Stadium financed by China to open in Cape Verde on 23 August

The National Stadium of Cabo Verde will be inaugurated this coming 23 August with a football game played by the Barlavento and Sotavento women’s teams, the sports complex’s manager Inácio Carvalho announced on Wednesday in Praia.
The programme includes parades featuring tabanka (Cape Verdean traditional dance), sports initiation schools, athletes and artists, along with lion dancing, karate, aikido, boxing, taekwondo, judo, Creole wrestling, capoeira, personal defence, Chinese martial arts and athletic contests.
“The inauguration of the National Stadium of Cape Verde marks the realisation of a dream long cherished by the sports community,” said Carvalho, formerly the island country’s director-general of sports, calling attention to the complex’s many and diverse facilities.
Plans call for the National Stadium to host various activities before the year ends. Highlights include three matches by the national football team to qualify for the African Cup of Nations (CAN 2015).
Chinese Ambassador Su Jian symbolically delivered the stadium’s key to the Cape Verdean government in November 2013.
The National Stadium occupies an area of 11,530 square metres on the outskirts of the capital Praia and has 15,000 seats (5,000 covered) and synthetic turf authorised by FIFA. China financed the overall cost of US$50 million.  MDT/Macauhub