Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
 | |
| Full name | Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys |
|---|---|
| Former names | Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc |
| Location | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Capacity | 54,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1927 |
| Renovated | 1989 |
| Architect | Pere Domènech i Roura |
| Tenants | |
|
Míting Internacional d´Atletisme Ciutat de Barcelona Catalonia national football team Barcelona Dragons (1991-92; 1995-2002) RCD Espanyol (1997-2009) Catalans Dragons (2012-) 1992 Summer Olympics 2010 European Athletics Championships 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics | |
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Catalan pronunciation: [əsˈtaði uˈɫimpiɡ ʎuˈis kumˈpaɲs], formerly known as the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc or Barcelona Olympic Stadium) is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city (and Barcelona's bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin), it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[1] The stadium has a capacity of 54,000 (67,007 during the 1992 Olympics), and is located in the Anella Olímpica, in Montjuïc, a large hill to the southwest of the city which overlooks the harbour.
In 2001 the stadium was renamed after the former president of the Generalitat de Catalunya Lluís Companys i Jover, who was executed at the nearby Montjuïc Castle in 1940 by the Franco regime.
History
Designed by architect Pere Domènech i Roura for the 1929 Expo, the stadium was officially opened on 4 July 1929 when Bolton Wanderers were invited to play a friendly against a Catalan XI.
It was meant to host the People's Olympiad in 1936, a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but the event had to be cancelled due the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
In the fifties, the stadium was the centerpiece of the 1955 Mediterranean Games, and in 1957 it hosted the only national football cup final between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol, the two local clubs.
In the seventies the stadium was disused, and the stands deteriorated. When the Spanish Grand Prix and other races were held at the Montjuïc racing circuit, the stadium was used as a paddock for the teams. Due to safety concerns, the 1975 F1 race was nearly boycotted by drivers.
Due to the award of the 1992 Summer Olympics to Barcelona, the stadium was renovated with the involvement of Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti. The stadium was gutted, preserving only the original facades, and new grandstands were built. In 1989 the venue was reinaugurated for the World Cup in Athletics, and three years later it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics competitions of the Olympic Games.[2]
The stadium served as the home of football club RCD Espanyol from 1997 until 2009. The Estadi Olímpic made its final La Liga appearance during the 2008-2009 season, as Espanyol moved to the newly constructed Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.
It also served as the home of the Barcelona Dragons American Football team until 2002. Because the size of the playing surface was slightly shorter than the regulation American Football length, the stadium only had 7-yard end zones, three yards shorter than regulation NFL size in 1991 and 1992. They were later lengthen to the standard 10 yards.
The stadium also played host to the NFL's American Bowl in 1993 and in 1994. The San Francisco 49ers played the Pittsburgh Steelers on 1 August 1993. The second game was played on 31 July 1994 between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Denver Broncos.
The stadium has since 1990 hosted the Míting Internacional d´Atletisme Ciutat de Barcelona an annual track and field meeting.
In 2010, the stadium hosted the 20th European Athletics Championships.
Sport events
- 1929: Montjuïc hosted Spain's first official rugby international game against Italy.[3] Spain won 9-0.[3]
- 1930: Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
- 1933: National football cup final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
- 1934: National football cup final between Valencia CF and Real Madrid.
- 1935: Boxing match Paolino Uzcudun vs. Max Schmeling
- 1939: National football cup final between Sevilla FC and Racing de Ferrol.
- 1944: National football cup final between Athletic Bilbao and Valencia CF.
- 1945: National football cup final between Sevilla FC and Racing de Ferrol.
- 1946: National football cup final between Real Madrid and Valencia CF.
- 1955: II Mediterranean Games.
- 1957: National football cup final between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol.
- 1989: IAAF World Cup.
- 1992: Games of the XXV Olympiad and IX Paralympic Games.
- 1993: rugby league club championship, Huddersfield Giants 23-22 XIII Catalan[4]
- 1997: World Bowl '97 between Barcelona Dragons and Rhein Fire.
- 1999: The stadium hosted the Euro 2000 qualifying match between Andorra and then world champions France on 9 June 1999.
- 2003: World Police and Fire Games.
- 2004: Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza.
- 2007-2008: The stadium hosted the Euro 2008 qualifying match between Andorra and England on 28 March 2007 and also the same fixture on 6 September 2008 for the 2010 World Cup qualifying match.
- 2009: On Saturday 20 June the Perpignan-based rugby league team, Catalans Dragons lost 12-24 to Warrington Wolves in the first Super League match to be played in Spain, drawing a crowd of over 18,500.
- 2010: 20th European Athletics Championships.
- 2011: 2010–11 Heineken Cup quarter-final match between Perpignan and Toulon with a crowd of 55.000.
- 2012: 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics.
