This stadium is the only venue to have hosted two Summer Olympics - in 19. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, US Credit: BP Miller / Unsplash The stadium is open to tourists when not hosting events. Besides sporting events, the stadium has played host to performers such as Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Bon Jovi among others since 1989. In 2001, it was renamed Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in honour of the former President of the Government of Catalonia. Re-opened in 1989, the stadium hosted the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. They upgraded and changed everything in the stadium, except for the façade that gives the stadium an appearance of a magnificent palace with Moorish influences. Left unused for a long time, the stadium was renovated decades later - this time by a team of architects that included the legendary Vittorio Gregotti. Its original purpose was to host the 1936 Summer Olympics, but the tense political situation in Spain in the 1930s resulted in Munich getting the right to host the games. When it opened in 1929 for the Barcelona Universal Exposition, the stadium designed by architect Pere Domènech i Roure was the second-largest in the world. Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain Credit: Estadi Olimpic Bands and musicians like AC/DC, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and the Three Tenors have performed here. Steel cables support the huge translucent canopy comprising plexiglass panels, which were designed to make the stadium blend in with the Bavarian landscape.įollowing the Olympics, which was overshadowed by the Munich massacre, the stadium has been used as a venue for major football events like the 1974 FIFA World Cup final between the Netherlands and West Germany. Its distinguishing feature is the tent-like structure over the seating areas. Designed by German architect and engineer Frei Otto, the stadium has a capacity of just over 69,000.
The centrepiece of the Olympiapark München, Olympiastadion is an architectural masterpiece constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany Credit: M(e)ister Eiskalt/ CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons From a stadium with a tent-like cover to one that looks like a medieval castle, here are some of the most beautiful Olympic stadiums and venues around the world. The design focuses on aesthetics, usability and scale, making it easy for the stadiums to host mega international sporting events that are attended by thousands of spectators. Exceptional architectural design is one of the most important aspects considered when planning these stadiums. Olympic stadiums and venues are built to match the dexterity of the ‘Games’ themselves.