Stadio Olimpico
Encyclopedia
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico
Foro Italico
Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, later, Luigi Moretti...

 sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football. It is the home stadium of Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 clubs Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...

 and Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...

, the venue of the final Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...

, the home venue of the Italian national
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...

 rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 team and Italy's national athletics stadium. It also occasionally hosts concerts of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 and events of various kinds.

History

Throughout its history, the Stadio Olympico has undergone several substantial restructurings and a complete restyling:

1937, the Stadio del Cipressi

In its first stages, the Stadio Olimpico was called the Stadio dei Cipressi. It was designed and constructed within the larger project of the Foro Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

(Mussolini Forum), which was renamed Foro Italico after the war.

Construction work began in 1927, under the direction of Turinese engineer Angelo Frisa and architect Enrico Del Debbio, and was finished, after few variations, in 1932. The construction of masonry stands wasn't foreseen, the original stands consisted of grassy terraces.

In 1937 the construction of a second tier of stairs was started, but the work was interrupted in 1940 due to the outbreak of the war.

1953, the Stadio dei Centomila

On December 1950, the site was reopened for the completion of the stadium. The project was entrusted to the engineer Carlo Roccatelli, a member of the Superior Council of Public Works. At first, they thought of a stadium with a more complex structure than that actually realised, but the scarcity of funds and the environmental characteristics of the area led to a less ambitious version. On the death of Roccatelli in 1951, the direction of the work was entrusted to architect Annibale Vitellozzi. It now reaches a capacity of about 100,000 people (hence the name of Stadio dei Centomila, which the stadium was called before 1960), and in view of the XVII Olympiad. The building was inaugurated on 17 May 1953 with a football game between Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 and Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....

.

1960, the Stadio Olimpico

During the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

, the stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, and the athletics
Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics
At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, 34 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 10 by women. There were a total number of 1016 participating athletes from 73 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-Records broken:...

 competitions. The posts were eliminated in the feet, with the result to actual capacity to 65,000 spectators. Following hosted several editions of the Italian Championships in Athletics, the 1975 Summer Universiade
1975 Summer Universiade
The 1975 Summer Universiade, also known as the VIII Summer Universiade, took place in Rome, Italy. The 1975 Universiade only featured athletics, other disciplines having been cancelled, and was therefore referred to as the World University Championships in athletics.-Medal table:...

 (the stadium was the only venue in the Universiade), and the 1987 World Athletics Championships and still hosts the annual meeting of the Golden Gala
Golden Gala
Golden Gala is an annual track and field event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-History:...

.

1990 restructuring and coverage of the stadium

In view of the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...

, which was the Olympic main Stadium, the facility was the subject of an extensive enhancement. Because of the work in 1989 of the Capitoline teams Lazio and Roma played their internal competitions at Stadio Flaminio
Stadio Flaminio
The Stadio Flaminio is a stadium in Rome. It lies along the Via Flaminia, three kilometres northwest of the city centre, 300 metres away from the Parco di Villa Glori....

. The work was entrusted to a team of designers, including the original designer Annibale Vitellozzi. From 1987 to 1990, the plan of action was amended several times, with a consequent rise in costs. Ultimately, Olimpico was entirely demolished and rebuilt in reinforced concrete, with the exception of the Tribuna Tevere expanded with the addition of further steps, the curves
Curva (stadia)
Curva is an Italian term or name for curved stands of seating located at sports stadiums, particularly in Italy; so named, originally, due to their curved or bending shape...

 were closer to the field of nine metres. All sectors of the stadium were covered with full coverage in tensostructure white. Also installed were backless seats in blue plastic, and two giant screens built in 1987 for the World Athletics Championships were also mounted inside the curve. At the end of the new version of Olimpico had 82,911 seats, and so was the 14th stage in the world for number of seats in the stadiums used for football, the 29th among all the stages and the second in Italy, to just behind the San Siro Stadium
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...

 of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

. The restructuring works, with the result of an undoubtedly impressive and fascinating, not kept account of the surroundings. The rise of the stairs, as well as coveragestravolsero fully the principles on which the previous stage was designed and constructed.

The Stadio Olimpico was host to five matches in which the Italian National Team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 took part in, and the final between West Germany and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

. West Germany won the final match 1–0.

By the same conformation of 1990, on 22 May 1996, the Stadio Olimpico hosted the UEFA Champions League Final
1996 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 22 May 1996 between Juventus of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands. The match was deadlocked at 1–1 after extra time, forcing a penalty shootout which Juventus won 4–2. This was the Italian giants' second triumph in the...

 between Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

 and Ajax, which saw the Bianconeri prevail in a penalty shoot-out.

2008 restyling of the stadium

In 2007, it was engaged in a vast plan of restyling inside the stadium to conform to UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 standards, for the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
2009 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's...

, which was disputed in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. The work was performed and completed in 2008, having included the establishment of standard structures, with improvements in security, the adjustment of dressing rooms and press room, the complete replacement of the seats, installing high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...

 LED screens
LED-backlit LCD television
An LED-backlight LCD television is an LCD television, flat panel display that uses LED backlighting instead of the cold cathode backlighting used in other LCD televisions. While not an LED display, it is called "LED TV" by some manufacturers and suppliers...

