Africa Cup of Nations 2019 lit up with new luminaires

Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), was selected as partner to replace the old, conventional luminaires in the stadiums with new luminaires due to its unmatched experience in stadium lighting. Also, Signify’s lighting meets the stringent broadcast standards for flicker-free Ultra-HD 4K television.

“We have more than 80 years of experience in lighting sports events and are recognised as the world leader in sports illumination,” said Kees Klein Hesselink, International Key Account Manager Arena Solutions at Signify. “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 worked on the five stadiums from March till June together with one of its Egyptian partners and the governmental contractor under the supervision and cooperation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

“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,” said Mohamed Abo El Azayem, Market Leader North East Africa at Signify. “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.”