Stadio Olimpico

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Stadio Olimpico

Olimpico
UEFA
Location	Viale dei Gladiatori, 00135 Rome, Italy
Coordinates	41°56′1.99″N 12°27′17.23″E / 41.9338861°N 12.4547861°E / 41.9338861; 12.4547861
Owner	Italian National Olympic Committee
Capacity	70,634[1]
Surface	Grass 105 × 66 m
Construction
Broke ground	1901
Built	1928
Opened	1937
Renovated	1953
Expanded	1990
Architect	Annibale Vitellozzi[2]
Tenants
A.S. Roma (1953–present) S.S. Lazio (1953–present) Italy national football team (selected matches) Italy national rugby union team (2012–present)

The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is an asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee and it is intended primarily for football. The Stadio Olimpico is the home stadium of Serie A clubs Lazio and Roma and also hosts the Coppa Italia final. It was rebuilt for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and it hosted the tournament final.

Rated an UEFA category four stadium, it has also hosted four European Cup finals, the most recent being the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final. Outside football, the stadium is used by the Italian national rugby union team and it is Italy's national athletics stadium. Occasionally, it hosts concerts and events.

History[edit]

Throughout its history, the Stadio Olimpico has undergone several renovations.

1937, the Stadio dei Cipressi[edit]

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

Construction work began in 1927 directed by the Turinese engineer Angelo Frisa and architect Enrico Del Debbio. The construction was completed in 1932, after a few variations to the original plan. For instance, the construction of masonry stands was not part of the initial plan as, originally, stands consisted of grassed terraces.

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

1953, the Stadio dei Centomila[edit]

Panoramic view of the stadium in the 1950s

In December 1950, the working 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, the plan was for a stadium with a more complex structure than that actually realised.^{[citation needed]} However, the scarcity of funds and the environmental characteristics of the area led to a less ambitious building. On the death of Roccatelli in 1951, the direction of the work was entrusted to architect Annibale Vitellozzi. The stadium now reached a capacity of about 100,000 people, hence the stadium was known as Stadio dei Centomila, until renamed for the 1960 Olympics. The building was inaugurated on 17 May 1953 with a football game between Italy and Hungary.

1960, the Stadio Olimpico[edit]

Opening Ceremony of the 1960 Olympic Games

During the 1960 Summer Olympics, the stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics competitions. Seating at ground level was eliminated with the result of an actual capacity of 65,000 spectators.^[3] Subsequently the stadium hosted several editions of the Italian Championships of Athletics, the 1975 Summer Universiade (the stadium was the only venue for the Universiade) and the 1987 World Athletics Championships. It still hosts the annual meeting of the Golden Gala.

1990 restructuring and roofing of the stadium[edit]

The Stadio Olimpico from above

For the 1990 FIFA World Cup, for which it was the main stadium, the facility underwent an extensive renovation. While that work was underway in 1989 the Capitoline teams Lazio and Roma had to play their Serie A games at Stadio Flaminio. The work was entrusted to a team of designers including the original architect Annibale Vitellozzi. From 1987 to 1990, the construction plan was amended several times, with a consequent rise in costs. Ultimately, the Olimpico was entirely demolished and rebuilt in reinforced concrete, with the exception of the Tribuna Tevere which was expanded with the addition of further steps and of the curves which were closer to the field by nine metres. All sectors of the stadium were provided with full coverage in tensostructure white. Backless seats in blue plastic were installed and two giant screens built in 1987 for the World Athletics Championships were also mounted inside the curve. In the end the new version of the Olimpico had 82,911 seats. It was the 14th stadium in the world for number of seats among the football stadiums, the 29th among all stadiums and the second in Italy, just behind the San Siro Stadium of Milan.

The Stadio Olimpico was host to five matches in which the Italian National Team took part and the final between West Germany and Argentina. West Germany won the final match 1–0.

With the same layout from 1990, the Stadio Olimpico hosted on 22 May 1996 the UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and Ajax which saw the Bianconeri prevail in a penalty shoot-out.

2008 restyling of the stadium[edit]

Exterior of the stadium.

An internal panoramic view of the Stadio Olimpico in May 2017.

In 2007, a vast plan of restyling the internal design of the stadium was laid out, to conform to UEFA standards for the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final which was held in Rome. The work was performed and completed in 2008. It included the establishment of standard structures with improvements in security, the fixing of dressing rooms and of the press room. It also included the replacement of all seats, the installation of high definition LED screens, the partial removal of plexiglas fences between spectators and the field and a reduction of seating to the current capacity of 70,634. In order to enhance the comfort of the audience, part of the modernisation of the stadium involved increasing the number of restrooms and fixing the toilets. As a result of these improvements, the Stadio Olimpico was classified a UEFA Elite stadium.