, the partial removal of plexiglas fences between spectators and the field, and a reduction of posts, until the current capacity of 82,307. In order to increase the comfort of the audience, a part of the modernisation of the stadium were the increase of the points of rest and adjustment to a toilet. These actions have allowed the Stadio Olimpico to be classified as UEFA Elite stadium.

Rome is currently bidding
Rome bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics
Rome 2020 is a bid by the city of Rome to be chosen by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. The city previously hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics....

 to host the 2020 Summer Olympics
2020 Summer Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....

. Should Rome be selected to host the games, the Stadio Olimpico would host the athletics events, the men's football final as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. It would be the second Olympic Stadium in history to host the ceremonies twice. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...

 hosted the ceremonies at the 1932
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...

 and 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

.

Areas and capacity

The stadium has a current capacity of 82,307, distributed as follows:
  • Tribuna Monte Mario – 16,555
  • Tribuna Tevere – 16,397
  • Distinto Sud Ovest – 5,747
  • Distinto Sud Est – 5,637
  • Distinto Nord Ovest – 5,769
  • Distinto Nord Est – 5,597
  • Curva
    Curva (stadia)
    Curva is an Italian term or name for curved stands of seating located at sports stadiums, particularly in Italy; so named, originally, due to their curved or bending shape...

     Sud
    – 8,486
  • Curva
    Curva (stadia)
    Curva is an Italian term or name for curved stands of seating located at sports stadiums, particularly in Italy; so named, originally, due to their curved or bending shape...

     Nord
    – 8,520

Famous matches

  • The 1968 European Championship final match saw Italy
    Italy national football team
    The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

     win against Yugoslavia
    Yugoslavia national football team
    The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...

     2–0.
  • The 1977 European Cup final match saw Liverpool
    Liverpool F.C.
    Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

     win the trophy against Borussia Mönchengladbach
    Borussia Mönchengladbach
    Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

     3–1.
  • The 1980 European Championship final match saw Germany
    Germany national football team
    The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

     win against Belgium 2–1.
  • The 1984 European Cup final match saw Liverpool win the trophy after a penalty shootout against native team Roma
    A.S. Roma
    Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...

     (regular time ended 1–1).
  • The 1990 FIFA World Cup Final
    1990 FIFA World Cup Final
    The 1990 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match played between West Germany and Argentina that took place on 8 July 1990 at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome to determine the winner of the 1990 FIFA World Cup...

     match saw West Germany win against Argentina
    Argentina national football team
    The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

     1–0.
  • The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final
    1996 UEFA Champions League Final
    The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 22 May 1996 between Juventus of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands. The match was deadlocked at 1–1 after extra time, forcing a penalty shootout which Juventus won 4–2. This was the Italian giants' second triumph in the...

     saw Juventus
    Juventus F.C.
    Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

     win the trophy after a penalty shootout against Ajax (regular time ended 1–1).
  • The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
    2009 UEFA Champions League Final
    The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's...

     saw Barcelona
    FC Barcelona
    Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

     win against Manchester United
    Manchester United F.C.
    Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

     2–0.

Average attendances

The average season attendances from league matches held at the Stadio Olimpico for Lazio and Roma.
Season Roma Lazio
1961–62 30,176 20,730*
1962–63 37,248 17,523
1963–64 31,269 24,979
1964–65 30,176 20,730
1965–66 28,897 21,486
1966–67 35,375 21,680
1967–68 35,902 15,586
1968–69 46,323 21,935*
1969–70 50,625 34,883*
1970–71 45,551 37,979
1971–72 47,990 26,132*
1972–73 44,310 45,591
1973–74 47,597 49,833
1974–75 53,935 44,846
1975–76 44,607 40,859
1976–77 36,899 37,920
1977–78 40,956 38,786
1978–79 48,768 41,059

Season Roma Lazio
1979–80 44,589 31,560
1980–81 51,103 24,148*
1981–82 45,289 21,634*
1982–83 54,510 34,234*
1983–84 52,793 46,908
1984–85 51,421 38,544
1985–86 50,151 25,872*
1986–87 49,138 30,945*
1987–88 42,755 29,790*
1988–89 34,913 32,125
1989–90 # 22,067 20,022
1990–91 43,570 36,371
1991–92 51,609 39,499
1992–93 50,306 49,105
1993–94 52,615 50,149
1994–95 56,356 48,715
1995–96 53,146 46,326
1996–97 50,557 38,699

Season Roma Lazio
1997–98 52,813 46,058
1998–99 54,309 53,184
1999–00 58,915 51,956
2000–01 63,370 48,498
2001–02 59,402 42,684
2002–03 57,160 44,129
2003–04 55,413 49,341
2004–05 49,631 37,516
2005–06 39,726 27,872
2006–07 38,689 25,048
2007–08 35,982 21,607
2008–09 39,396 34,626
2009–10 40,925 36,154
2010–11 33,952 29,122


# In 1989–90 season both teams played at Stadio Flaminio
Stadio Flaminio
The Stadio Flaminio is a stadium in Rome. It lies along the Via Flaminia, three kilometres northwest of the city centre, 300 metres away from the Parco di Villa Glori....

 during the renovations of Stadio Olimpico.

* Club was in Serie B

= Serie A winners

= Coppa Italia winners

External links



The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK