Helsinki Olympic Stadium
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| Helsinki Olympic Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Stadion | |
 |
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| Location | Helsinki, Finland |
| Broke ground | 1934 |
| Opened | 1938 |
| Renovated | 2005 |
| Owner | Stadion-säätiö |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | Finland national football team 1952 Summer Olympics 1983 World Championships in Athletics 2005 World Championships in Athletics |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium, (in Finnish and Swedish: Olympiastadion) located in the Töölö district about 2 km from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952 Summer Olympics. It was built however to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were moved from Tokyo to Helsinki before being cancelled due to World War 2. The stadium was also the venue for the first World Athletics Championships in 1983 as well as for the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. It is also the home stadium of the Finland national football team.
Construction of the Olympic Stadium began in 1934 and it was completed in 1938. The stadium was completely modernized in 1990–1994 and also renovated just before the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. Its spectator capacity was at its maximum during the 1952 Summer Olympics with over 70,000 spectator places. Nowadays the stadium has 40,000 spectator places. During concerts, the capacity is 45,000.
The tower of the stadium, a distinct landmark with a height of 72 m, is open for visitors and offers impressive views over Helsinki.
[edit] Concerts
- Rolling Stones 2 September 1970
- Dire Straits 4 August 1992
- Rolling Stones 6 June 1995
- Bon Jovi 19 July 1996
- Tina Turner 7 August 1996
- U2 9 August 1997
- Michael Jackson 24 and 26 August 1997
- Elton John 25 June 1998
- Rolling Stones 5 August 1998
- Mestarit 5 August 1999
- AC/DC 26 June 2001
- Bruce Springsteen 16 and 17 June 2003
- Rolling Stones 16 July 2003
- Metallica 28 May 2004
- Paul McCartney 17 June 2004
- Genesis 11 June 2007
- Metallica 15 July 2007
- The Rolling Stones 1 August 2007
- Bon Jovi June 16 2008
- Bruce Springsteen July 11 2008
- Iron Maiden July 18 2008
[edit] Notes
The Olympic Stadium was, along with the runner Paavo Nurmi, Erik Bruun's illustration motif for the former Finnish 10 markka banknote.
An American TV series, The Amazing Race, had one of its episodes ending at The Olympic Stadium Tower in 2006.
Since March 2007, an Eurasian Eagle-Owl has been spotted living in and around the stadium. On June 6, 2007, during a Euro 2008 qualifying match, the owl delayed play by ten minutes after perching on a goalpost. The owl was later christened Bubi and was named as Helsinki's Resident of the Year.
A Youth Hostel is located within the Stadium complex.
[edit] External links
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| Preceded by None |
IAAF World Championships in Athletics Venue 1983 |
Succeeded by Stadio Olimpico Rome |
| Preceded by Stade de France Paris |
IAAF World Championships in Athletics Venue 2005 |
Succeeded by Nagai Stadium Osaka |
