A venue so popular it double-booked on Peter Gabriel

Queen Elizabeth Stadium has been a favourite concert venue for local and overseas stars as well as a leading host of international sporting events since it opened in 1980.

The 3,600-seat venue in Wan Chai was the place where Richard Marx, Bjork, Bobby Brown, Wet Wet Wet and Michael Learns to Rock held concerts during the 1990s up to the handover. However, in recent years, it has been overtaken by the Coliseum in Hunghom.

In 1993, Peter Gabriel was set to play a concert but was squeezed out of the venue because the stadium had a double booking. He cancelled his trip.

Queen Elizabeth Stadium has served as one of the favoured venues for new Canto-pop singers such as Kelly Chen Wai-lam to hold their debut concerts and meet fans. Noise worries over concerts at the nearby open-air Hong Kong Stadium helped Queen Elizabeth maintain its status.

In the sporting field, the venue has hosted international tournaments including the Asian Badminton Championship and Men's World Volleyball League in 1993 and the Table Tennis World Cup in 1996.

Last week, Chinese Olympic gymnastics gold medallists performed at the stadium to promote Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.