Ninoy Aquino Stadium was originally built in the 1950s as an open-air stadium, in time for the 1954 Asian Games. By the 1980s, it had been converted into an indoor arena named the Rizal Multi-Purpose Arena, in time for the 1989 ABC Under-18 Championships, which opened on January 24, 1989. At the opening of the tournament, it was renamed the Ninoy Aquino Stadium and a marker dedicating the arena was unveiled. The renovation included new chairs and a new scoring system from South Korea installed by Korean technicians. It also hosted the volleyball tournament of the 1991 Southeast Asian Games, the table tennis competitions of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games and the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship as the second venue of the tournament.