The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic Stadium as part of their name. The Winter Olympic Games do not have a central Olympic Stadium, however some edifices are designated as the Olympic Stadium, which usually hosts the opening and closing ceremonies.
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Summer Olympic stadiums
Comprehensive list
The following is a list of all Summer Olympics stadiums.
Some of the Olympic stadiums have usually been built specifically to host the Olympics, as opposed to being an already existing facility. Others have been already completed when their city has been awarded the Olympics, and have had the title added:
Specially built
- Stockholms Olympiastadion - Stockholm (1912)
- Olympiastadion - Berlin (1916, 1936)
- Olympisch Stadion - Antwerp (1920)
- Stade Olympique de Colombes - Paris (1924)
- Olympisch Stadion - Amsterdam (1928)
- Olympiastadion - Helsinki (1940, 1952)
- Stadio Olimpico - Rome (1960)
- Olympiastadion - Munich (1972)
- Olympic Stadium - Montreal (1976)
- Centennial Olympic Stadium - Atlanta (1996)
- Olympic Stadium - London (2012)
Already constructed
- National Olympic Stadium - Tokyo (1964)
- Estadio Olímpico Universitario - Mexico City (1968)
- Seoul Olympic Stadium - Seoul (1988)
- Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic - Barcelona (1992)
- Olympiako Stadio Athinas 'Spyros Louis' - Athens (2004)[1]
There have been a number of other stadia that have been used as the main stadium for the Olympics, but which have not incorporated the words Olympic Stadium into their name - again, some of these were specially built for the games, while others were already existing:
Specially built
- Francis Field - St. Louis (1904)
- White City Stadium - London (1908)
- Stadium Australia - Sydney (2000)
- Beijing National Stadium/Bird's Nest (鸟巢) - Beijing (2008)
Already built
- Panathinaiko Stadio - Athens (1896)
- Vélodrome de Vincennes - Paris (1900)
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Los Angeles (1932, 1984)
- Empire Stadium - London (1944, 1948)
- Melbourne Cricket Ground - Melbourne (1956)
- Luzhniki Stadium - Moscow (1980)
- Estádio do Maracanã - Rio de Janeiro (2016)
In addition to these, there are other stadia called Olympic Stadium around the world, which have been built as part of a prospective bid for the Games:
- Atatürk Olympic Stadium - Istanbul
- Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla - Seville
- Olympiako Stadio Athinas 'Spyros Louis' - Athens (1996) Note: subsequently used for 2004 Summer Olympic Games
- Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium - Rio de Janeiro Note: built specially for the 2007 Pan American Games and subsequently used for 2016 Summer Olympic Games
- Guangdong Olympic Stadium - Guangzhou, China (2008) Note: the Guangdong Olympic Stadium was intended to be the Olympic Stadium for the 2008 games until the Beijing National Stadium / Bird Nest 鸟巢 was proposed.
Not associated with the Olympics
The term "Olympic Stadium" may also be used to describe any stadia that contain an athletic track with the official measures adopted by the IAAF and IOC. Some stadia have simply been named that way, even though they were neither part of an Olympic bid, nor host to any Olympic events:
- Stade Olympique de la Pontaise - Lausanne. The IOC is based in Lausanne Switzerland
- Olympic Stadium - Ashgabat
- Estádio Olímpico Monumental - Porto Alegre
- Stadio Olimpico - Serravalle San Marino
- Phnom Penh National Olympic Stadium - Phnom Penh
- Olimpiysky National Sports Complex - Kiev Note: The stadium hosted the 1980 Olympics Soccer Preliminaries
- Olympic Stadium - Wrocław
At least one facility bearing the Olympic name has absolutely no relation to the Olympic Games. Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam, Washington, is named for the nearby Olympic Peninsula and Olympic Mountains. Built in 1937, this 9,000 seat stadium is used primarily for baseball, but can also be used for other field sports including American Football. It has no athletic track.
Used twice
A number of stadiums have been used in more than one Olympics, in those cities that have held the Games twice. While only one (the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) has been the main stadium twice, both the Panathinaiko Stadio and the Vélodrome de Vincennes have hosted events at subsequent Olympics. Wembley Stadium will also be used again at the 2012 Games, although that stadium is a completely rebuilt structure on the same site as the 1948 stadium. The only stadium to have been used twice but only host one Olympics is the Melbourne Cricket Ground which was the venue in 1956 and hosted the first game of the Sydney 2000 football tournament.
