Putra Indoor Stadium (Malay: Stadium Putra), currently named as Axiata Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Background

The stadium is located in the premise of the National Sports Complex of Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is one of several sports facilities in the National Sports Complex which includes the main stadium, Bukit Jalil National Stadium, National Hockey Stadium, National Squash Centre, National Aquatic Centre and the Seri Putra Hall. The arena has the highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in Malaysia with a maximum capacity of 16,000 seats. The stadium has 3 main doors which lead to a rectangular arena 69 × 25 meters large, which can adapt to different sports formats like boxing, badminton, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, judo, handball, wrestling and gymnastics.

History

On 15 August 2009, former Malaysia's Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi opened the 2009 ASEAN Para Games in Putra Indoor Stadium. Closing ceremonies on 19 August 2009 were also attended by the Youth and Sports Minister of Malaysia. The main venue for the gymnastics competitions during Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth Games, this was also the venue for sport and entertainment events such as World Equestrian Games, Disney on Ice and more. On 31 August 2010, Putra Indoor Stadium hosted the Independence Day Parade. This was in view of the ongoing Ramadhan season. It was also the first time the Independence Day Parade was held indoors. The celebration was attended by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and also cabinet members.

Rebranded as Axiata Arena

On 16 January 2017 Putra Stadium has been rebranded as Axiata Arena in an effort towards building a sporting nation. This is Malaysia's first corporate name stadium in partnership between Axiata Group Berhad and Perbadanan Stadium Malaysia (PSM). Axiata Arena will be the landmark for the redevelopment of Bukit Jalil Sports Complex which will be known as KL Sports City (KLSC). During the COVID-19 vaccination period in Malaysia, Axiata Arena is used as a large-scale vaccination center in Klang Valley to vaccinate the residents of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor area.

Notable events