Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores

The Estadio Nacional Doroteo Guamuch Flores is a multi-use national stadium in Guatemala City, the largest venue in Guatemala. It was built in 1948, to host the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1950, and was renamed after long-distance runner Doroteo Guamuch Flores, winner of the 1952 Boston Marathon. It has a capacity of 26,000 seats.

Used mostly for football (soccer) matches, the stadium has hosted the majority of the home matches of the Guatemala national football team throughout its history, and is the home of local football club Comunicaciones F.C. The venue is operated by the Confederacion Deportiva Autonoma de Guatemala (CDAG).

One of the worst disasters ever to occur in a sports venue took place at the stadium in 1996, when 83 people were killed because of a human avalanche on the stands.

History

The stadium was built in 1948, as part of the project to build a group of sports facilities known as Ciudad Olimpica, in the Zone 5 of the Guatemalan Capital. Originally named Estadio Olimpico – erroneously, since it has never hosted an olympic competition –, it is primarily constructed of reinforced concrete, which is why sometimes it is colloquially referred to as Coloso de Concreto. It was inaugurated on February 23, 1950, to host the VI Central American and Caribbean Games, at which local runner Doroteo Guamuch won the half marathon event, and on 26 February, the Guatemala national football team played against Colombia, winning the match 2-1, thus inaugurating the football events at the stadium.

After Doroteo Guamuch's triumph in the 1952 Boston Marathon, the Guatemalan government renamed the stadium after the name he was internationally known by, Mateo Flores, in recognition to his local and international achievements.