| Atatürk Olympic Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Opened | 31 July 2002 |
| Renovated | 2005 |
| Owner | Republic of Turkey |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | €150 million |
| Architect | Michel Macary Aymeric Zublena |
| Capacity | 76,092 |
| Executive Suites | 34 |
| Record attendance | 79,414 (Galatasaray SK-Olympiakos CFP) |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 68 m |
| Tenants | |
| Istanbul BB Turkey national football team |
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Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Turkish: Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı) located in İkitelli, a district in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is the largest-capacity stadium of Turkey. The stadium takes its name from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was built for Turkey's failed bid for the 2008 Olympic Games that were ultimately awarded to Beijing. It cost about €350 million.
With its 76,092 (all-seater) capacity and Olympic size, it was granted the "5-star sports complex" title by the UEFA in 2004, enabling it to host the finals of UEFA events. The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. was played on May 25, 2005, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The stadium is also certified by the IAAF and IOC as a first-class venue for track and field, and has hosted several European athletic competitions.
Galatasaray SK played its home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium during the 2003–2004 football season, due to the renovation of their own venue, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and this was criticized by other teams. Galatasaray eventually returned to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004–2005 season, but played some of its 2006–2007 UEFA Champions League games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Sivasspor also played some of its Süper Lig home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium due to the bad weather conditions in their original hometown stadium. Istanbul BB, also of the Süper Lig, play all their home games in the venue.
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From 2002 to 2005 the stadium had a capacity of 80,597 (all-seater). This was later reduced to 76,092 (all-seater) by removing the seats from where it was not possible to see the entire pitch, prior to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final game between AC Milan and Liverpool FC, which was played on May 25, 2005.
To meet all requirements of the UEFA for being able to organize the Euro 2016 football championship, the authorities will undertake major reconstruction works on this stadium starting from early 2011. Increasing the stadium's capacity will enable over 90,000 spectators to enjoy the matches of the UEFA Euro 2016 in what will become the world's largest stadium with every seat under cover. To increase the net and gross capacity to 81,106 and 90,115 respectively, the pitch will be lowered by 2.15 metres. In order to provide better convenience for the VIP guests and the media, all existing hospitality areas at levels 3 and 4 will be extended. Furthermore, 12 new boxes will be added to the west stand and 32 to the east stand in order to add to the current number of 36 skyboxes; this will provide a total of 80 skyboxes after the reconstruction.[1]
On September 6, 2010, the renowned Irish rock band U2 gave a concert at the stadium which reportedly attracted over 55,000 fans, as a part of their U2 360° Tour, the opening act of which was performed by the group Snow Patrol.[2]
| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 79,414 | 31 July 2002 | Galatasaray SK – Olympiacos CFP |
| 2 | 71,334 | 27 September 2003 | Galatasaray SK – Fenerbahçe SK |
| 3 | 71,230 | 12 September 2006 | Galatasaray SK – FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
| 4 | 70,024 | 25 May 2005 | AC Milan – Liverpool FC |
| 5 | 66,300 | 30 August 2003 | Galatasaray SK – PFC CSKA |
| 6 | 62,620 | 9 August 2003 | Galatasaray SK – Diyarbakırspor |
| 7 | 58,617 | 30 September 2003 | Galatasaray SK – Real Sociedad |
| 8 | 51,714 | 18 October 2006 | Galatasaray SK – PSV Eindhoven |
| 9 | 47,682 | 4 April 2004 | Galatasaray SK – Beşiktaş J.K |
| 10 | 41,125 | 21 October 2003 | Galatasaray SK – Olympiacos CFP |
| Preceded by Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen |
UEFA Champions League Final Venue 2005 |
Succeeded by Stade de France St-Denis |
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