The Stadium Merdeka is a stadium known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. The stadium is also the site of the proclamation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
The stadium was designed by American architect Stanley Jewkes, under the instruction of the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Upon its completion, the stadium is the largest stadium in the Southeast Asia at the time of completion.
The stadium witnessed the historic qualifying match of the 1980 Olympic Games, when the national football team last qualified the Olympic Games. However, due to the boycott led by the United States, the country did not participate in the final tournament. The stadium was also the venue for the Merdeka Tournament until 1995. Besides that, the stadium had hosted three out of the five Southeast Asian Games held in Kuala Lumpur. The stadium also hosted the fight between the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and British boxer Joe Bugner in 1975. In 1975 also, the stadium hosted the Hockey World Cup final between Pakistan and India.
In February 2003, Stadium Merdeka was named a national heritage building. In 2008, the Stadium Merdeka received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Excellence for Heritage Conservation owing to its cultural significance and embodiment of a unique independence declaration event.
In 2007, the stadium underwent massive renovations to restore its 1957 look. With that, the 45,000-capacity stadium was reduced to 20,000, which meant that several of the upper terrace blocks built over the years were demolished. Besides that, the entire stadium was to be decorated as the state it was when Tunku proclaimed independence, which included the word “Merdeka” written in the stadium and the original seating arrangements of the Malay Rulers, the Queen’s representatives and officers. The paintworks, main pavilion, two VIP rooms and the changing rooms were to be restored to its original state as well.
