadiums named after him, while Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi both have three stadiums with their names.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has new venues named after him and the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi was renamed Arun Jaitley Stadium in 2019.
It was fascinating to note that there have been two cricket stadiums named after hockey players — Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior, and Lucknow’s K D Singh Babu Stadium.
Why Was the Motera Stadium Renamed?
Home Minister Amit Shah during the inauguration of the historic Narendra Modi stadium said the cricket stadium was “Modiji’s dream project”. “We have decided to name it after the country’s Prime Minister. It was Modiji’s dream project,” he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind added: “This stadium was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was president of the Gujarat Cricket Association at that time.”
Naming stadium after political dignitaries is a trend that continues to grow, with Narendra Modi’s Stadium being the latest addition to the list. Ironically, not one stadium that has hosted a first-class or international match is named after a cricketer.
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