Bolivia – The Municipal Stadium of El Alto, in Bolivia, obtained CONMEBOL certification to host international football through a series of improvements, among which a Bose Professional audio system designed to withstand the environmental conditions of the area stands out.
There is a principle that defines the Municipal Stadium of El Alto, in Bolivia, and it is inscribed in its own identity: football is played where people live. This is the stadium of a city that decided to have, at home and at its altitude, a venue capable of hosting the best football in the continent.
And its altitude is not a metaphor. At 4,150 metres above sea level, El Alto is one of the highest cities in the world. Its municipal stadium, with a capacity for 21,000 spectators, is affectionately known as El Titán de Villa Ingenio, and is the home of club Always Ready, one of the most important teams in the Bolivian professional league and of the Bolivian National Team itself. It is located in an environment that demands the best from any engineering system operating there: wind gusts, constant rain and below-zero temperatures at any time of the year.
This unique context made the stadium the ideal setting to demonstrate what professional audio technology is capable of when it is designed and installed with the rigor that the environment demands.
A young city with a high-altitude commitment
El Alto has only 40 years of existence as an independent municipality. With more than 1,300,000 inhabitants, most of Aymara and Quechua origin, it is the second-largest city in Bolivia, and a community with a deep cultural identity and a strong sense of belonging, which wanted to equip its stadium with technology infrastructure at the level of its fans.
The technological renovation of the Municipal Stadium, which included a new lighting system, a giant screen and a Bose Professional audio system, was driven by the vision of former departmental secretary Miguel Ángel Zimba, a former player of the national team that qualified for the 1994 World Cup, and carried out with the support of the Municipality of El Alto. The objective was concrete: to obtain the CONMEBOL certification (South American Football Confederation) required to host matches of the Copa Libertadores, Copa América and World Cup Qualifiers.
To achieve this, the Municipality needed more than good equipment. It required partners who understood the context. M&R Representaciones, a local company specializing in audio integration, and USV Trade, the official distributor of Bose Professional in Bolivia, took on the project with a clear methodology: first, listen and analyze; then, design and integrate.
The technical challenge: open-air sound on the roof of the world
An open-air football stadium presents acoustic challenges that have no equivalent in covered facilities. Sound disperses in all directions, ambient crowd noise can exceed 90 dB during moments of high tension, and the geometry of the stands, with two long straight sections and two curves in the case of El Alto, requires a loudspeaker distribution that guarantees uniform coverage without acoustic shadow zones and without allowing sound energy to disperse towards the playing field.
Added to this, in El Alto, are the climatic conditions of the highlands: wind, rain and extreme temperatures that, over time, can degrade or damage conventional audio equipment.
The engineers at M&R Representaciones, led by Román Gordillo Rioja, with the support of USV Trade specialists, headed by Rolando Kadima, used Bose Professional’s Modeler software to perform an acoustic simulation that would make it possible to predict sound behaviour in the stadium’s open space, in order to determine the best solution in terms of loudspeaker model, required quantity, location and coverage angle.
By creating a model with the help of this tool, Bose Professional engineers were able to collaborate remotely to review the project, make the appropriate suggestions and find the right solution for both the acoustic requirements and the available budget.
The solution: ArenaMatch loudspeakers in four zones and zero complications
It was determined that the technology of the ArenaMatch DeltaQ loudspeaker family would be ideal for integrating the sound system at the Municipal Stadium of El Alto. Bose Professional’s ArenaMatch is a line specifically designed for installations in outdoor stadiums and arenas, with a construction certified for direct exposure to the elements. Among their features, ArenaMatch loudspeakers have a durable three-layer stainless-steel grille, a water-resistant woofer cone coating and a solid industrial polyurethane exterior coating.
To cover the stands area, it was determined that 14 ArenaMatch AM40 loudspeakers would be installed, distributed around the stadium and attached to the roof. The distribution is precise: three units in the curved area of the south end, three in the curve of the north end, four in the general stands and four in the preferred stands. Each loudspeaker was positioned according to the angles determined in the Modeler simulation, directing sound energy towards the stands and minimizing dispersion towards the field.
The system receives power through four PowerMatch PM8500N amplifiers, located in two independent control rooms. Each amplifier incorporates an integrated DSP as standard and is equipped with the Dante expansion card, allowing it to receive audio directly over an IP network and process it internally, eliminating the need for external processors, simplifying the signal chain and reducing points of failure in a system operating under severe climatic conditions.
The installation presented challenges inherent to the environment. The loudspeakers had to be mounted beneath the roof overhang using reinforced metal brackets, additional to the factory-standard ones, designed to withstand the winds and thermal variations of the highlands.
The CONMEBOL certification: the verdict that says it all
At the beginning of 2024, the system underwent the formal technical review process by CONMEBOL, whose inspectors carried out an exhaustive measurement of sound pressure, coverage in the stands and speech intelligibility, according to the parameters of the governing body of South American football. Román Gordillo recalls that the approval was unequivocal: during the first listening test, the commissioners called the integrator and the authorities onto the field. “Turn it off, that is approved. Don’t touch it, it’s perfect as it is,” was the verdict.
The Municipal Stadium of El Alto thus became part of the select group of South American venues certified to host CONMEBOL competitions. The stadium has hosted important international matches. For example, during the qualification phase for the 2026 World Cup, Bolivia faced Brazil in a decisive match for the home side. The stadium was at full capacity, and additional giant screens had to be installed outside for the thousands of fans who gained access.
“When Miguelito, our best player, scored the winning goal for Bolivia, the people erupted in celebration. But when Miguelito’s name was heard over the loudspeakers and, at the end of the match, the song ¡Viva Mi Patria Bolivia! played, I can say that it was one of the moments of greatest professional pride in my career,” recalls Román Gordillo, who adds that since its commissioning, the system has operated without any problems.
Beyond the stadium: the impact on the city
According to authorities from the Municipality of El Alto, the stadium renovation generated a transformative effect in District 5 of Villa Ingenio that extends beyond the venue itself. Improvements to streets, schools and roads in the area; the opening of restaurants and businesses on days of international matches; and the emergence of sports tourism that previously did not exist in El Alto are part of the impact reported by the municipal administration.
The effect also extended to Bolivia’s audiovisual integration ecosystem. The installation at the Municipal Stadium of El Alto has sparked the interest of executives from other sports venues and municipal authorities across the country, who see this project as a reference for what can be achieved. M&R Representaciones has several projects in sports venues in its pipeline for the near future, all derived from the work carried out in El Alto.
“A stadium is perhaps the best setting to put Bose Professional systems to the test with everything that sound pressure entails when there is so much noise, with sounds coming from everywhere and at every level,” explains Rolando Kadima Villazón. “The effect of achieving a project such as the Municipal Stadium of El Alto also has a positive impact on the integrator that carried it out, as it puts them in the spotlight for those looking to improve sound in their sports facilities,” concludes the USV Trade executive.