Musical events
The stadium has hosted concerts by many famous artists, including Muse, AC/DC,Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Coldplay, Deftones, Fiction Plane, Guns N' Roses, Michael Jackson, Jean Michel Jarre, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Madonna, Shakira, Metallica, Mudvayne, Pink Floyd, The Police, Prince & The New Power Generation, RBD, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Sting, Tina Turner, U2 and Van Halen, among others.
Concerts
- 1990 (13 and 14 June): Concerts by The Rolling Stones in the framework of their Urban Jungle Tour
- 1990 (25 July): Concert by Prince in the framework of his Nude Tour, before some 30,000 spectators
- 1990 (1 August): Concert by Madonna in the framework of her Blond Ambition Tour before more than 60,000
- 1990 (16 September): Concert by David Bowie, as part of his Sound + Vision Tour before some 30,000 spectators
- 1990 (6 and 7 October): Concert by Tina Turner, performed on two nights as part of her Foreign Affair Tour
- 1991 (24 September): Concerts by AC/DC, Metallica, Tesla and Legion in the framework of the Monsters of Rock festival, before some 45,000 spectators
- 1992 (18 September): Concert by Michael Jackson in the framework of his Dangerous Tour in front of 65,000 spectators
- 1993 (11 May): Concert by Bruce Springsteen as part of the Human Touch World Tour
- 1993 (5 July): Concert by Guns N' Roses
- 1993 (6 October): Concert by Jean Michel Jarre
- 1994 (27 July): Concert by Pink Floyd as part of The Division Bell Tour
- 1995 (13 June): Concert by Bon Jovi with The Pretenders and Van Halen in front of 30,000 people
- 1997 (13 September): Concert U2 during their PopMart Tour - 60,096 people
- 1998 (20 July): Concert by The Rolling Stones during their Bridges to Babylon Tour
- 2003 (17 May): Concert by Bruce Springsteen as part of the The Rising Tour
- 2003 (29 June): Concert by The Rolling Stones as part of the Licks Tour. The Pretenders acted as openers, 50,000 people attended
- 2007 (21 June): Concert by The Rolling Stones during their A Bigger Bang Tour (after cancelling a show the previous year) to 50,000
- 2007 (30 June): Concert by Mexican pop group RBD during their Tour Celestial to more than 57,000 people
- 2007 (27 September): Concert by The Police during their Police Reunion Tour - 54,553 spectators
- 2008 (1 June): Concert by Bon Jovi as part of their Lost Highway Tour - 46,255 people
- 2009 (7 June): Concert by AC/DC, during their Black Ice Tour before some 62,000 spectators[5]
- 2009 (21 July): Concert by Madonna during the second leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour - 44,811 spectators[6]
- 2009 (4 September): Concert by Coldplay on their Viva la Vida Tour - 63,306 spectators
- 2009 (3 December): Concert by The Prodigy, promoting their latest studio album Invaders Must Die
- 2009 (4 December): Concert by Marilyn Manson, presenting his album The High End of Low
- 2011 (29 May): Concert by Shakira during her The Sun Comes Out World Tour
- 2011 (27 July): Concert by Bon Jovi as part of their Bon Jovi Live - 39,992 people
- 2012 (17 May and 18 May): Concert by Bruce Springsteen as part of his Wrecking Ball World Tour - 79,430 people
- 2013 (7 June) : Concert by Muse as part of their The 2nd Law World Tour
- 2014 (8 July) : Concert by One Direction as part of their Where We Are Tour - 40,333 people
- 2015 (29 May) : Concert by AC/DC as part of their Rock or Bust World Tour
References
- ↑ "Official Report of the XXV Games of the Olympiad Barcelona 1992; Volume II; p.127".
- ↑ 1992 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. pp. 160-7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-255-5); Chapter 6, Gathering Storms, p129
- ↑ http://www.rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk/subjects/view/the-european-clubs-championship
- ↑ "AC / DC smashes Montjuïc". Elperiodico.com. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ↑ "The Queen of Pop - conquest Barcelona". Cope.es. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. |
- Stadium featured on Blog (English)
| Preceded by Seoul Olympic Stadium Seoul |
Summer Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies (Olympic Stadium) 1992 |
Succeeded by Centennial Olympic Stadium Atlanta |
| Preceded by Seoul Olympic Stadium Seoul |
Olympic Athletics competitions Main Venue 1992 |
Succeeded by Centennial Olympic Stadium Atlanta |
| Preceded by Ullevi Gothenburg |
European Championships in Athletics Main Venue 2010 |
Succeeded by Olympiastadion Helsinki |
| Preceded by Moncton Stadium Moncton |
IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics Main Venue 2012 |
Succeeded by Hayward Field Eugene |
Coordinates: 41°21′53.14″N 2°9′20.37″E / 41.3647611°N 2.1556583°E
| ||||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
