Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic Stadium as part of their names, such as stadiums in Amsterdam, Berlin, Helsinki and Paris. Olympic Stadium may also be named a multi-purpose stadium which hosts Olympic sports. [1]
In the case of the Summer Olympic Games, athletics competitions and the football final are traditionally held in the Olympic Stadium. Exceptions to this have occurred though at the 1900, 1996 and 2016 Summer Olympics as well as at the 2010 and 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Early Winter Olympic Games often used figure skating venues as focal points. These were often designated as the Olympic Stadium, usually hosting the opening and closing ceremonies.
A number of stadiums have been used in more than one Olympics, in those cities that have held the Games more than once.
Lysgårdsbakken was the main stadium of a Winter Olympics and a Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Bergiselschanze was the main stadium of two Winter Olympics and one Winter YOG. Olympiahalle jointly shared the Olympic Stadium role with Bergiselschanze during the two Winter Olympics, but not during the Winter YOG. Only one stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, has been the main stadium of two Summer Olympics (and it will be a main stadium a third time during the 2028 games). In addition to the inaugural Summer Olympics, Panathinaiko Stadio was also the main stadium of the only Intercalated Games held. The other, National Stadium in Tokyo was the main stadium hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics (the first in Asia), when the 2020 games chosen to be as the main stadium and was decided to rebuild a new one. Beijing National Stadium was the main stadium being hosted at two Olympics, but with a special distinction: it would become the only stadium to have been such at both a Summer and a Winter Olympics.
A number of stadiums have hosted events at subsequent Olympics. In the 2004 Athens Games, the Panathinaiko Stadio hosted the archery competition and was the finish of both women's and men's marathon events. The Vélodrome de Vincennes was the track cycling venue of the 1924 Paris Games. The London Games of 2012 were not opened and closed at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium, the site of the 1948 Olympic Stadium, but instead at a new stadium in Stratford. Wembley was, however, the venue for some 2012 Olympic football matches, including both men's and women's finals. Likewise, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was the centrepiece stadium for the 1956 games, later hosted the first games of the Sydney 2000 football tournament and with the Stadium Australia, which hosted the 2000 edition, will also expected to hosted the Brisbane 2032 football tournament. Lake Placid's 1932 Olympic Stadium was utilized in the 1980 Lake Placid games as the speed skating venue. Olympiahalle hosted figure skating and short-track speed skating during the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. Stockholm Olympic Stadium hosted equestrian events for the 1956 Summer Olympics (while the 1956 games were held in Melbourne, Australia, quarantine restrictions prevented equestrian events from being held domestically, thus Stockholm, Sweden hosted the 1956 equestrian competitions).
Image | Olympics | Season | Stadium | Native name | City | Country | New/old | Capacity | Existing? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1896 | Summer | Panathenaic Stadium | Παναθηναϊκό στάδιο | Athens | Greece | Existing | 80,000 | Yes | |
1900 | Vincennes Velodrome (ceremony) | Vélodrome de Vincennes | Paris | France | 50,000 | Yes | |||
Croix-Catelan Stadium (athletics) | Stade Croix-Catelan | No | |||||||
1904 | Francis Field | St. Louis | United States | New | 19,000 | Yes | |||
1906 Intercalated | Panathenaic Stadium | Παναθηναϊκό στάδιο | Athens | Greece | Existing | 80,000 | Yes | ||
1908 | White City Stadium | London | United Kingdom | New | 68,000 | No | |||
1912 | Olympic Stadium | Stockholms Olympiastadion | Stockholm | Sweden | New | 20,000 | Yes | ||
1920 | Olympic Stadium | Olympisch Stadion | Antwerp | Belgium | New | 12,771 | Yes | ||
1924 | Winter | Olympic Stadium | Stade Olympique de Chamonix | Chamonix | France | New | 45,000 | Yes | |
1924 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir | Paris | Existing | 45,000 | Yes | ||
1928 | Winter | St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink | Badrutts Park | St. Moritz | Switzerland | New | 4,000 | Yes | |
1928 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Olympisch Stadion | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Existing, renovated | 31,600 | Yes | |
1932 | Winter | Lake Placid Speedskating Oval | Lake Placid | United States | New | 7,500 | Yes | ||
