Olympic Youth Development Center Zambia

The pilot project for the IOC Olympic Youth Development Centre is located in Lusaka, Zambia, in the area between the old Independence Stadium and the new FIFA / FAZ (Football Association of Zambia) Site. This is located on the northern outskirts of the city of Lusaka, east of the Chingwere Cemetery. The Olympic Youth Development Centre includes outdoor sports fields (football, track and field, basketball / tennis / handball, hockey), an indoor multi-purpose sports venue (which can house handball, volleyball and basketball games, and can be split into 3 smaller areas for practice sessions), a Boxing Hall, and a number of educational support spaces (classrooms, library / internet room), accommodations, administrative offices, and general support spaces such as locker rooms, kitchen, storage rooms, etc. The main buildings are centrally located and arranged around an outdoor plaza, which can function as an extension to the multi-purpose hall as well as the dining area. All buildings (except for the Multi-Purpose and Boxing Halls) are designed as brick volumes placed within a larger steel structure made out of structural steel portal frames. In the case of both the Multi-Purpose and the Boxing Halls, their enclosures are flush with the structure (so that the structure itself defines the enclosed volume). A water tank is located along the main entrance pathway elevated within a steel shell in the shape of an Olympic torch, reinforcing the center’s identity as part of the Olympic community.