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Information About

Olympic Stadium




The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece sports arena of the Summer Olympic Games . Traditionally, the opening ceremony and the track & field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. Many, though by no means all, of these arenas 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.


SUMMER OLYMPIC STADIA

Some of the Olympic stadia 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



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



Already Built


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:

Some have simply been named that way:


Used Twice

A number of stadia 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. The only stadium to have been used twice, but only host one Olympics, is the Melbourne Cricket Ground which was host venue in 1956 and hosted the first game of the Sydney 2000 Soccer tournament.


Other Major Events

  • Athens - Olympiako Stadio - 1997 World Athletics Championships

  • Sydney - Stadium Australia - 2003 Rugby World Cup Final

  • Munich - Olympiastadion - 1974 Football World Cup Final, 1988 European Football Championships Final

  • Tokyo - National Olympic Stadium - 1991 World Athletics Championships

  • Rome - Stadio Olimpico - 1987 World Athletics Championships, 1990 Football World Cup Final

  • Melbourne - Melbourne Cricket Ground - 1992 Cricket World Cup Final, 2006 Commonwealth Games

  • Helsinki - Olympiastadion - 1983 World Athletics Championships, 2005 World Athletics Championships

  • London - Wembley Stadium - 1966 Football World Cup Final, 1996 European Football Championships Final

  • Paris - Stade Olympique de Colombes - 1938 Football World Cup Final

  • London - White City Stadium - 1934 Empire Games

  • Los Angeles - Memorial Coliseum - 1967, 1973 Super Bowl, 1959 World Series



WINTER OLYMPIC STADIA


Comprehensive list



Purpose built Olympic Stadia for the Games






Existing stadia renamed for the Games




Existing stadia used for the Games



OLYMPIC STADIUMS IN POPULAR CULTURE


The original Manga version of Katsuhiro Otomo 's epic '' Akira '' featured an Olympic Stadium. Initially built for the upcoming Olympics hosted by the fictional future city of Neo-Tokyo , it was instead used as a lair by Tetsuo and Akira's Great Tokyo Empire .


EXTERNAL LINKS