1932 | Summer | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles | Existing, expanded | 101,574 | Yes | |||
1936 | Winter | Große Olympiaschanze | Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Germany | Existing | 40,000 | Yes | ||
1936 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Olympiastadion | Berlin | New | 110,000 | Yes | ||
1948 | Winter | St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink | Badrutts Park | St. Moritz | Switzerland | Existing | 4,000 | Yes | |
1948 | Summer | Wembley Stadium | London | United Kingdom | Existing | 82,000 | No (replaced) | ||
1952 | Winter | Bislett Stadium | Bislett stadion | Oslo | Norway | Existing | 20,000 | No (replaced) | |
1952 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Olympiastadion | Helsinki | Finland | Existing | 70,000 | Yes | |
1956 | Winter | Stadio Olimpico Del Ghiaccio | Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Existing, renovated | 12,000 | Yes | ||
1956 | Summer | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne | Australia | Existing | 115,000 | Yes | ||
1960 | Winter | Blyth Arena | Squaw Valley | United States | New | 8,500 | No | ||
1960 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Stadio Olimpico | Rome | Italy | Existing | 90,000 | Yes | |
1964 | Winter | Bergiselschanze (opening ceremony) | Innsbruck | Austria | Existing | 26,000 | Yes | ||
Olympiahalle (closing ceremony) | New | 10,836 | Yes | ||||||
1964 | Summer | National Stadium | 国立競技場 | Tokyo | Japan | Existing | 71,556 | No (replaced) | |
1968 | Winter | Olympic Stadium (opening ceremony) | Stade olympique | Grenoble | France | Temporary | 60,000 | No | |
Le Stade de Glace (closing ceremony) | New | 12,000 | Yes | ||||||
1968 | Summer | Estadio Olímpico Universitario | Mexico City | Mexico | Existing | 83,700 | Yes | ||
1972 | Winter | Makomanai Open Stadium (opening ceremony) | 真駒内屋外競技場 | Sapporo | Japan | New | 30,000 | Yes | |
Makomanai Ice Arena (closing ceremony) | 真駒内屋内競技場 | New | 11,500 | Yes | |||||
1972 | Summer | Olympiastadion | Munich | West Germany | New | 80,000 | Yes | ||
1976 | Winter | Bergiselschanze (opening ceremony) | Innsbruck | Austria | Existing | 26,000 | Yes | ||
Olympiahalle (closing ceremony) | Existing | 10,836 | Yes | ||||||
1976 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Stade olympique | Montreal | Canada | New | 70,000 | Yes | |
1980 | Winter | Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium (opening ceremony) | Lake Placid | United States | Temporary stadium at existing equestrian grounds | 30,000 | No | ||
Olympic Center Arena (closing ceremony) | New | 10,000 | Yes | ||||||
1980 | Summer | Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium | Большая спортивная арена центрального стадиона имени Ленина | Moscow | Soviet Union | Existing, renovated | 103,000 | Yes | |
1984 | Winter | Olympic Stadium (opening ceremony) | Olimpijski stadion | Sarajevo | Yugoslavia | Existing | 50,000 | Yes | |
Zetra Olympic Hall (closing ceremony) | Olimpijska dvorana Zetra | New | 12,000 | Yes | |||||
1984 | Summer | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles | United States | Existing | 92,516 | Yes | ||
1988 | Winter | McMahon Stadium | Calgary | Canada | Existing, renovated | 38,205 | Yes | ||
1988 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | 올림픽주경기장 | Seoul | South Korea | Existing | 100,000 | Yes | |
1992 | Winter | Theatre of Ceremonies | Théâtre des Cérémonies | Albertville | France | Temporary | 35,000 | No | |
1992 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Estadi Olímpic | Barcelona | Spain | Existing | 60,713 | Yes | |
1994 | Winter | Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena | Lysgårdsbakkene hoppanlegg | Lillehammer | Norway | New | 35,000 | Yes | |
1996 | Summer | Centennial Olympic Stadium | Atlanta | United States | 85,000 | Yes (reconfigured) [lower-alpha 1] | |||
1998 | Winter | Nagano Olympic Stadium | 長野オリンピックスタジアム | Nagano | Japan | 30,000 | Yes | ||
2000 | Summer | Stadium Australia | Sydney | Australia | 114,714 | Yes | |||
2002 | Winter | Rice–Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City | United States | Existing, replacement | 45,017 | Yes | ||
2004 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Ολυμπιακό Κεντρικό Στάδιο Αθήνας "Σπύρος Λούης" | Athens | Greece | Existing, renovated | 72,000 | Yes | |
2006 | Winter | Olympic Stadium | Stadio Olimpico | Turin | Italy | Existing | 28,000 | Yes | |
2008 | Summer | National Stadium | 国家体育场 | Beijing | China | New | 91,000 | Yes | |
2010 | Winter | BC Place | Vancouver | Canada | Existing, renovated | 54,500 | Yes | ||
2010 Youth | Summer | The Float@Marina Bay | Pentas Terapung Teluk Marina 滨海湾浮动舞台 மரீனா பே மிதக்கும் மேடை (Tamil) | Marina Bay | Singapore | Existing | 30,000 | No | |