Other major events
- Athens - Olympiako Stadio - 1983, 1994 and 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, 1997 World Championships in Athletics, WRC Acropolis Rally SuperSpecial Stage 2005 and 2006, 2006 IAAF World Cup in Athletics
- Berlin - Olympiastadion - 2006 FIFA World Cup Final and 2009 World Championships in Athletics
- Helsinki - Olympiastadion - 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics
- London - Wembley Stadium (original) - 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, UEFA Euro 1996 Final, 1992 European Cup Final
- London - White City Stadium - 1934 British Empire Games
- Los Angeles - Memorial Coliseum - Super Bowl I (1967), Super Bowl VII (1973), 1959 World Series
- Melbourne - Melbourne Cricket Ground - 1992 Cricket World Cup Final, 2006 Commonwealth Games, annual Australian Football League Grand Final
- Munich - Olympiastadion - 1974 FIFA World Cup Final, 1979 European Cup Final, UEFA Euro 1988 Final, 1993 and 1997 UEFA Champions League Finals
- Paris - Stade Olympique de Colombes - 1938 FIFA World Cup Final
- Rio de Janeiro - Estádio do Maracanã - 1950 FIFA World Cup Final, 2000 FIFA Club World Championship Final, 2007 Pan American Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies and 2014 FIFA World Cup Final
- Rome - Stadio Olimpico - 1977 and 1984 European Cup Finals, 1987 World Championships in Athletics, 1990 FIFA World Cup Final, 1996 and 2009 UEFA Champions League Finals
- Sydney - Stadium Australia - 2003 Rugby World Cup Final, annual NRL Grand Final
- Tokyo - National Olympic Stadium - 1991 World Championships in Athletics
Winter Olympic stadiums
Comprehensive list
The following is a list of all main Winter Olympics stadiums.
Purpose built stadiums
- Stade Olympique de Chamonix - Chamonix - 1924 Winter Olympics
- St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink - St. Moritz - 1928 Winter Olympics & 1948 Winter Olympics
- Lake Placid Speedskating Oval - Lake Placid - 1932 Winter Olympics
- Stadio Olympica - Cortina D'Ampezzo - 1956 Winter Olympics
- Blyth Arena - Squaw Valley - 1960 Winter Olympics
- Makomanai Open Stadium - Sapporo - 1972 Winter Olympics
- Ceremonies Theatre - Albertville - 1992 Winter Olympics (the first temporary Olympic Stadium)
- Lysgårdsbakkene Olympic Stadium - Lillehammer - 1994 Winter Olympics
- Minami Sports Park - Nagano - 1998 Winter Olympics
- Sochi Olympic Stadium - Sochi - 2014 Winter Olympics
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Existing stadia renamed for the Games
- Olympia Skistadion - 1936 Winter Olympics Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (was known as Garmisch skistadion prior to the games)
- Stadio Olimpico - 2006 Winter Olympics Turin, Italy (was "Stadio Comunale di Torino", will be called "Stadio Grande Torino" after the Games)
- Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium - 2002 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (was "Rice-Eccles Stadium" before and after the games).
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Existing stadia used for the Games
- Bislett Stadion - 1952 Winter Olympics Oslo, Norway
- Bergisel - 1964 Winter Olympics & 1976 Winter Olympics Innsbruck, Austria
- Stade Lesdiguières - 1968 Winter Olympics Grenoble, France
- Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium - 1980 Winter Olympics Lake Placid, New York
- Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium - 1984 Winter Olympics Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
- McMahon Stadium - 1988 Winter Olympics Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- BC Place - 2010 Winter Olympics Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (the first indoor Olympic Stadium). NOTE: The Olympic Stadium in Montreal, was to have had a retractable roof, however it was not completed in time for the 1976 Summer Games
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Picture gallery (summer)
 Beijing National Stadium (aka The Bird's Nest). |
 Entrance to the Coliseum in Los Angeles. |
 Inside the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. |
 The Olympiastadion in Munich at a Bird's Eye view. |
 The Panathinaiko Stadium, The first stadium meant for the Olympics. |
 The Stadium Australia in Sydney. |
Picture gallery (winter)
 The BC Place Stadium is going to be used for the 2010 Olympic Games. |
 The Stadio Olimpico di Torino in 2006. |
 The McMahon Stadium, which was used for the 1988 Winter Olympics. |
 The Bislett stadion, which was used for the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. |
 A skii slide at Lysgårdsbakken. |
 The Olympic Cauldron at the Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium. |
 The Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium in Sarajevo. |
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See also
References
- ^ stadium was built for a bid for the 1996 Centennial Olympics
External links
- Ballparks by Munsey & Suppes - Olympics
- Aerial and Satellite Photography of Olympic Stadiums from SightseeBySpace.com
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