Rajamangala National Stadium

The biggest stadium in Thailand and the main stadium inside the Hua Mahk Sports Complex on Ramkhamhaeng Road in Bangkok's Bangkapi district which is owned and administered by the Sports Authority of Thailand. It was built to celebrate the 5th Birthday Cycle, i.e. the 60th Anniversary, of King Bhumipon Adunyadet on 5 December 1987, as well as to mark the Longest Reign Celebrations for his Majesty's 42 years and 23 days on the Throne in July 1988, an event which in Thai is known as Phra Rajaphitthi Ratchamangala Phisek (พระราชพิธีรัชมังคลาภิเษก), from which the name of the stadium is derived and of which the royal jubilee emblem is affixed on the stadium's facade. However, the stadium not officially opened until 1998, the year it hosted the 13th Asian Games (fig.) as its maiden event. The stadium was designed by the Faculty of Architecture of the Chulalongkorn University and has a capacity of 49,722 seats. Besides for sports events, the stadium has also been used for political mass rallies and to host concerts, as well as for movie productions. In addition, it is the home stadium for the current Thailand National Football Team. In Thai, the stadium is known as Rajamangala Kilah Sathaan (ราชมังคลากีฬาสถาน), literally ‘Rajamangala Sports Area’. The name Rajamangala is a compound of raja, meaning ‘royal’, and mangala, which derives from mongkon (มงคล) and means ‘auspicious’. Notice the difference in spelling between Rajamangala (ราชมังคลา), the name for the stadium, and the term Ratchamangala (รัชมังคลา) in the name of the jubilee, the latter being spelled with the mai han ahkaat (ไม้หันอากาศ), i.e. a short vowel ‘a’, rather than with the lahk khaang (ลากข้าง), i.e. the long vowel ‘ah’ or ‘aa’. At the stadium's compound, in front of the National Velodrome (fig.), are several bronze statues of athletes depicting a variety of different sports activities (map - fig.). In the evenings, adjacent to the building of the Sports Authority of Thailand  (map - fig.), there is a daily market on its premises along Ramkhamhaeng Road, which is known as Talaat Go Go Tho (ตลาด ก.ก.ท.), i.e. short for Talaat Nat Kahn Kilah Haeng Prathet Thai (ตลาดนัดการกีฬา​แห่ง​ประเทศไทย), literally ‘Sports Authority of Thailand Market Fair’. See also QUADCOPTER PICTURE, POSTAGE STAMP, MAP, and WATCH VIDEO. 回