2012 Youth | Winter | Bergiselschanze | Innsbruck | Austria | 26,000 | Yes | |||
2012 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | London | United Kingdom | New | 80,000 | Yes | ||
2014 | Winter | Fisht Olympic Stadium | Олимпийский стадион | Sochi | Russia | 40,000 | Yes | ||
2014 Youth | Summer | Olympic Stadium | 南京奥林匹克体育中心 | Nanjing | China | Existing | 61,443 | Yes | |
2016 Youth | Winter | Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena (opening ceremony) | Lysgårdsbakkene hoppanlegg | Lillehammer | Norway | 35,000 | Yes | ||
Håkons Hall (closing ceremony) | 11,500 | Yes | |||||||
2016 | Summer | Estádio do Maracanã (ceremonies, football) | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 74,738 | Yes | |||
Olympic Stadium (athletics and football) | Estádio Olímpico | Existing, expanded | 60,000 [2] | Yes | |||||
2018 | Winter | Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium | 평창 올림픽 스타디움 | Pyeongchang | South Korea | Temporary | 35,000 | No | |
2018 Youth | Summer | Obelisco de Buenos Aires (opening ceremony) | Obelisco de Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Existing, temporary | N/A | Yes | |
Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Village (closing ceremony) [3] | New | 15,500 | Yes | ||||||
2020 Youth | Winter | Vaudoise Arena | Vaudoise Aréna | Lausanne | Switzerland | New | 9,600 | Yes | |
2020 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | 国立競技場 (tentative name) | Tokyo | Japan | Existing, replacement | 68,000 | Yes | |
2022 | Winter | National Stadium | 国家体育场 | Beijing | China | Existing | 80,000 | Yes | |
2024 Youth | Winter | Gangneung Oval (opening ceremony, speed skating) | 강릉 스피드 스케이팅 경기장 | Gangwon | South Korea | Existing | 8,000 | Yes | |
Yongpyong Dome (opening ceremony) | 용평돔 | Existing | Yes | ||||||
Gangwon Olympic Stage (closing ceremony) | Temporary structure next to existing venue | N/A | No | ||||||
2024 | Summer | River Seine (opening ceremony) | Paris | France | Temporary | 300,000 | Yes | ||
Jardins du Trocadéro (opening ceremony) | 30,000 | Yes | |||||||
Stade de France (athletics, rugby sevens, closing ceremony) | Existing | 77,083 | Yes | ||||||
2026 | Winter | San Siro (opening ceremony) | Milan | Italy | Existing | 75,923 | Yes | ||
Verona Arena (closing ceremony) | Verona | 15,000 | Yes | ||||||
2026 Youth | Summer | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium | Stade olympique de Diamniadio | Dakar | Senegal | Existing | 50,000 | Yes | |
2028 | Summer | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (cultural opening and formal closing ceremony, athletics) | Los Angeles | United States | Existing, renovated | 77,500 | Yes | ||
SoFi Stadium [lower-alpha 2] (formal opening and cultural closing ceremony, possible exhibition sports and football) | Inglewood | Existing | 70,240-100,240 | Yes | |||||
2032 | Summer | Lang Park (ceremonies, football, rugby sevens) | Brisbane | Australia | Existing, renovated | 52,500 | Yes | ||
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (athletics) | Existing, renovated | 48,500 | Yes |
^ ‡: Future event scheduled to take place at venue.
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad and commonly known as Rome 1960, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awarded the administration of the 1908 Summer Olympics, but following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, the city had no choice but to decline and pass the honour to London. The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals at the 1960 Games.
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.
The 1932 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held during the worldwide Great Depression, with some nations not traveling to Los Angeles; 37 nations competed, compared to the 46 in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, and even then-U.S. President Herbert Hoover did not attend the Games. The organizing committee did not report the financial details of the Games, although contemporary newspapers claimed that the Games had made a profit of US$1 million.
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States.
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 1952 in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956, was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956.
Stockholm Olympic Stadium, most often called Stockholms stadion or simply Stadion, is a stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912; its original use was as a venue for the 1912 Olympic Games. At the 1912 Games, it hosted athletics, some equestrian and football matches, gymnastics, the running part of the modern pentathlon, tug of war, and wrestling events. It has a capacity of 13,145–14,500 depending on usage and a capacity of nearly 33,000 for concerts.
The Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino is a multi-purpose stadium located in Turin, Italy. It is the home ground of Serie A club Torino Football Club. The stadium is located in Piazzale Grande Torino, in the district of Santa Rita, in the south-central area of the city. The stadium is currently rated by UEFA as a Category 4 stadium, the highest ranking possible.
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format, though in reverse order with the Olympic Winter Games held in leap years instead of the Summer Olympic Games. The first summer version was held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010 while the first winter version was held in Innsbruck, Austria from 13 to 22 January 2012.
The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 January 2012. They were the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics, a major sports and cultural festival celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games. Approximately 1100 athletes from 70 countries competed. The decision for Innsbruck to host the Games was announced on 12 December 2008 after mail voting by 105 International Olympic Committee (IOC) members. Innsbruck is the first city to host three winter Olympic events, having previously hosted the 1964 Winter Olympics and the 1976 Winter Olympics.
The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games Chinese: 第二届夏季青年奧林匹克运动会; pinyin: Dì'èrjiè Xiàjì Qīngnián Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì, and commonly known as Nanjing 2014, were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports, education and cultural festival for teenagers, held from 16 to 28 August 2014 in Nanjing, China. These were the first Youth Olympic Games held in China, making it the first country to host both regular and Youth Olympics following the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, officially known as the II Winter Youth Olympic Games, took place in and around Lillehammer, Norway, between 12 February and 21 February 2016. They were the fourth Youth Olympic Games and the second winter edition. Lillehammer was awarded the games on 7 December 2011 as the only candidate. The games reused venues from the 1994 Winter Olympics; this made Lillehammer the first city to host both regular and Youth Olympics. In addition to Lillehammer, sports were contested in Hamar, Gjøvik and Øyer.
The 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the III Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Buenos Aires 2018, were an international sports, cultural, and educational event held from 6 to 18 October 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They were the first Youth Olympic Games held outside of Eurasia, and the first Summer Games held outside of Asia and the first to be held in the Western and Southern hemispheres. It was the second Olympic Games held in South America after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A total of twenty-five sports venues were used to host the events of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the diving, gymnastics, swimming, and water polo competitions were held indoors. These Games have since been nicknamed the "Austerity Games" for the tight control of costs at a time when the host nation was still under rationing, which resulted in a total expenditure of around £750,000. All of the venues were already in place and required only temporary modifications. The organizing committee decided not to build an Olympic Village; instead, foreign athletes were housed in makeshift camps at military bases and colleges around London, while local athletes were told to stay at home. Despite these measures, the combined venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics recorded the highest attendance figures for a Games at that time.
For the 1956 Summer Olympics, events were staged in a total of thirteen sports venues in Melbourne, Victoria, one in Ballarat, Victoria, and three sports venues in Stockholm, Sweden. The equestrian events took place in Stockholm in June 1956, due to Australia's strict quarantine laws on equestrianism, and the other Olympic events took place in Melbourne later in the year, between late November and early December.
For the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, a total of eight sports venues were used. The games were originally awarded to Denver, Colorado in the United States in 1970, but they withdrew in the wake of Colorado residents voting against it for environmental and cost reasons in November 1972. This led to the International Olympic Committee opening up the bids for the games again, eventually awarding them to Innsbruck in February 1973. The Austrian city, having hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964, was in the process of having the venues used for those Games before Denver's with clear cutting of the alpine skiing venues, lessening of the amount of cross-country skiing routes, upgrading the ski jumps, adding lighting in the indoor sports arena to accommodate color television, and the construction of a combination bobsleigh and luge track. After the 1976 Games, the venues have remained in use, hosting events in Nordic skiing and the sliding sports. They hosted some of the events for the Winter Universiade in 2005 and seven of the eight venues served as host for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012.
Stockholm 2022 was a bid by Stockholm with Åre and the Swedish Olympic Committee for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The bid was announced at November 11, 2013. The IOC will select the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics at the 127th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31, 2015. Stockholm previously hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and hosted equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio was built between 1952 and 1954, primarily as an open air Figure skating arena in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, to hold between seven and eight thousand spectators, with the possibility of making temporary arrangements to accommodate twelve to fifteen thousand for the period of the Olympics. The venue was inaugurated on 26 October 1955. During the 1956 Winter Olympics, the arena held the opening and closing ceremonies, the figure skating events and select ice hockey games. Sometime after 1981, a roof was added to the structure. The stadium will host curling in the 2026 Winter Olympics and it will also host wheelchair curling and the Closing Ceremony in the 2026 Winter Paralympics.
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