Lighting up Egyptian stadiums

Five stadiums in Egypt have turned to Signify to provide the lighting for the Africa Cup of Nations 2019, the biennial international men’s football championship of Africa, held from 21 June–19 July 2019.

Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) was selected to replace the old, conventional luminaires in the Cairo International, Alex, Suez, Ismailia and Salam stadiums with new luminaires. Its lighting meets the stringent broadcast standards for flicker-free Ultra-HD 4K television.

In total, 960 Philips ArenaVision luminaires were installed, ranging from 1200 to 2500 lux, meeting the standards of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). Signify completed the project in less than three months, working on the five stadiums from March until June together with one of its Egyptian partners and the governmental contractor under the supervision and cooperation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Kees Klein Hesselink, International Key Account Manager Arena Solutions at Signify, said: “Through these installations, fans and television viewers around Africa and the whole world will enjoy their favorite game while soccer players on the field will get optimal visibility.”

“Our goal was to innovate and develop the stadium’s lighting to meet the broadcasting standards and renovating the entrance of Cairo Stadium with the latest LED façade lighting technology as well,” said Mohamed Abo El Azayem, Market Leader North East Africa at Signify. “Our successful partnership with Cairo stadium dates from 1991, and we installed the first ArenaVision LED lighting system for part of the stadium in 2016, which was the first ever in Africa.”

The company has previously given the Cairo Opera House a lighting makeover, preceded by a similar lighting initiative with Egypt’s renowned Baron Palace in Heliopolis, The Egyptian Museum and also the Manial palace this year. Thanks to these projects, both the Cairo Opera House and historic palaces have been able to reduce electricity consumption by 80%.

Image courtesy of Signify.