Areas and capacity[edit]

Curva Sud, used as the home end by Roma supporters

Curva Nord, used as the home end by Lazio supporters

The stadium has a current capacity of 72,698, distributed as follows:^[4]

• Tribuna Monte Mario – 16,555
• Tribuna Tevere – 16,397
• Distinti Sud Ovest – 5,747
• Distinti Sud Est – 5,637
• Distinti Nord Ovest – 5,769
• Distinti Nord Est – 5,597
• Curva Sud – 8,486
• Curva Nord – 8,520
• For end stage concerts/shows it can hold up to 75,000.
• For center stage concerts/shows it can hold up to 78,000.

Competitions hosted[edit]

• 1960 Summer Olympics
• 1974 European Athletics Championships
• 1975 Summer Universiade
• 1977 European Cup Final
• UEFA Euro 1980
• 1984 European Cup Final
• 1987 World Championships in Athletics
• 1990 FIFA World Cup
• 1996 UEFA Champions League Final
• 2001 Summer Deaflympics
• 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
• UEFA Euro 2020

Famous matches[edit]

Rugby union match between Italy and France at the stadium in 1954

• The 1968 European Championship final match saw Italy win against Yugoslavia 2–0.
• The 1973 Intercontinental Cup match saw Independiente win the trophy against Juventus 1-0
• The 1977 European Cup Final match saw Liverpool win the trophy against Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1.
• The 1980 European Championship final match saw Germany win against Belgium 2–1.
• The 1984 European Cup Final match saw Liverpool win the trophy after a penalty shootout against native team Roma (regular time ended 1–1).
• The 1990 FIFA World Cup Final match saw West Germany win against Argentina 1–0.
• The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final saw Juventus win the trophy after a penalty shootout against Ajax (regular time ended 1–1).
• The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final saw Barcelona win against Manchester United 2–0.
• The 2013 Six Nations Championship saw the Italian rugby team beat France for only the second time in the championship and the first time at this stadium.
• The 2013 Six Nations Championship saw the Italian rugby team beat Ireland for the first time ever in the championship.

Average attendances[edit]

The average season attendance at league matches held at the Stadio Olimpico for Lazio and Roma. ^[5]

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 1979–80 44,589 31,560

Season Roma Lazio 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 1997–98 52,813 46,058 1998–99 54,309 53,184

Season Roma Lazio 1999–2000 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 2011–12 36,219 32,410 2012–13 40,179 31,992 2013–14 40,436 31,905 2014–15 40,135 34,949 2015–16 35,182 21,025 2016–17 32,638 20,453

# In 1989–90 season both teams played at Stadio Flaminio during the renovations of Stadio Olimpico.
* Club was in Serie B
= Serie A champions
= Coppa Italia winners

1990 FIFA World Cup[edit]

The stadium was one of the venues of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and held six matches. The first five involved host nations Italy. All their Group A matches (1–0 wins over Austria 9 June and United States on 14 June respectively and a 2–0 win over Czechoslovakia on 19 June), their Round of 16 match against Uruguay on 26 June winning 2–0 and their Quarter-finals against Republic of Ireland on 30 June winning 1–0. The sixth was the Final where West Germany and Argentina on 8 July with West Germany winning 1–0.

Concerts[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stadio Olimpico (Rome).

• External view of the Olympic Stadium of Rome
• Rome2009.net
• Brief Guide to Olympic Stadium of Rome
• How to reach the Olympic Stadium of Rome

Events and tenants
Preceded by Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne	Summer Olympics Main Venue 1960	Succeeded by Olympic Stadium (Tokyo) Tokyo
Preceded by Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Madrid	UEFA European Football Championship Final Venue 1968	Succeeded by King Baudouin Stadium Brussels
Preceded by Helsinki Olympic Stadium  Finland Helsinki	European Athletics Championships Venue 1974	Succeeded by Stadion Evžena Rošického  Czechoslovakia Prague
Preceded by Luzhniki Stadium  Soviet Union Moscow	Universiade Venue 1975	Succeeded by Vassil Levski Stadium  Bulgaria Sofia
Preceded by Hampden Park Glasgow	European Cup Final Venue 1977	Succeeded by Wembley London
Preceded by Stadion Crvena Zvezda Belgrade	UEFA European Football Championship Final Venue 1980	Succeeded by Parc des Princes Paris
Preceded by Olympic Stadium Athens	European Cup Final Venue 1984	Succeeded by Heysel Stadium Brussels
Preceded by Helsinki Olympic Stadium Helsinki	IAAF World Championships in Athletics Venue 1987	Succeeded by Olympic Stadium Tokyo
Preceded by Estadio Azteca Mexico City	FIFA World Cup Final Venue 1990	Succeeded by Rose Bowl Los Angeles (Pasadena)
Preceded by Ernst Happel Stadion Vienna	UEFA Champions League Final Venue 1996	Succeeded by Olympiastadion Munich
Preceded by Luzhniki Stadium Moscow	UEFA Champions League Final Venue 2009	Succeeded by Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Madrid
Preceded by Not determited France	UEFA European Football Championship Venue 2020	Succeeded by Not determited Germany