Islamabad
\nThe PCB is planning to change the name of Lahore\u2019s historic Gaddafi Stadium, which was named after former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi over 50 years ago. However, the explanation for the move is not political.
\nAccording 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.
\nWhile there have been various attempts in the past to change the stadium\u2019s name, they were always motivated by political considerations. For example, in February 2013 \u2014 not long after Gaddafi\u2019s demise \u2014 the Punjab Olympic Association petitioned the provincial chief minister to rename the stadium to reflect growing public opposition to the deceased Libyan leader.
\nThis time, however, it\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cWe acquired the services of YouGov to estimate the brand worth of our stadia, and how much sponsorship deals would be worth,\u201d Ramiz said. \u201cThat\u2019s not just true of the Gaddafi Stadium, but also the NSK and others. We\u2019ve 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\u2019s name replacing it,\u201d ESPNcricinfo reported.
\nIf and when the name change occurs, it will also signal the end of one of cricket\u2019s 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\u2019s right to seek nuclear weapons. It prompted Pakistan\u2019s then-prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to name the country\u2019s top cricket stadium after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
\nThe 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\u2019s political milieu in the 1970s than an endorsement of any particular foreign policy.
\nWhen Gaddafi was deposed, there were strong suggestions Pakistan cricket might look to distance its most famous stadium from him, but that movement gradually dissipated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad The PCB is planning to change the name of Lahore\u2019s historic Gaddafi Stadium, which was named after former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi over 50 years ago. However, the explanation for the move is not political. According to ESPNcricinfo, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said the board was in the advanced stages of talks with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4992,248,866,4993],"class_list":{"0":"post-249637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-gaddafi-stadium","9":"tag-lahore","10":"tag-pcb","11":"tag-rename"},"yoast_head":"\n