Signify lights up Africa Cup of Nations 2019 stadiums

Today is the kick-off of the Africa Cup of Nations 2019, with the opening match being held at Cairo International Stadium. Signify is providing the lighting to this and four other host stadiums.

The Africa Cup of Nations – the biennial international men’s football championship of Africa – is being hosted by Egypt from June 21 to July 19, 2019.

Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) was selected to replace the old, conventional luminaries in the stadiums – Cairo Stadium, Alex Stadium, Suez Stadium, Ismailia Stadium and Salam Stadium – with new luminaires due to its unmatched experience in stadium lighting. Signify’s lighting also meets the stringent broadcast standards for flicker-free Ultra-HD 4K television.

Kees Klein Hesselink, International Key Account Manager Arena Solutions at Signify, said:

We have more than 80 years of experience in lighting sports events and are recognised as the world leader in sports illumination. Through these installations, fans and television viewers around Africa and the whole world will enjoy their favourite game while soccer players on the field will get optimal visibility.

In total, 960 Philips ArenaVision luminaires were installed, ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 lux meeting the standards of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). The main challenge was the timing as the project had to be completed in less than three months.

Signify, market leader in Egypt, worked 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.

Mohamed Abo El Azayem, Market Leader North East Africa at Signify, said:

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.

 

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.

Today, Signify continues to build on its long legacy in the Egyptian market by providing its advanced lighting solutions to reduce energy consumption and light up beautiful iconic landmarks and renowned buildings across Egypt.

In recent years, Signify gave the Cairo Opera House a stunning 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%.

Images, courtesy: Signify

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