The Kyaikkasan Race Course () is a historic former

horse racing venue Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basi ...

located on South Race Course Road in

Tamwe Township Tamwe Township (also Tarmwe Township; , ) is located in east central Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 20 wards, and shares borders with Yankin Township in the north, Thingangyun Township and Mingala Taungnyunt Township in the east, Bahan ...

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. Originally established as the Rangoon Turf Club, the racecourse was a major colonial-era institution and one of the few racially inclusive social clubs of its time.

History

The Rangoon Turf Club was founded in 1887, with its original racecourse located in the Maidan area of Rangoon (now Yangon). In 1926, the club moved to newly built facilities at the present Kyaikkasan site. Although created during British colonial rule, the club was notably open to non-Europeans of high social standing, including the prominent Chinese-Burmese tycoon

Lim Chin Tsong Lim Chin Tsong (; ; October 28, 1867 – November 2, 1923) was a Burmese Chinese tycoon and merchant, with business interests ranging from rice to oil. Throughout his career, he served as the sole partner of Lim Soo Hean & Company, originally es ...

, who served as chairman for a time. Horse racing was a popular pastime in Rangoon during the colonial period. Races were held almost every fortnight.

Post-independence era

After independence and particularly following the

1962 Burmese coup d'état The 1962 Burmese coup d'état marked the beginning of one-party rule in Burma (Myanmar) and the political dominance of the military in Burmese politics. In the 2 March 1962 coup, the military replaced the civilian AFPFL-government headed ...

, the racecourse saw a gradual decline in sporting use. Instead, the expansive grounds were repurposed for state rallies and official events, such as Union Day, Peasant Day, and May Day celebrations. In 1974, the venue gained national attention when the coffin of former UN Secretary-General

U Thant Thant ( ; 22 January 1909 – 25 November 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian as well as Asian to hold the positio ...

was placed at Kyaikkasan for a restricted public viewing. Student protests erupted over the government's refusal to honor U Thant with an official ceremony. Protesters stormed the racecourse, seized the coffin, and carried it to Rangoon University, sparking a series of demonstrations and a brutal crackdown by authorities.

Decline

By the 1990s, horse racing in Yangon had effectively ceased. The Yangon Riding Club, the last active racing body, relocated to Dagon Township in 1996. Since then, the racecourse grounds have been partially repurposed for student housing, sports facilities, and unofficial residential use. Some of the lower sections of the stadium—known locally as the "catacombs"—are now inhabited by local families. In 1996, the Institute of Sports and Physical Education was established at the site. The compound is used as a training ground for children practising various sports. In 2015, state-run newspapers announced plans to develop a large-scale commercial business complex, including the upgrade of the existing Sports Science building, at the racetrack grounds.

Yangon Region Hluttaw Yangon Region Hluttaw () is the legislature of the Burmese region of Yangon Region. It is a unicameral body, consisting of 123 members, including 92 elected members and 31 military representatives. As of February 2016, the Hluttaw was led by spea ...

representatives were unable to halt the development.

References

{{reflist 1926 establishments in Burma Landmarks in Myanmar Horse racing venues